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Chapter: 22
“No, that—!”
[When we captured and tortured her, she insisted it was a tonic my wife had sent me.]
I couldn’t bring myself to look Erden in the eye.
Because that medicine… was something Erden himself had made and given to me.
A special alchemical potion for mental stabilization, which he’d handed over out of concern when I suddenly started acting strange.
And the very same potion I had enthusiastically used to scam Melisandra—the infamous “love potion.”
“Damn it…”
It wasn’t strange in itself that Melisandra had sent that to the duke. The real problem was…
Her goal wasn’t to make the duke fall in love with her, but to kill him. And if there was poison mixed in—
Melisandra would walk away clean, and the blame would fall squarely on the Utel family.
“That… vicious woman.”
So that was why she’d been so obsessed with Utel potions.
[Who is that young lady?]
At that moment, the duke noticed my presence and asked.
Since I’d already intruded into another family’s secret space, I decided I should at least introduce myself properly. Gripping my skirt, I bowed deeply.
“I am Rohesia of the Utel family, Your Grace Duke Bellas.”
[Rohesia Utel, is it.]
“That potion—I was the one who gave it to the duchess.”
The duke’s blue eyes flashed with interest.
They looked exactly like Adrian’s, but colder—so cold that it was immediately clear this was not a man to take lightly.
“I deceived her by calling it a love potion. In return, I was allowed to meet Adrian, who was bound in the basement.”
[A love potion, you say…]
The duke in the projected image scoffed.
Then, strangely, his voice suddenly sounded very close.
“Was it that woman who locked my son in the basement?”
“W–What the—!”
The static noise that had marked the video transmission vanished, and before I knew it, a fully corporeal man was standing in front of the butler and me.
“Answer me, young lady.”
“Y–Yes!”
“Bound?”
His languid voice asked again, as if confirming. I nodded.
“Yes. Completely tied up—like a dog. It was horrible.”
“…Miss Utel. I was told that the Utel family will also be attending the banquet at this estate today.”
“Yes. Along with the Stewart family and other influential houses… I believe even Her Majesty the Empress was invited.”
“So you intend to make things as public as possible.”
Since it had actually been my idea, I felt a twinge of guilt—but there was no time to explain everything now.
Duke Bellas stretched out his long legs and stepped into one of the many complex passageways connected to the vast space.
Butler Oinos followed him respectfully.
With legs far too short to keep up, I practically ran after them.
“The banquet will be held in the Great Hall, correct?”
“That is correct.”
Panting as I chased after the two men, I called out.
“Um—wait a moment!”
“What is it, Miss Utel?”
“How can you trust what I’m saying?”
At that, Duke Bellas stopped and looked down at me.
There was no visible change of emotion in his gaze.
“What do you mean, how?”
“Adrian suspected for a long time that I might be one of Melisandra’s pawns.”
As I said that, I realized something.
There was confidence in the duke’s arrogant expression.
“Whether or not you are trustworthy…”
He wasn’t saying he didn’t doubt me.
Rather, even if I were an enemy, he was confident he could handle the situation.
“I will confirm it in due time.”
At that moment, something finally changed in the sub-quest display that hadn’t moved in ages.
—Ding!
[QUEST: Sub-quest completed.]
[QUEST: Rescue the butler of the Bellas estate before the banquet – Completed!]
[Adrian’s Corruption Rate has decreased by 7.]
With that, Adrian’s corruption rate dropped to 71.
If it decreased by just one more percent, the quest would be cleared safely.
—Ding!
And then, a new sub-quest arrived.
[QUEST: Expose the Duchess’s crimes at the Bellas estate banquet.]
* * *
The Great Hall of the Bellas ducal estate was alive with the banquet in full swing.
Duchess Melisandra Bellas surveyed the surroundings with satisfaction, a wineglass in hand.
Everything was perfectly prepared.
She spotted Lady Stewart, puffing herself up proudly after expanding her family’s influence.
Noblewomen clustered around her, laughing and showering her with praise.
Even the Empress, whom she had invited with great effort, sat in a separate seat, putting on airs.
The alchemists—so difficult to gather—had yet to arrive.
What expressions would they make if they knew the Utel family’s precious daughter was imprisoned?
If they realized that the very girl they cherished would drag them all into the abyss?
And above all—
Her stepson.
When Melisandra saw Adrian enter in a formal tailcoat, she beamed.
“Come here, Adrian.”
She opened her arms, but Adrian merely glanced at her with eyes devoid of light—
Then passed her by.
‘What?’
She was puzzled, having thought she’d broken his will. But seeing those lifeless eyes reassured her.
‘Yes. His resolve must have finally shattered.’
In any case, it didn’t matter.
The most satisfying spectacle was about to begin.
