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Chapter 10
“That’s right. It was the smell I noticed when I visited Physician Cesar recently to get medicine for my anemia.”
“What kind of tea is that?”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
“That powder. It has a sweet scent.”
“Ah, ah—it’s nothing, Miss. It’s medicinal material, so you shouldn’t touch it carelessly.”
Back then, he had hurriedly hidden the bottle of powder, looking flustered as he called it medicine.
Looking closely, there had been traces of the powder on every teacup.
Could it be…?
I poured water into one of the cups.
At first glance, the powder looked like sugar, but the moment it touched water, it slowly turned reddish.
Hiaren tea was also red in color, and since Nella brewed it in the teapot before pouring it into the cups, she would never have noticed the change.
At first, it gave off a sweet fragrance.
But after mixing with water and sitting for some time, the scent gradually changed into a sharp, stinging smell.
Eventually, it became the unmistakable scent of Dregers that I was so sensitive to.
[I believe this is Dregers root powder.]
[Dregers root powder?]
According to Ludwig, unlike the fruit or flowers, the root of the Dregers plant possessed much stronger toxicity.
Because of that, it was a medicinal ingredient that had to be handled with great caution.
When mixed with water, the root powder was initially almost odorless, but its scent would emerge only after some time had passed.
[It’s a difficult ingredient to handle. Ordinary people can’t easily obtain it through normal means. So how did someone get it…?]
At Ludwig’s words, I quietly muttered,
[A physician could probably get it without much difficulty.]
“Who dared to do such a thing?!”
Grandfather roared in fury.
At that moment, I saw Cesar’s face turn pale.
“Ordinary people can’t obtain Dregers root powder. But a family physician could acquire it for medical purposes.”
As soon as I said that, Cesar’s entire body began trembling uncontrollably.
“Physician Cesar, I believe it’s your turn to answer now.”
“T-This is slander, Miss! I have devoted my entire life to serving this family—!”
“Should I have someone bring that white powder I saw in your office not long ago?”
“…!”
At my words, Father immediately sent his aide to Cesar’s office.
Watching the aide rush away, Cesar’s face turned ashen.
Then it happened.
“Ghk…!”
Suddenly, Cesar grabbed his throat and was lifted into the air.
A whip-like stream of water wrapped around him, choking him mercilessly.
“If you do not confess, I will show you a pain beyond anything you have ever experienced.”
Grandfather’s glowing red eyes were terrifying enough to make someone’s soul crack.
“It will be a living hell beyond your imagination.”
“Ghk!”
Cesar writhed in agony.
His legs kicked desperately in the air, but escape was impossible.
“Ghk— I-I’ll talk! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything!”
Only after shouting that was he released.
He crashed to the ground and gasped desperately for air.
“Haa… Haa… I-I only followed orders! I was ordered to do it! Haa…! I committed a terrible crime! I was blinded by money…!”
Begging desperately for his life, Cesar crawled across the ground in terror.
“Tell us who gave you those orders. Your answer will determine whether you live or die, so choose your words carefully.”
“T-That person was…”
Having returned from the brink of death, Cesar immediately opened his mouth.
Or at least, he tried to.
Suddenly his face turned deathly pale, and he began coughing violently.
“Ghk! Cough! Cough!”
His complexion became blue as he vomited blood and collapsed sideways before anyone could react.
“…H-He’s dead!”
“…!”
A servant rushed over to check.
Cesar was no longer breathing.
“A forbidden-word curse…”
Father muttered with a deep frown.
A forbidden-word curse.
A curse that spread poison through the body and caused death if the victim attempted to speak a prohibited word.
Apparently, the forbidden word placed on Cesar was the name of the person who had ordered him.
Judging by how quickly he had tried to reveal it, he probably hadn’t even known he was cursed.
Seeing Cesar’s lifeless body lying there sent chills down my spine.
Who could possibly be behind this?
At the same time, my body began trembling slightly.
If Ludwig hadn’t been there…
The one lying dead right now wouldn’t have been Cesar.
It would have been me.
As the traumatic realization resurfaced and my breathing grew uneven, warmth suddenly touched my hand.
“Ludwig?”
Perhaps he had noticed how badly I was shaking.
He simply held my hand without saying a word.
Yet somehow, the trembling gradually faded.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes… I think so.”
I gave him a grateful look and slowly withdrew my hand.
There were too many people watching.
This was the kind of place where rumors were born from nothing.
It was better to be careful.
For some reason, Ludwig looked slightly disappointed as he absentmindedly rubbed his empty hand.
“Miss!”
At that moment, Nella, now freed from her restraints, rushed over with tears streaming down her face.
“Miss, you’re alright, aren’t you? You won’t suffer any aftereffects, right?”
Whether she realized she had just escaped a life-threatening situation herself or not, all she cared about was worrying over me.
I smiled reassuringly.
