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Chapter: 6
A small fist clenched.
Back in the old days, she could have dealt with someone like this in the blink of an eye. So why, now, had her body weakened like this?
Seeing that smug grin on his face stirred a surge of murderous intent within her—but Karina held it back.
“I wonder… what the Duke will think of all this.”
Leaving that remark behind, Isaac sauntered out of the room without a care.
Thinking about it, it was absurd.
He had been sneaking around at night too, hadn’t he? Wasn’t he the real culprit?
But the motive was unclear.
Isaac, the most likely heir among the adoptees, what reason would he have to do such a troublesome thing?
He already knew no one could oppose him by force.
The culprit must be someone who could gain from this death.
Karina quietly retraced her thoughts.
The poisoned child had been a boy named Ben.
A somewhat boastful and pretentious boy.
A classic “strong-weak-weak-strong” type.
He could never speak back to Isaac but always acted arrogant in front of her, Ariel, and Denian.
“St-stop, Ben! Denian hates it!”
“What can a mute idiot possibly hate? Heh. If you feel wronged, take it yourself.”
Whenever Isaac scolded him for being noisy, he would finally tail between his legs and return to his place.
Then… could it be…
Ariel or Denian, who had been tormented by Ben all this time…?
Denian was far too young to commit such a thing.
Age alone wasn’t enough to determine the culprit, but Denian had shown no such inclination from the start.
Then… Ariel?
Could someone with such an innocent-looking face really do something like that?
People’s true selves are often hidden behind appearances… hmm, she wasn’t so sure.
Karina’s gaze shifted to the seat next to Ben’s.
Isabella.
She had gotten nervous under the housekeeper’s watchful eye, and used her to stir up trouble.
On top of that, Ben had often flirted with Isabella.
“If I become the heir, Isabella, I’ll make you my bride.”
“Keep dreaming. You’re disgusting, go away!”
The way she looked at him, as though he were a pest.
Isabella despised Ben.
Perhaps she had hated him simply for being lewd and annoying.
Moreover, extremely self-centered Isabella wouldn’t have cared whether her rival lived or died.
But still… could a young girl who had never killed anyone really murder a boy her own age?
“Ah… I don’t know.”
Karina flopped onto the bed in resignation.
Whatever happens, happens.
It wasn’t long before the Duke summoned the adoptees.
He sat on the raised dais of the grand hall, marble gleaming under the lights.
The master of this enormous mansion, the head of the Dukedom: Karahan von Bathius.
Seeing him in person made his presence all the more palpable.
Even when deliberately restraining his energy, his intimidation was overwhelming.
A shiver ran down her arm.
No—was it excitement?
Meeting a powerful person stirred a thrill within her that she couldn’t contain.
He seemed like someone who had reached a level comparable to a heavenly demon, a man holding the key to the wish she had yet to unravel.
“One of the second-round adoptees has died.”
The thirteen remaining adoptees stood silently in line.
The answer to the Duke’s question came from the housekeeper.
“He was poisoned. The corpse was checked; it was a lethal poison that can kill on contact.”
The Duke slowly swept his gaze over the children.
“I’m curious which daring fool did this.”
With that, his gaze landed on Karina.
She met his eyes without hesitation.
After a long pause, the Duke turned his eyes to Isabella.
“I heard you saw the culprit.”
Startled by the Duke’s imposing voice, Isabella lifted her head.
Pale from the Duke’s overwhelming presence, she trembled.
“So… who is the culprit?”
Frozen as if suffocated by his emotionless red eyes, Isabella managed to speak.
“Ka… Karina.”
One of the Duke’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Sh… she was absent from her room every night.”
Karina let out a scoffing sigh.
So, she had gone and snitched.
The Duke’s crimson gaze returned to Karina.
Karina’s violet eyes met the Duke’s blood-red ones.
“Is this true?”
How many times did she have to explain?
“I did leave my room, but I did not kill Ben as Isabella claims.”
The Duke leaned his chin in his hand, asking casually,
“Then why were you absent from your room?”
“I couldn’t sleep, so I meditated in the garden.”
“Meditated?”
A convenient excuse for people here who would never know about Qi cultivation.
Karina then pointed to Isaac with a confident expression.
“Isaac, who trained at night, must have seen me. I always saw him near the garden.”
Isaac frowned, clearly realizing Karina had caught him.
He had probably intended to just watch silently again.
But she couldn’t let that happen.
If he denied seeing her, his own movements would become suspicious.
Karina shot Isaac a meaningful glare, and he muttered something under his breath.
It was probably a curse.
“Is it true, Isaac?”
Finally, Isaac let out a helpless laugh.
“Yes, that’s right. Karina was meditating or something in the garden.”
Then Isabella, who had been watching nearby, interjected.
“But she could have been pretending because she was conscious of Isaac’s gaze, right? They wouldn’t have stayed together the whole time.”
She was still trying to pin this on Karina.
Karina let out a small laugh of amusement and calmly stepped forward.
“According to the housekeeper’s report, the poison used on Ben was lethal enough to kill instantly. Could such a deadly poison really be obtained by a mere adoptee?”
The Duke tilted his head, as if inviting her to continue.
“The adoptees you personally selected each possess unique abilities. Most still don’t know each other’s powers. But what if one of them had the ability to manipulate poison? What do you think?”
The Duke’s interest was piqued; he propped his chin and looked at her expectantly.
Karina slowly scanned the adoptees.
“Ariel has the ability to heal wounds and recover stamina and mental strength. Denian can enhance his physical body. So they’re eliminated as suspects.”
Her gaze then shifted to Isaac and Isabella.
“Isaac can control fire, and Isabella can manipulate scents.”
“H-How do you know that!”
Isabella, who had never revealed her ability, opened her mouth in shock.
Isaac also frowned, clearly surprised that Karina knew his power.
She had already figured out Isaac’s power during the third trial; his room was charred and reeked of smoke.
Her gaze then landed on one boy, almost unnoticed, a gloomy child whose presence was easily overlooked.
“And your ability… it’s to manipulate poison, isn’t it?”
At Karina’s sharp words, all eyes turned to the pale, sullen boy.
Ariel opened her mouth in disbelief.
“Is that true, Dimitri?”
So that boy’s name was Dimitri.
A child so inconspicuous she had barely remembered his name.
Dimitri hunched his already crooked back further and didn’t dare lift his head.
Can’t say it yourself? Then I’ll speak for you.
Karina stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, hidden beneath long sleeves.
A small gloved hand.
Dimitri tried to pull away, but Karina’s grip—strengthened by her regular training since awakening—was firm.
She swiftly removed the glove.
Beneath it, a bluish, sickly hand was revealed.
“This is why I wear gloves; the venomous secretion keeps oozing out.”
