“Wh-why is this happening?”
The Countess approached Harkiel in surprise.
The water, once clear and transparent, was turning dark as if black ink had been spilled.
The cause was Harkiel’s skin. Black substances were oozing out of his decayed skin, making the water dark.
“It’s okay. It’s working normally, so don’t worry.”
“Normal……?”
“Rather, we need to change the water. It would be better to prepare more warm water.”
“Yes…?”
“Right now, the toxins attached to the patient’s skin are being absorbed by the water. Even if I explain in detail, it’s too complicated to understand. Do you want me to explain?”
Even as we spoke, the water was getting dirtier by the moment.
Though the Countess looked curious, she nodded in agreement.
“…I’ll prepare the water.”
“Good. Sir Ares, when the Countess brings the water, keep replacing it with fresh water. Remember not to mix anything else.”
“Understood!”
Behind Ares’s lively response, the swirling smoke of the pill resumed.
“Rohiriel, I’ve got all the herbs.”
It was Julion.
Accepting the herbs he brought, I unfolded the medical bag.
“Thank you, Julion. Now, let’s start preparing the medicine.”
What I was about to make was an auxiliary medicine that would help the body regenerate and recover.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
At a crucial moment, Garnet Palace.
Zenid was overwhelmed with worry because Rohiriel, without detailed explanations, had delegated her authority and hastily left the palace.
Lately, she couldn’t properly attend to her due to too many affairs, and now she felt uneasy about not being able to follow her even when she went outside.
“Headmaid, new trainees are expected to arrive this month. Shouldn’t we decide in advance which rooms to assign them to?”
Natya asked while tidying up Rohiriel’s bed.
At the mention of new trainees, Zenid involuntarily sighed.
“Oh, right. New trainees are coming in.”
It seemed like he would be busy again for a while. Zenid neatly arranged the bedding and tidied up by the window.
Even though the moon had risen a while ago, there was still no sign of Rohiriel returning.
“When will she be back?”
If she came too late, she wouldn’t have enough time to sleep. And again, it was unknown how it might affect her health.
‘She’s already frail.’
Lately, Rohiriel’s complexion has been getting worse. It made Zenid feel increasingly uneasy, as if she were looking at Shahadna.
“Sigh…”
It would be good if she could speak candidly about anything.
With a heavy sigh, Zenid pulled the curtains.
Today, the moon, which was rising so brightly, felt strangely irritating.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
As the black liquid from Harkiel seemed to decrease slightly, I instructed them to put him back on the bed.
“Does it really work?”
Ares asked in a light voice, tugging at the covers over Harkiel.
Upon hearing this, the Countess, who was nearby, gave Ares a stern look. She subtly readjusted the blanket, covering Harkiel carefully.
“This was actually necessary. This poison doesn’t respond to antidotes or any other treatments. It’s a toxin that worsens, especially when exposed to herbs.”
“Such a futile…!”
The countess murmured in a disappointed tone.
“From now on, three times a day, like today, he must be immersed in water to extract the poison.”
“Three times a day… does that mean he can really get better?”
Hope sparkled in the Countess’s eyes, unlike a few hours ago.
As I was about to answer, I paused and took out a few more sound-blocking pills.
The ones I had placed earlier were almost entirely burned out.
“Let’s ventilate the room a bit. It’s not good to keep it burning in an enclosed space.”
I opened the window and let the remnants of smoke flow out.
The pale white smoke rose up like clouds and disappeared into the twilight sky.
As I was about to close the window again, Julion approached with a stern expression.
“Rohiriel, hold on a moment.”
Sensing the stern atmosphere of Julion, I noticed a mouse hiding outside.
When Julion’s gaze shifted towards Ares, Ares also seemed to sense it and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Shall I catch them?”
Although it wasn’t explicitly mentioned whom to catch, I sensed that both the Countess and Hemion understood the situation as their expressions stiffened.
People are on the brink of curiosity, wondering what Countess Rivolain and I are talking about and doing.
It was obvious that they were Liliana’s subordinates.
I urgently intervened before they could catch him.
“Just a moment.”
Questioning eyes turned to me, and I pulled the tracking scent I always carried from my bag.
It wasn’t made with Elento; I developed it myself.
“What is that?”
Julion asked curiously.
I squinted my eyes and gave him a casual answer.