“I’m fine. I’ll get a proper examination later, so don’t worry for now…”
Then my gaze fell to her knees.
They were stained with blood.
She must have scraped them against the ground while she was restrained earlier.
I immediately turned to a servant.
“Take Nella and treat her injuries.”
“Miss, this is nothing.”
“I’m worried too. Please think about my feelings, Nella.”
Hearing the firmness in my voice, Nella finally smiled faintly and nodded.
“Then I’ll get treated and come right back.”
Supported by a servant, she headed toward the mansion.
As I watched her leave, a familiar voice spoke from beside me.
“Sierra.”
“Grandfather.”
He was staring at Cesar’s body as it was being taken away, deep in thought.
“First of all, I’m truly relieved that you’re safe.”
Then he turned toward Ludwig.
“I owe a great debt of gratitude to the young lord of Carsian.”
“It was nothing. I merely did what I could.”
“Drenihan will never forget this.”
“Now then, I must deal with the aftermath here. Sierra, see our guest off.”
Grandfather pointed toward Ludwig.
***
One by one, the guests departed.
Only a few carriages remained.
I escorted Ludwig to where his carriage was waiting.
The thing that kept bothering me was his cracked mask.
He must have thrown it quite hard earlier because the crack was obvious.
I doubted it could still suppress his power properly.
“Ludwig, that mask…”
I spoke apologetically.
Ludwig paused briefly before looking down at the deeply cracked mask.
“It’s alright. I no longer need a mask.”
“Huh?”
“I won’t be wearing it anymore, so you needn’t worry.”
Ludwig… without a mask?
In the original story, the reason he finally stopped wearing it was because he formed an imprint with Jena.
The moment he found someone capable of calming his rampages, the mask became unnecessary.
‘Then why now…?’
I stared up at him in confusion.
At that moment—
“Wait, there’s a leaf on your face, Miss…”
Ludwig reached out toward my cheek.
Instinctively, I slapped his hand away.
Smack!
“…!”
His golden eyes met mine.
Silence hung between us.
Then Ludwig quietly asked,
“Are you afraid of me?”
For once, he looked anxious.
“I don’t care what anyone else thinks. But for some reason… I don’t want you to hate me, Miss.”
Facing those earnest golden eyes, I found myself speechless.
“…”
As the silence stretched on, Ludwig spoke again.
“I suppose you saw me like that back then…”
He was talking about the night he had nearly lost control.
“N-No, that’s not it.”
When I answered in a trembling voice, Ludwig looked up.
“How could I hate you? You’re the person who saved my life.”
“Then…”
“I was just embarrassed!”
The truth burst out before I could stop myself.
“You saw me crying like a complete mess!”
That was the real reason.
Ever since I noticed the unmistakable stains I had left on his collar earlier.
“Your shirt still has my face printed all over it!”
My face was definitely bright red right now.
How could it not be?
Anyone would be embarrassed seeing the clear outline of their eyes, nose, and mouth stamped onto a pristine white shirt.
“…Pfft.”
Ludwig suddenly laughed.
Then he glanced down at his shirt.
And laughed even harder.
“G-Give me the shirt! I’ll replace it with a new one!”
At my protest, Ludwig casually placed a hand on the buttons of his shirt.
“Right here? If you want it that badly, I can give it to you immediately.”
“…!”
While I stood there flustered, a gentle smile appeared on his face.
“Don’t worry about the shirt. At this point, it might qualify as a work of art.”
A work of art?!
I desperately suppressed the urge to strip it off him and erase that black history forever.
“Still… you saved my life. I feel like I should repay you somehow. Is there something you want?”
I had received far too much help to simply let him leave.
“There is.”
Ludwig answered immediately.
Tilting my head, I asked,
“What is it?”
Judging from how certain he sounded, it probably wouldn’t be something ordinary.
Still, I was confident I could grant almost any request.
With Drenihan’s wealth, very little was impossible.
After looking at me for a moment, Ludwig gave an unexpected answer.
“At the upcoming Carsian banquet, I want you to be my partner.”
“A partner?”
That was all?
That was the reward he wanted for saving my life?
“If that’s what you want, then of course. But are you sure that’s enough?”
I had been prepared to hand over an entire gold mine under my name if necessary.
“I only need that, Sierra.”
“Hm? What did you just say?”
I tilted my head.
“Did you just call me by my name?”
“Yes.”
He had always addressed me formally as Miss before.
Hearing him call me by my name felt strangely different.
More than that, hearing my name spoken in his beautiful voice sounded surprisingly sweet.
Perhaps because he was smiling so gently while saying it.
Anyone watching would think he liked me.
What a strange day.
This really feels like a dream.
Otherwise, how could—
“Then I’ll come pick you up soon, Sierra.”
As if driving the point home, Ludwig said my name once more before climbing into his carriage.
