✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Translated by: Alina
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Meanwhile, Medelin arrived first at the designated meeting place: her family’s jewelry store, Twinkle, where she was waiting for Cornelia and the Grand Madam.
‘I wonder how it’s going to turn out.’
Last night, Medelin received a letter from the Grand Madam stating that Cornelia had consumed all the herbal tea.
And upon hearing how the herbal tea worked, Medelin couldn’t contain her excitement and burst into laughter.
‘I’m sure they said that if you take it for five days, the fetus will become weak and die from even the slightest shock, right?’
At the mansion, the butler and her slave were so fussy that there was no chance to pull off any tricks.
Besides, if Cornelia were to fall or slip, Erich’s nature would have led him to track down the culprit, so causing trouble at the mansion was out of the question.
‘But things are different outside.’
According to the Grand Madam, Cornelia’s carriage was tampered with, damaging the cushioning mechanism and wheels.
‘If the carriage shakes and she falls or collides, won’t the fetus be at risk?’
In preparation for the possibility of the fetus surviving, Medelin had bribed a doctor in the capital.
After administering the poison to eliminate the fetus, they could stage it as if the child had died in an accident.
She also instructed her to ensure that Cornelia would never be able to bear children again without informing the Grand Madam, anticipating what would unfold afterwards.
‘Having invited nobles I am acquainted with as spectators, soon there will be a commotion in the capital about the crow’s legacy.’
It was only a matter of time before the Duchess, rendered unable to bear children, would be driven away.
Such thoughts kept making Medelin chuckle.
Then someone approached Medelin cautiously.
“Lady Arzen.”
When she turned her head, she saw a familiar face.
However, Medelin’s expression was not pleasant. It was because the person who called her was not a noble from her circle but a noble from the Emperor’s faction.
“Marchioness Philippe”
Marchioness Philippe, an aide to the Duchess of Lienheim and a major holder of Shining Stone, Twinkle’s rival, was a significant figure. Her husband was not only the commander of the Central Knights, but he was also a loyal supporter of the Emperor.
Initially, as a hostess of the current noble family and equal in status to her parents, it was appropriate for Medelin to bow her head.
Even though they belonged to different factions, there was an unspoken hierarchy among the nobles.
However, instead of bowing her head, Medelin asked in a haughty tone.
“Oh, Marchioness, what brings you here? You never set foot in our family’s jewelry store.”
“Oh, what impertinence!”
The ladies-in-waiting by the Marchioness’s side were outraged, but the Marchioness restrained them.
“Don’t be like that; I’m here to have a conversation.”
Then, in a calm tone, she spoke to Medelin.
“I heard that Twinkle has every kind of jewel these days, so I decided to come and take a look.”
“Oh, really? So, what do you think?”
“It’s truly outstanding. There are rare gems here you can’t find in Shining Stone.”
At that, Medelin smirked.
‘Of course. That’s because my father pressured several mine owners for exclusive contracts.’
Then, the Marchioness remarked,
“However, I don’t see any jade.”
That damn jade again; it was getting tiresome. Nevertheless, there was no need to make unnecessary remarks in front of the enemy.
Instead of revealing her true feelings, Medelin responded calmly and elegantly.
“We haven’t stocked jade because it’s not in high demand.”
Medelin’s response made the Marchioness’s lips curl up for the first time.
“Oh, really? You seem slow to catch up with the news.”
“What? What do you mean…”
Although Medelin was filled with anger at the provocative and unpleasant tone, she also felt uneasy.
‘What’s with the jade?’
Medelin intended to question further, but before she could finish, the Marchioness turned away.
“It’s okay if you don’t know. It was nice to see.”
Medelin glared at her retreating figure.
‘What? Making such unsettling remarks…’
At that moment, the door opened, and Twinkle’s manager entered.
“Miss Medelin.”
The manager immediately whispered to Medelin.
“The Duke of Blant’s carriage has arrived.”
Upon hearing the awaited news, Medelin stood up.
“Well, then I should go and greet them quickly.”
The manager hesitated at Medelin’s response and then spoke up.
“But the Duchess’s condition seems a bit different from what we heard…”
But Medelin, whose mind was elsewhere, ignored those words and ran out of her waiting room.
‘Finally, I can see it!’
But upon seeing Cornelia’s appearance, she froze.
‘What… why…’
“Oh, Medelin. Hello?”
Indeed, according to the effects of the herbal tea, she should be experiencing dizziness or at least not looking well.
However, Cornelia appeared excessively well.
“Why does your face look like that? You don’t look well.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing.”
In response to Cornelia’s question, Madelin glanced at the Grand Madam with a puzzled expression.
‘What’s going on?’
The Grand Madam furrowed her brows and then spoke up.
