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Chapter 32
It was no longer a question of whether she was impersonating royalty or a fraudster.
Celia couldn’t understand it at all.
How could someone like that, a lowly unwed mother raising a child whose father she didn’t even know, exist?!
Celia’s hands trembled violently.
And now, just for having crossed such a woman, she might be punished. She couldn’t accept this reality.
“No… no way.”
She had barely managed to secure her position as a maid with her father’s influence. She had gone through everything to get this post just to catch the Duke’s attention.
Judging from the Duke’s earlier demeanor, things wouldn’t pass quietly. She had no way of knowing what punishment might befall her immediately.
“My father is in the capital.”
Here, in this distant estate, there was no strong father figure to protect her.
Celia realized this painfully after the earlier incident. Cain was a cruel Dragonblood. And she had dared to touch something precious to him.
If she stayed put, she could disappear without a trace.
Celia’s pupils trembled with unease.
“Miss Celia… please stay here for now. Until His Grace decides what to do…”
The servant tried to block her path, but Celia paid no attention.
Wait here and accept the punishment the Duke decides to give? Ridiculous! Who do they think I am!
“Out of my way!”
She shoved the servants roughly aside and ran straight to the third floor, her instincts carrying her forward.
Jayden. That annoying little boy. He was the only lifeline who could help her escape this desperate situation.
Bang!
She flung open the door to Jayden’s room without warning.
Before the startled boy could even sit up in bed, Celia dropped to her knees halfway to the floor, begging.
“My lord! Please… help me! Please!”
“…?”
“You know how devotedly I’ve served you all this time!”
Jayden frowned, confused by the situation.
Had he really forgotten all the care she had given him? Such ingratitude!
Normally, if someone cries and pleads, one would at least ask what happened!
Suppressing her anger internally, Celia decided to appeal to his sympathy.
“I’m truly being treated unfairly, sniff… It’s just… that Viola tried to poison you!”
Tears streamed down her face as she continued.
“I only ate the poisonous herb to protect you, my lord…! And now I’m in danger of being cast out unfairly!”
At that moment, Jayden’s expression, which had been indifferent the whole time, changed instantly.
“Viola…?”
Ah, as expected. Coming to Jayden was the right choice.
He hadn’t completely forgotten the favors she had done for him! Of course, anyone would remember that.
For the first time, someone was listening to her. Seizing the opportunity, Celia raised her voice.
“She… she tried to give you the poison herb! She lied, saying it was medicine and safe!”
Spittle flying, she spoke urgently.
“So I tested it myself! And see! She collapsed right there! Proof that she was lying! It wasn’t safe—it was poison!”
Celia rambled excitedly, but Jayden seemed to roughly understand. His eyes, cold and level, asked calmly:
“So… you made Viola eat the herb?”
“Yes! That’s right! Exactly that!”
Ah, thank goodness! Celia nodded vigorously.
Surely, he wouldn’t side with the woman who tried to poison him.
She had no doubt that Jayden would stand by her side.
But Celia soon realized that telling Jayden the full story wasn’t a blessing—it was a choice that would bring disaster.
The estate had been unusually chaotic today.
Now understanding the situation, Jayden felt as if the last thread of reason had snapped.
…Viola ate the poison herb?
Though he had little interest in herbalism, Jayden knew the herb’s deadly reputation.
Because it affected even a Dragonblood like him.
Most poisons didn’t work on Dragonbloods, but a rare few had a weak effect.
The herb Viola ate was one of them.
Its effect might only last a day for him, but an ordinary person could die immediately.
“Viola… could die?”
She was strong, yes, but also fragile.
There was no way someone so thin could survive that poison unharmed…
‘Not again.’
His heart sank.
Just like when he lost his mother and father in a single tragic accident, now Viola could be gone in an instant.
Everything went dark before his eyes.
Unaware of his inner turmoil, Celia proudly wore the expression of someone who had defeated a villain.
“….”
Jayden had known from the start that Celia didn’t like him.
It would have been foolish not to know. She had always looked at him as if he were a disgusting insect.
Even as a personal maid, she hadn’t bothered to feed him properly or play with him. But Jayden had no complaints.
As a Dragonblood, her behavior was the natural reaction. Everyone else found him uncomfortable anyway.
In fact, it was easier for him to be alone, so he deliberately left her be. Even when Conrad tried several times to get someone else to attend him.
But… that didn’t mean he could allow this.
Daring to touch Viola—the one warmth he had managed to find—again.
Kugugugung.
The thought alone sent the suppressed feral energy in him surging violently. The air in the room grew unbearably heavy.
“L-lord… hic.”
Celia could only watch, frozen with fear. She couldn’t even scream, tears streaming down her face, before collapsing sideways.
But Jayden didn’t care. She was merely an obstacle to be cleared.
“Out of my way.”
Without a second glance at the fallen Celia, Jayden ran to the door.
Viola. He had to see Viola. He couldn’t lose her again.
Like a mantra, he repeated the thought over and over as he hurried forward.
“Calm yourself, my lord.”
As if anticipating this, Conrad blocked the doorway. Jayden’s bloodshot eyes snapped open.
“Conrad is on her side too? Out of the way! I have to see Viola!”
“…Are you sure you want to approach Miss Viola like this, emitting such violent energy?”
Jayden froze mid-step.
“….”
Viola liked cute things. She was the first to say he wasn’t terrifying.
She had been the only one to hold him warmly, to call him lovable. He couldn’t show this uncontrolled side to her.
But… Viola could die…
Biting his lips, unable to decide what to do, Jayden listened as Conrad spoke calmly:
“You needn’t worry. His Grace, the Duke, is with her.”
“…The Duke?”
“Yes. His Grace said that Miss Viola will be fine.”
With that, the taut tension eased.
“Ah…”
Thinking about seeing Viola had blinded him, but now, shaken by fear, Jayden collapsed to the floor.
His legs gave out.
Lowering his head, he swallowed the rising tears. He couldn’t cry in front of Conrad.
‘Thank goodness…’
He was truly scared. He couldn’t bear losing her again, like his parents, without even saying goodbye.
Jayden pushed himself up with the floor as support, clenching his small fists.
Viola—he would never let that happen.
He would protect her. No matter what, somehow, he would keep Viola safe.
