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chapter 17
“…A-acute poison?”
“That’s the assumption. But if it had been an acute poison, she’d already be dead. Since she’s still alive, it must be something else.”
In other words, even the court physician couldn’t determine what kind of poison it was.
The knight nodded and ordered them to keep a close eye on the maid before leaving.
But Eshy, left behind, collapsed where she stood, clutching Grace’s hand and sobbing uncontrollably.
Her mumbled words were filled with self-blame.
Because she had accepted something from a fellow maid—who normally didn’t even treat her well—without any suspicion, and Grace had eaten it, she felt the whole tragedy was her fault.
Everything that had happened—from Grace collapsing to Eshy rushing over—was reported in detail to the Duke.
The moment he heard, the Duke furrowed his brows at the head maid who had gone so far as to risk harming a maid, and he ordered an immediate investigation.
Since the Duke himself was digging into the matter, there was no way the truth would remain hidden.
He then examined the list of maids again, this time focusing on those whose names had been crossed out.
It was child’s play for him to investigate what Grace had already uncovered.
“They had all cut ties with their relatives, or they were orphans.”
“Hah. And what was the head maid planning to do with them?”
“We’re still tracing their movements. Most of the other maids left no trail, but one named Beryl suddenly disappeared. Looking closer, it seems her disposal was done in an unusually hasty manner.”
“And?”
“Some traces were left behind.”
“What traces?”
“Apparently, it happened in her quarters. Some of her belongings were found in the head maid’s room, left behind before they could be properly taken care of. When we sprayed detection fluid around the dorm, bloodstains showed up.”
“Blood?”
“Yes. We’re not certain whose, so we’ve sent it for magical analysis.”
Of course, the matter of Eshy being targeted also came up.
It seemed her friend had been caught in her place, and when the Duke heard the name Grace, he faltered.
“Grace?”
That was the same name as the maid Livanu had said he wanted to take with him on his convalescence.
Sure enough, it was confirmed she had been serving him for about a month.
“…Then why isn’t she on the roster?”
“She’s new. It seems Beryl paid her off to take over the position midway.”
“…Tch.”
Because Beryl had passed off her duties, the situation had become tangled.
Either way, it was now clear that the head maid had been colluding with someone, scheming for her own gain.
“Arrest everyone involved in this matter.”
The Duke issued the command, never imagining that he himself was merely another piece in the larger game.
Meanwhile, the physician’s laboratory was flooded with knights.
Not long after the first knight left in haste, a whole group arrived, saying they needed to secure the area and protect the victim.
“If necessary, you may be called to testify, so prepare yourself.”
“Testify?”
“Yes.”
Testify?
Well, it wasn’t surprising. An attempted poisoning within the Duke’s own household was no trivial affair.
Still, it seemed odd—who would go so far just for a maid?
“Does that mean we’ll stand trial?”
“No. It just means that if His Grace calls for you, you’ll have to recount exactly what happened today.”
“…What is going on?”
Eshy, already dazed, now felt utterly overwhelmed by the knights crowding in.
Grace, hearing it all, silently rejoiced—this must mean the Duke himself was moving.
“What in the world…”
By contrast, Eshy and the physician looked baffled, unable to grasp what was happening.
“Something must have happened.”
Soon word spread like wildfire among the maids: the head maid had been dragged away by knights, practically like a dog.
Eshy, still holding vigil beside Grace, knew none of it.
She simply clutched Grace’s hand tightly, waiting for her to wake.
Grace, rolling her eyes under closed lids, thought it might be about time to get up.
But if she looked too well, wouldn’t that seem strange?
Maybe I should just nap a little longer?
Just then, the door burst open, and a familiar stench wafted in.
“Grace!”
It seemed Livanu had finally heard the news and rushed over himself.
Now that he was here, yes—better to stay asleep.
Even though he’d surely be furious if he knew, Grace thought with perfect calmness.
“Young Master?”
The physician’s eyes widened in shock that Livanu had come here personally.
“How’s Grace? What happened to her?”
He looked like he wasn’t in his right mind.
“How is she? Answer me!”
When there was no immediate response, Livanu glared at the physician with a murderous look.
The young master, who had always acted like a lifeless shell, had never reacted this strongly before.
The faint glimmer of madness in his eyes made the physician gulp before answering.
“…We’ll have to observe her a little longer.”
“She can recover, right? She will, won’t she?”
“…We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Ha…”
The physician kept repeating the same thing like a parrot, and Livanu stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on Grace lying still.
Countless emotions flickered in his eyes.
In fact, he looked far more unstable than the poisoned Grace herself.
Eshy also seemed half out of her wits, but Livanu’s reaction was beyond that.
Unable to control his body, he trembled violently, face twisted with turmoil.
He shook with rage, as though ready to hunt down and tear apart those who had done this, then collapsed again in despair at the sight of Grace’s limp form.
Just what is this maid to him?
The physician burned with curiosity, but the atmosphere was too heavy to risk a question.
“…Grace.”
After standing frozen for a long time, Livanu slowly approached her.
He clasped her hand, his eyes fixed solely on her.
He had left to meet the Duke, but when he returned to a cold, empty room, he had panicked.
At first he thought she had just stepped out briefly, but when she didn’t return, he had gone searching.
Then he heard someone had collapsed from poisoning, and terrified, he ran here without thinking.
“Hhhff…”
What he wanted was to break down in tears, to beg her to wake up, to cling to her.
But he restrained himself.
Only the tears that escaped his eyes betrayed him.
His thoughts were in turmoil.
He had only stepped away for a short meeting—so why was Grace lying here like this?
Then he noticed the red-haired maid hovering anxiously nearby—Grace’s friend, the one he had seen before.
The moment Livanu’s eyes fell on her, Eshy flinched visibly, bowing awkwardly as she stammered a greeting.
“H-hello, I’m Eshy, Grace’s friend. Young Master…”
“Why are you here?”
“I-I brought Grace here.”
“You did? How?”
“She came to see me at my workplace today…”
Grace had sought her out?
It wasn’t impossible—after all, they were friends. But if she had gone anywhere, Grace always told Livanu.
Why had she met Eshy specifically while he was away?
“What did you do there?”
His tone came out sharper than he intended.
“J-just talked… then we were on our way back to the dorm.”
“Why didn’t she tell me she was going?”
“W-well… is that so important…?”
Eshy trailed off uncertainly.
Though she hadn’t known Grace for long, she had often heard her speak fondly of her master.
It had been surprising—Grace seemed to truly like serving him.
Livanu, who was shunned even more than herself.
If she had been in Grace’s place, could she have treated him the same way?
Honestly, she doubted it.
But now, seeing his raw reaction, she felt with certainty how deeply he cared for Grace.
No one could react this way if they were just being “served.”
Just then, Livanu’s face twisted in a snarl as he glared at her.
The intensity made Eshy drop her gaze, flustered.
“Hah… Don’t tell me…”
What had he overlooked?
Turning the thought over, Livanu suddenly realized—
The truth Grace hadn’t told him.
Beryl’s next target might have been this maid.
Since Grace had lied about where she was going, the head maid must have sought someone else to replace her.
Grace must have known that person would be Eshy.
But even so—who could have imagined she would throw herself in harm’s way to protect her?
Did she approach me on purpose, knowing it was dangerous?