“It’s bug repellent. There are a lot of mosquitoes because of the warm weather.”
“……?”
“It also serves as an air freshener, so I use it often. Julion, do you want to smell it too?”
Saying so, I sprayed the tracking scent outside the window.
Once, twice, three times.
“Well, it would be good for the Countess to spray as well.”
And again, twice.
Everyone looked at me with a strange expression, but no one asked any questions.
It was because I had my index finger on my lips.
‘Keep quiet. I’ll explain later.’
Fortunately, among those present, no one was clueless, and they all waited for me to explain, looking curious.
“Alright then. I’ll close the window now. We shouldn’t let mosquitoes in.”
Thunk, the window closed, and I drew the curtains.
Then, I immediately lit the newly taken sound-blocking pill on the candle.
As the smoke spread, I sat on the sofa. I was exhausted from doing something that required so much concentration.
Watching the smoke envelop the walls, I spoke up.
“It’s a tracking scent. It travels quite far through the air, so it probably stuck a bit to the mouse hiding nearby.”
“Tracking scent? Canary can’t be taken outside the palace, Rohiriel.”
“I made it myself, so the tracking method is different. And this time, I didn’t spray it for tracking purposes…”
I rummaged through my bag and pulled out another potion.
It was a transparent potion, but when I squirted it lightly in my hand, the area where the medicine landed lit up in fluorescent color.
“It was mixed with the tracking scent I sprayed on myself just now, and look at this. It stands out, doesn’t it?”
“Is there a medicine that allows you to distinguish the tracking scent?”
“Yes, that’s why I made it.”
“Wow…….”
The last one to react was Ares, gaping in surprise.
I chuckled and handed it to the Countess.
“Call all the servants tomorrow and have them spray this. Then, you’ll know who the intruders are.”
“Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you…”
“Also, it’s a good idea to sprinkle this throughout the mansion. too, so we can see if any of them have touched or done anything in particular.”
The Countess, perhaps surprised, nodded awkwardly without an immediate reply.
“Now, we have a lot to talk about, right? Countess, you said I could ask for anything if I saved Harkiel.”
Unexpectedly bringing up the conversation directly, the Countess swallowed nervously, tension visible in her face.
Then, with a determined expression, she approached me and knelt before me.
“If you command me, I will gladly comply.”
I was somewhat taken aback by her willingness to go this far. Looking around, others seemed equally surprised.
I grabbed the Countess’s shoulders, lifted her to her feet, and spoke.
“I didn’t intend to treat the Countess like a servant. Anyway, let’s have a conversation. Please, have a seat.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Also, Julion mentioned he has something to say about Rivolain.”
“……Yes. It’s probably similar to what the Countess has to say.”
Julion came to sit beside me, placing the documents he had brought on the table.
“These are the pieces of information you provided about Liliana Cassian. As I looked through them, there were some overlaps with information I already knew.”
“Probably related to the Rivolain territory.”
“That’s right.”
As we spoke, the Countess, realizing the situation, added her thoughts.
“Your Highness, do you have a troubled relationship with Liliana Cassian?”
“It’s beyond a troubled relationship; we’re practically enemies.”
“But why would such rumors…?”
In the public eye, Liliana was known for taking care of me with great affection.
Liliana Cassian, the devoted daughter. Caring for the wicked half-sister as she pursued villainous acts.
Perhaps because that had been my public image all this time, the Countess seemed more guarded against me.
“The story might get a bit lengthy. Honestly, I…”
Should I say this now or not? I’ve been contemplating since the moment I arrived here.
But it seemed appropriate now. I spoke the next words slowly.
“I have a plan to crush Cassian.”
The Countess’s eyes widened.
Julion, already aware, showed little reaction.
Unexpectedly, there was a reaction from Hemion as well.
“Crush? Seriously? You never mentioned anything like that to me!”
Her olive-green eyes were filled with astonishment as she looked at me.
I shrugged and replied,
“Well, you never told me anything either.”
If she had felt like sharing about Roxis or the Martin incident, I had always been open to hearing it.
Waiting for a response, I noticed that Hemion had been contemplating something in silence.
When I mentioned it, she seemed bewildered for a moment, then opened her mouth.
“Include me in the conversation. I have something to say.”
Thank you so much for the translation!❤️