At the center of the hall stood a champagne tower stacked in a pyramid.
After distributing glasses to everyone, the person who would give the toast while drinking from the bottom glass was Adrian.
Naturally, that glass had been laced with poison.
She herself had applied the poison—but someone else would be blamed.
Marchioness Stewart.
Once Adrian collapsed, Melisandra planned to cry out with a pale face that it was Lady Stewart’s doing.
She had already instructed the servants who prepared the banquet to give testimony casting suspicion on the marchioness.
Once the ducal servants dragged Lady Stewart away—
She would become the wicked woman who attempted to eliminate a rival family’s heir through poison.
‘Of course, without concrete evidence she’ll soon be cleared, but the damage to her reputation will be severe.’
When the banquet ended in chaos, news from the north would arrive at just the right moment.
Along with evidence strongly implying the Utel family as the culprit.
Thus, both rival families—Stewart and Utel—would collapse simultaneously, while the mighty Bellas house would rise like a solitary star.
And Melisandra—she alone—would rule that great house.
She alone would be the flower of both high society and politics.
“Heh heh…”
Only Melisandra. Only her.
‘I was wondering how to deal with the Stewart lot, but Roshia gave me the idea. I should be grateful.’
Just as she was savoring her wine in contentment—
“Lady Rohesia of the Utel family has arrived!”
“What—?!”
Startled, Melisandra spilled half her wine.
She hurriedly turned to her subordinate beside her.
“Didn’t you say she was locked up?”
“Uh…”
Lasmin, who had been standing blankly until then, suddenly jolted in shock.
When he came to his senses, he had been collapsed in the corridor of the building where Lady Utel was imprisoned.
He couldn’t remember why he was lying there.
He clearly remembered carrying out the duchess’s orders—and realizing it was nearly time, he had rushed into the banquet hall.
The hypnotic mist Roshia had used had erased his memories, but there was no way Lasmin could know that.
He muttered vacantly.
“I think… she was locked up?”
“You useless idiot! Die!”
Melisandra slapped her servant repeatedly with the fan in her hand.
“Agh! Ah!”
Meanwhile, Rohesia entered the hall with a composed expression and bowed gracefully to the entire room.
The rose-colored hair characteristic of the Utel family shimmered softly, as though damp with dew.
Her pale pink dress gently highlighted her hair, which might otherwise have seemed too striking, giving her a sweet and lovely appearance.
Melisandra ground her teeth.
That damn brat was infuriatingly beautiful.
* * *
“Good evening, Your Majesty the Empress!”
Power was a wonderful thing. I immediately scurried over to greet the highest-ranking person present.
“My name is Rohesia Utel!”
“Ho ho.”
The Empress, her blonde hair elegantly pinned up, smiled gracefully and returned the greeting.
“I heard the Utel family treasured their daughter so much they kept her hidden away in their estate. With such a lovely girl, that’s quite understandable.”
Good heavens. People in high places really do speak honeyed words.
If I got carried away by such praise, I’d surely reveal a weakness.
I forced myself to stay sharp and replied with gusto.
“Even so, beside Your Majesty—the moonlight of the Empire—I’m nothing more than a dim little glowworm!”
“What did you say?”
The Empress stared at me in disbelief, then burst into laughter, shaking all over.
“Ho ho ho ho!”
Seeing her amused, the maids and attendants around her also looked at me warmly.
Not missing the opportunity, I made a blatantly promotional remark.
“You chose the perfect banquet to attend today. There’s going to be a spectacle you couldn’t see even if you paid for it.”
“Hm?”
Naturally.
When she thought about what would soon happen in this hall, the royals who hadn’t attended would be clutching their stomachs in regret, envying the Empress.
“How intriguing.”
But she didn’t take my words very seriously.
Perhaps thinking it the bravado of a child, she responded casually with a picture-perfect smile.
Well, for now, that level of reaction was more natural anyway.
After stepping away from the Empress, my next target approached me of her own accord.
“So you must be the precious only daughter of the Utel family.”
Marchioness Stewart.
She was the mother of Nathaniel Stewart, the second male lead of The Sacrifice of the Thorned Golden Flower.
‘Wow…’
In the novel, Nathaniel is described as a delicate beauty with soft brown hair and violet eyes like violets.
And Lady Stewart looked exactly like that description.
‘He really did take after his mother.’
Perhaps in poor health, the marchioness coughed lightly.
“Are you all right?”
As I checked on her condition, I suddenly noticed a purple diamond-shaped marker flashing on my mini-map.
‘Purple?’
On the mini-map, Adrian appeared as a black diamond, and Erden as red.
Then purple must mean…
Looking around, I saw no one—so I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
Behind the voluminous hem of Lady Stewart’s skirt, something that looked like brown puppy fur was peeking out.
