Episode 25
Many people drank wine.
Among them, no one was poisoned.
However, there was poison in the Countess’s wine glass.
That meant this was a crime targeting the Countess.
The only person who could have done this was…
‘The sommelier.’
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I hurriedly looked around.
The sommelier, who had been pouring wine at the central platform just moments ago, had disappeared without a trace.
Where could they have gone…?
At that moment, a glimpse of bright blonde hair caught my eye. It was Lu.
Lu was running somewhere.
He must have had the same thought as me and was chasing after the sommelier.
That was a relief.
If Lu was on the move, the culprit would surely be caught.
So…
“P-Poison? What do you mean poison…!”
First, I needed to calm down the Countess, who was on the verge of fainting.
“Mother!”
Perhaps overwhelmed by the fear that she had nearly died, the Countess was showing signs of a panic attack.
Her daughter, Agatha, supported her, but since she didn’t seem to understand what a panic attack was, she hesitated, unsure of what to do.
“Madam, madam! Look here. Look at me.”
I wrapped my arm around the Countess’s back.
I had experienced panic attacks many times before.
During my training at Catacle, the grueling drills and the cold treatment from others had worn me down until my mind succumbed to illness.
I had suffered several panic attacks back then.
At first, they were terrifying, but after experiencing them a few times, I learned how to manage them.
In other words, I knew exactly how to handle this situation.
“Breathe. Slowly inhale, and exhale slowly.”
“Hoo… Hoo…”
The Countess followed my words and breathed slowly.
“Yes, just like that. Miss Everlyn! Could you bring me a paper bag from over there?”
“Ah, yes!”
I felt a little guilty for asking Everlyn to do this, but there was no time to hesitate.
Soon, Everlyn returned with the bag, and I held it up to the Countess’s lips.
“Breathe into this. Just like before—slowly inhale and exhale.”
As expected, the Countess obediently followed my instructions.
Her slow breathing continued.
When I placed my hand on her back, I could feel her pulse gradually slowing down.
Phew, what a relief.
I let out a breath of relief and helped her sit down on a chair.
“Countess, look at me. Yes, that’s good.”
I knelt on one knee in front of her and met her gaze.
“Someone did target you, but right now, you are safe. Nothing happened.”
The Countess’s eyes trembled slightly.
She was still anxious.
Keeping my hand on her thigh, I continued speaking.
“The culprit will be caught soon, and you will be safe. Do you understand?”
The Countess, clutching the bag tightly, slowly nodded.
“Good. Now repeat after me: ‘I’m okay, I’m okay.’”
The paper bag crinkled. She must have been murmuring the words as I instructed.
“You really are okay. So don’t be afraid. No one can hurt you.”
A slight glimmer of tears formed at the corner of the Countess’s eyes.
To give her some privacy, I turned my head away.
And for a moment, I was lost in thought.
No, to be precise, once the situation settled down, a question arose in my mind.
‘Why?’
Why did the sommelier attempt to assassinate the Countess?
‘Was there some issue between the Grand Duchy and the Lockwood family?’
No, the sommelier had already defected to the Empire.
This wasn’t an order from the Grand Duchy.
‘Then why…?’
As I pondered, suddenly—
Something felt wrong.
An ominous sensation that I couldn’t quite put into words.
Instinctively, I turned my head.
Somewhere, someone was watching me.
At the edge of my vision, I sensed a presence trying to erase itself.
The direction of the gaze wasn’t fixed. They were deliberately scattering their focus. But still…
‘They’re watching me.’
Swallowing dryly, I subtly brushed my fingers over my dress, confirming the position of the dagger strapped to my thigh.
‘Who could it be?’
An accomplice of the sommelier?
Or…
— Don’t interfere with our business.
Adrian’s words suddenly surfaced in my mind.
Was Catacle involved in this?
I clenched my teeth, suppressing the chilling tension running down my spine.
And then—
Whoosh—
The presence vanished.
Like dissipating mist, it melted into the air without a trace.
I lifted my stiffened head and looked around.
The sinister aura I had felt just moments ago was completely gone, as if it had never existed.
This meant one of two things:
Either they had deliberately concealed their presence, or they had left the area.
‘It must be the former.’
But even so, I couldn’t move recklessly to search for them.
Leaving the Countess abruptly after tending to her would be highly suspicious.
“Madam, are you feeling better now?”
I forced a smile as I checked on the Countess.
Only then did she remove the paper bag from her lips and slowly nod.
“…Thanks to you, yes.”
Her voice was much calmer than before.
I smiled in relief.
“Miss Charles.”
Everlyn, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke up.
“Didn’t you drink the wine earlier?”
Ah. Everlyn must have seen me holding the Countess’s glass.
It wasn’t strange for her to ask this.
“Huh?”
“What did you say?”
What was strange was that everyone gasped in shock and raised their voices.
“You drank the poisoned wine, Miss Charles?”
“Is that true?”
I rolled my eyes.
Hmm.
I really didn’t want to be the center of attention.
So, I smiled as if it was nothing and replied,
“No! I didn’t drink it! It only touched my lips.”
And quickly added,
“It stung a little when it touched my lips, so I poured it out just in case. I thought it was lucky that—wait, why are you all looking at me like that…?”
I looked at the Countess, Evetlyn, Agatha, and the others, all of whom were staring at me in horror.
“So you almost drank poison!”
“Then why are you acting so normal?!”
They all shouted at once.
And before I knew it, the Countess, as if she had never suffered a panic attack, grabbed me firmly and sat me down in a chair.
“Sit down immediately! Call the physician, now!”
The murmurs grew louder.
—What? She drank poison?
—That’s not it, but why call a physician all of a sudden?
—Is it because she’s in shock?
As everyone panicked, Everlyn proudly declared,
“Miss Charles drank poison to save the Countess!”
Oh, no.
“Thanks to her, the Countess is alive!”
Please, no.
“Miss Charles! Stay awake! You can’t pass out now!”
I wasn’t passing out—I was closing my eyes in despair.
Maybe… I wasn’t cut out for causing a scene after all.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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