CIBLN 12

∼Chapter 12∼

Rosalyn couldn’t believe her ears.

What… did Deon just say?

He came all the way to her room just to eat breakfast with her?

That meant… he hadn’t eaten at all until now.

Rosalyn’s eyes wavered once again.

As her thoughts flashed plainly across her face, Deon suddenly seemed amused.

He checked the time and rose from his seat.

“Looks like it’s too late for breakfast.”

“We should eat after the meeting, Rosalyn.”

Rosalyn also had her lessons scheduled throughout the morning.

“Study hard.”

With those stern words, Deon left the room.

Still teary-eyed in front of the bathroom, Rosalyn caught sight of herself in the mirror and quickly covered her face with both hands.

“Rona…”

“Yes, Miss Rosalyn?”

“When does the Elder Council meeting end?”

“There’s no set time, but usually it finishes before lunch.”

And Rosalyn’s lessons ended just before lunch as well.

Her eyes sparkled, and she quickly shut the bathroom door.

＊ ＊ ＊

The Elder Council.

A regular meeting held during the first week of every month at the Arcas Ducal Estate.

Each elder reported on their responsibilities to Kaimon and discussed upcoming plans. It was an extremely important event.

“It’s been a while, Deon.”

“…Has it already been a year?”

“That’s harsh. I’ve been waiting for this day. Is that how you greet me?”

As Deon entered the council chamber, he spotted Ixion and stared at him quietly for a moment.

Then, with a click of his tongue, he turned away without a word.

A perfect snub.

‘That bastard.’

Ixion’s face twisted in indignation.

The man who took everything from him.

That’s why Ixion wanted, more than anything, to drag Deon into the mud.

He wanted Deon to kneel before him, begging for his life just once.

Yes… He longed for the day that smug face would be utterly ruined.

“I heard the news. You have a daughter now? Who’s the mother?”

“……”

“Did she inherit it?”

“……”

“Has her power manifested?”

At that final question, Deon’s icy blue eyes turned to him.

Then he smiled sweetly and replied.

“If you don’t want to face disciplinary action again, keep your mouth shut at the estate, Ixion.”

“…! You dare say that to your older brother?!”

Ixion erupted in anger.

The other elders merely looked on, unfazed. It wasn’t the first time this had happened.

Every time these two were in the same room, it always ended like this.

Usually, Deon dismissed him with a tired indifference, while Ixion constantly picked fights.

Ixion eventually let out a dry laugh and reined himself in.

“Fine, as your older brother, I’ll let it go. After all, today’s a big day.”

That response was… out of the ordinary. Different from usual. Deon’s eyes quietly shifted toward Ixion.

Leaning on one elbow, Ixion said with a cocky grin,

“I’m so curious to see how that smug face of yours will look later today, Deon.”

“……”

“This is your end.”

“You must’ve had a relaxing time during your suspension, Ixion. Still can’t figure out your place in the world.”

Deon smiled again, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Ixion’s brows furrowed, but he quickly smoothed out his expression.

The council chamber doors opened, and Kaimon entered.

“You’re all here.”

With a grave expression, Kaimon took the seat at the head of the long, round table.

Behind him stood his aide, Edin.

Tension filled the room.

Just imagining what kind of rebuke might come made the elders nervous.

After glancing around the chamber, Kaimon opened the meeting.

“Let’s begin.”

Almost immediately, the elder seated to Kaimon’s left stood up.

It was custom to report in order, starting from the left, summarizing the work of the past month.

Of course, receiving Kaimon’s praise was rare—nearly unheard of.

The elder looked pale, perhaps fully aware of what was coming.

“Ahem… This month, we received a request from the Imperial Palace to increase our donations. They’re asking for double the previous amount—200 billion gold…”

At that moment—

Bang!

The council room door burst open.

Kaimon’s face hardened.

Who dared to interrupt a sacred council meeting?

But before anyone could identify the intruder, a tearful voice rang out.

It was Rona.

“Young Duke! Miss Rosalyn…!”

Rona looked panicked, as if tears might spill at any moment.

“What’s the matter?” Deon asked.

Rona practically screamed the reply.

“Miss Rosalyn suddenly collapsed!”

Deon’s eyes flew wide open.

At the same time, Ixion’s lips curled upward.

＊ ＊ ＊

Haa… haa…

Rosalyn exhaled hot, shallow breaths.

The moment she tried to eat breakfast, something surged up in her throat—and it had been bright red.

She had already vomited several times.

Wracked with searing pain deep in her guts and twisted insides, Rosalyn whimpered in a haze.

“It hurts… it hurts so much…”

“Miss Rosalyn…! Please don’t faint…! I’ll go get the physician…!”

Rona’s voice echoed faintly through Rosalyn’s fading consciousness.

Am I going to die like this?

Rosalyn stared up at the ceiling with glazed eyes.

Why is this happening to me?

She didn’t know for sure—but she had a guess.

Poison.

Rosalyn had likely been poisoned.

But who? Why? For what reason?

She hadn’t done anything that could earn anyone’s hatred in the Arcas household.

She was only six years old—who could possibly hold a grudge against a child?

Cold sweat poured down her body. Her fever surged.

Her consciousness flickered, and her strength drained.

Someone kept holding her hand, telling her to stay awake, but—

She didn’t know anymore. She couldn’t even feel her own hand.

“Ugh…”

“Explain what’s going on.”

Even in her haze, a voice pierced through—pulling Rosalyn’s consciousness back.

It was Deon.

Rosalyn slowly pried open her heavy eyelids.

He was supposed to be in the meeting…

Was the council over already?

Rosalyn stared at Deon in confusion.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

A strange thing happened. Somehow, Rosalyn felt like Deon was… shaken.

She couldn’t be sure—her vision was so blurry—but the moment their eyes locked, Deon’s gaze trembled.

Haa…

Rosalyn let out another burning breath.

At that moment, the door burst open, and a man in a white coat rushed in.

A physician.

Rosalyn recognized that uniform. It was rare even for commoners to ever see a real doctor.

And with that final thought, she closed her eyes.

Ah… at least I won’t die.

And then, she passed out.

Dragged in so suddenly, Glenn looked ghostly pale.

When Rona first came to get him, he hadn’t thought much of it.

After all, everyone said the Young Duke doted on Rosalyn. She was surely receiving the best care imaginable.

At worst, Glenn figured it might be a mild fever or a small upset stomach.

But when he entered the room, the situation was far beyond anything he’d expected.

This is bad. Really bad.

The more time he spent examining her, the more Glenn’s expression darkened.

“Explain.”

“…It’s Mandros poison.”

“What…!”

Rona gasped and covered her mouth.

Who in their right mind would poison a child?

Mandros was typically used in attempts to assassinate royalty. Even if the victim survived, they would suffer lasting, devastating side effects.

At best, they might be half-paralyzed. At worst, left mentally broken.

For someone as young as Rosalyn, it was far too cruel.

“But… it’s still possible, isn’t it? Maybe our young lady will recover fully…”

Rona said through tears, but Glenn slowly shook his head.

He understood the sentiment—but the odds were incredibly slim.

For such a miracle to occur, now of all times, was almost impossible.

Besides, Rosalyn was struggling just to breathe.

With a bitter expression, Glenn finally spoke.

“Fortunately, we’ve administered the antidote… but even an adult would have trouble surviving this.”

“…Are you saying we should prepare ourselves?”