“Let’s go inside for now.”
There were still preparations for Cornelia that had been made.
Therefore, there was no need to rush.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Looking at Medelin’s pale face, I thought to myself,
‘Her reaction is almost as good as the Grand Madam.’
When I got off the carriage a while ago, the Grand Madam’s face was truly a sight to behold.
<Is everything alright? Was the carriage uncomfortable?>
Interpreting those words, it meant, ‘Why are you fine? I clearly instructed them to sabotage the carriage’s wheels and shock absorbers.’
And I knew exactly why.
‘Last night, I had Landon fix the sabotaged wheels and shock absorbers.’
Thanks to that, I rode in a smooth and comfortable carriage without any shaking.
‘But I need to give the Grand Madam a clue so she won’t suspect.’
I kindly informed the Grand Madam that their plan had gone awry.
<Yes, the carriage was comfortable, and I came without any inconvenience.>
Upon my response, she looked at the Coachman and said,
<Coachman, make sure to inspect the carriage for a comfortable ride home as well.>
In other words, it was a clear message to tamper with the carriage again—this time with certainty.
However, I remained nonchalant.
‘Well, I expected it to turn out like this.’
As we moved to Twinkle’s guest waiting room, numerous nobles greeted us warmly.
“Oh, please come in.”
“We’ve been waiting!”
Realizing it was time to perform as a leading actor in front of the audience, I smiled.
‘So many spectators here, today’s performance will surely be a hit.’
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
The nobles gathered by Medelin looked at her and Grand Madam Blant’s engagement with sparkling eyes.
Their excitement stemmed from Medelin’s invitation.
<Come to Twinkle around 11 a.m. I’ll show you something interesting.>
‘What exactly does she plan to show them?’
However, contrary to their expectations, Cornelia, Medelin, and the Grand Madam’s conversation was dull.
“Did you take the herbal tea I gave you properly?”
“Yes, of course.”
Cornelia’s response seemed lacking in energy.
Medelin glanced at Cornelia, wondering if the potion had finally taken effect.
“The child should be growing healthily… Is there any discomfort?”
“Medelin, I’m really fine. Today is the day I came to present a gift to the Grand Madam, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
Although it was a superficial conversation, to any observer, they seemed to have a good relationship.
The nobles speculated about Medelin’s true intentions and furrowed their brows.
‘Ha, did she call us here just to quell the rumors?’
Nevertheless, due to the tarnished images of both the Grand Madam and Medelin, the entire noble faction was affected.
‘Moreover, unusually visible remnants of the Emperor’s faction were present at Twinkle today.’
Therefore, they intended to play along appropriately with the Grand Madam and Medelin’s rhythm.
At that moment, Cornelia stood up from her seat.
“Hey, Medelin, do you happen to know where the restroom is? I need to fix my outfit for a moment…”
Cornelia seemed uncharacteristically conscious of herself.
‘Why is she suddenly acting pitiful?’
Concealing her annoyance, Medelin kindly replied,
“If you pass through the lobby and go to the right, you’ll find the restroom. The one in the far corner should be empty. Go there and fix yourself up.”
Cornelia bowed to the Grand Madam and said,
“Grand Madam, may I excuse myself briefly due to discomfort with my attire.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
As Cornelia left her seat, the Grand Madam and Medelin began whispering to each other.
“What should we do? We can’t even make an excuse to call a doctor in this situation!”
“Don’t worry. With the image we’ve shown, the damage control should be done to some extent.”
Indeed, as the Grand Madam said, regardless of noble or Emperor’s faction affiliations, people gossiped nonstop about their composed demeanor.
“And just in case, I brought more poison. Since the carriage has been checked again, we should be able to achieve our goal this time.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Finally, Medelin gestured towards Cornelia’s glass.
“Now’s a good time.”
The Grand Madam nodded and took a vial to pour poison into Cornelia’s cup.
She then gently tilted the bottle towards Cornelia’s glass to pour the contents.
Clang!
At that moment, everyone was startled by the loud noise shaking the jewelry store.
‘What’s happening?’
As Medelin stood up in surprise, an employee rushed in and said,
“S-something terrible has happened. The chandelier in the lobby suddenly fell, and a certain noblewoman…”
Twinkle was operated by Marquis of Arzen, so any disturbances needed to be addressed promptly.
Medelin quickly ran to the lobby and was stunned by the scene before her.
A black-haired woman in a green dress had narrowly avoided being hit by the fallen chandelier.
And she was the one who had been a headache for Medelin until a moment ago.
“Cornelia!”
Suppressing her joy, Medelin called out her name loudly.
₊✩₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊
Get Access to Premium Chapters Today in My Ko-fi Shop! Click Here.
