Chapter 52
The princess leaned in slightly, sniffing the air near Erina. Embarrassed, Erina lowered her head, a faint blush on her cheeks.
“Thank you. It was a gift, so I’m happy to hear that you like it.”
“Who… w-who gave it t-to you?”
“Sorry?”
“I… I want one too.”
Anna’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Erina wasn’t sure how to interpret this… Was Anna genuinely interested in the giver, or was she subtly asking Erina to hand over her perfume?
Feeling uncertain, she chose her words carefully.
“Ah, well… The person who gave it to me actually made it themselves, so I’m not sure if they can make another.”
“O-oh… I see. T-that’s too bad. I r-really l-like perfumes…”
Anna’s voice trailed off, and she slowly straightened her posture. Watching her, Erina couldn’t help but worry.
Was she speaking too much? Would she collapse from exhaustion? But it would be rude to interrupt, so she listened carefully.
“I p-put on perfume today too… W-what do you think?”
Anna lifted her delicate wrist and brought it close to Erina’s nose.
As Erina inhaled, a mix of jasmine, pear blossom, and a hint of something sweet, perhaps brown sugar, filled her senses.
It was a luxurious floral scent, perfectly fitting for a high-ranking princess.
“It’s a beautiful floral fragrance, made with ingredients that suit you perfectly, Your Highness. But… does the Sylvian Empire also use poison ivy as a fragrance ingredient?”
“W-what?”
“In the place I come from, we don’t use poison ivy in perfumes because we haven’t figured out how to neutralize its toxins. But the Empire’s alchemy must be far more advanced.”
Erina spoke casually, recalling what she had read in books. The Sylvian Empire was renowned for its alchemy and magic, so perhaps they had developed a way to extract poison ivy’s scent safely.
However, Anna’s reaction was alarming.
Her already pale face turned ashen.
Seeing the drastic change in Anna’s expression, Erina stiffened.
Had she said something wrong?
“P-poison… p-poison ivy…?”
“…Excuse me?”
“W-when I… r-received this perfume… no one t-told me anything… about that…”
Anna’s voice trembled as she muttered to herself, her lips quivering.
Her mind raced. The perfume had been a gift…from Consort Darien, one of the emperor’s concubines. Anna had been overjoyed to receive a scent she truly loved.
But to think it contained poison ivy? That meant the servant who had analyzed the ingredients and assured her of its safety must have been complicit.
“A-ah…! D-don’t worry! Poison ivy’s toxins aren’t very strong, a-and I know of an herb that can neutralize it!”
Erina quickly tried to reassure Anna.
“What is the meaning of this?!”
A deep, thunderous voice cut through the air.
It was the emperor.
He had been silently observing the conversation, pleased to see Aina engaging with others. But now, his expression twisted with fury.
“How dare you! Do you even realize who you’re trying to play tricks on?!”
The emperor’s furious voice thundered through the hall, freezing the atmosphere.
The children, startled by his sudden outburst, clutched their ears and ran straight into Erina’s arms.
Holding them close, Erina’s eyes trembled with uncertainty. Even Princess Anna was too shocked to intervene.
“You there! Can you take responsibility for what you just said?! Poisonous herbs in the princess’s perfume…! Who gave her that perfume?!”
Anna’s attendant hesitantly answered,
“Consort Darien.”
The emperor’s face twisted in rage. “Bring Darien here at once!” he roared.
Overwhelmed by her father’s fury, Anna trembled and sobbed.
Erina and the children, stunned by the sudden shift in atmosphere, remained silent. Meanwhile, Dylan’s mood soured as the emperor shot a glare at Erina.
‘So **** noisy.’
Dylan sighed quietly, momentarily imagining himself strangling the emperor.
More than anything, he was annoyed by how frightened Erina looked.
“I’m here, so don’t be too scared.”
He murmured, moving behind her and whispering near her ear.
Startled, Erina turned around to see Dylan gazing down at her, his usual smile back in place.
She forced the corners of her lips up slightly.
“If it gets too bad, I can always teleport us away.”
Dylan added in an even softer voice, as if soothing a frightened animal.
Hearing his reckless and absurd escape plan, Erina couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
Not wanting to be left out, the children quickly crowded around Erina, whispering into her ears as well.
“Erina, give me a kiss!”
“Lia is going to catch caterpillars in the garden! Want to come?”
“When are we dancing??”
Their random, nonsensical chatter had nothing to do with the tense situation, but it was enough to ease Erina’s nerves.
Even Anna, who had been shaking with fear, gradually calmed down. Watching them, she felt an unexpected urge to join in.
“H-Hello… l-little… g-guests?”
Mustering her courage, Anna waved at the triplets.
Three pairs of sparkling eyes turned toward her in perfect sync.
Under their unblinking stares, Anna’s pale face turned red. Seeing how hesitant the children were, Erina gently encouraged them.
“This is Princess Anna. Why don’t you greet her just like you greeted the emperor earlier?”
Nodding, the triplets immediately responded in their usual enthusiastic way.
“Hello! I’m Resen! I like ham!”
“I’m Lia! If there’s a spider in your room, I’ll catch it for you!”
“I’m Poi! I’m wearing matching clothes with Erina Mama!”
Their cute and uniquely personal introductions made Anna burst into a wide smile—so wide that the dry skin on her lower lip cracked, and a single drop of blood trickled down.
“Ah…!”
Erina instinctively reached out, hovering her hand near Anna’s lips. However, Aina seemed used to such incidents, calmly taking a handkerchief from her attendant and dabbing the blood away.
Despite the brief interruption, she carefully responded to each child’s greeting, gradually blending into Erina’s lively group.
Just as this unexpected bonding moment unfolded, the emperor’s expression darkened in clear disapproval.
Then, loud footsteps echoed through the hall.
The doors to the banquet hall swung open, and a lavishly dressed woman strode in confidently, holding a baby who was too young to walk.
“Darien Fransen greets His Majesty the Emperor.”
The woman with deep black hair tinged with violet knelt in greeting.
The emperor barely acknowledged her bow before he bellowed,
“They say the perfume you gifted contained poisonous herbs! Explain yourself!”
“W-What?! P-Poisonous herbs?!”
Consort Darien’s eyes widened in shock.
“I have no knowledge of such a thing!”
She protested, her eyebrows furrowing as if deeply wronged.
But not a single person in the room believed her. Her past behavior had long since reached the emperor’s ears, whispered through countless rumors.
“So, are you saying the nanny lied?!”
“Wait! Who is this woman?! Why is she slandering me?!”
Consort Darien’s voice grew sharper. She lifted the baby in her arms as if it were a shield.
“I swear on my son, Turner, that I am innocent!”
The emperor hesitated. Even in his anger, he couldn’t ignore a mother swearing on her own child.
Taking advantage of his momentary pause, Consort Darien shot Erina a venomous glare, grinding her teeth.
“A mere nanny, someone with neither education nor status, dares to accuse me? How could Your Majesty believe a lowly servant over me and subject me to such humiliation?”
Erina paled.
She had never intended for things to escalate this far. She hadn’t accused anyone—she had simply commented on what she had observed, marveling at the empire’s advanced alchemical techniques.
But now, she was being treated as if she had deliberately schemed to frame someone.
Just as Erina struggled to find a way to diffuse the situation, Dylan, who had been silently observing, stepped forward.
