“What?”
“Excuse me?”
Rohan and Lizelle exclaimed simultaneously in surprise.
“Miss, do you happen to remember what the His Grace all consumed at the banquet?”
Peter asked calmly, unlike the two startled individuals.
Lizelle was shocked to learn that he overdosed on drugs, but she soon came to her senses and answered Peter’s questions.
“I don’t know about the morning, but at the banquet, all he had was a glass of champagne.”
“Was there anything strange about that champagne?”
“Strange? Well…”
Lizelle trailed off as she recalled what happened at the banquet hall.
She didn’t know if could be counted as strange, but the maid, Bess, who brought the champagne, offered the first glass to her, saying it had grapefruit extract in it.
She accepted the glass, so the other glass naturally went to Chase.
However, the champagne that supposedly had grapefruit extract didn’t have even a hint of grapefruit flavor or aroma.
At the time, she thought it might have been because only a tiny amount was used. But now…
Why did that bother her so much now?
“Or, perhaps, did you notice any potions or similar substances nearby?”
Peter’s questioning sparked a sudden memory in Lizelle’s mind.
She recalled bumping into Bess while leaving the restroom after washing her hands, just after sending Chase ahead to the banquet hall.
Bess dropped a small glass vial, which Lizelle picked up and handed back to her.
She clearly remembered the pretty pink liquid in the bottle.
“I’m not certain, but I did see a pink liquid.”
“…A pink liquid, you say? Then, do you remember how the Duke behaved before he collapsed?”
“He seemed short of breath, kept gasping for air, and his whole body was hot, like he had a fever. He was sweating profusely and insisted on being alone.”
Lizelle shared everything, even though it might have been because he simply didn’t want to be around her. Still, she felt it might have been a symptom worth mentioning.
“I see.”
Peter nodded as if he now understood.
Peter continued as Lizelle and Rohan looked at him with faces demanding an explanation.
“…I think it must have been a love potion. I think he consumed too much of it and it caused side effects.”
“Love potion?”
“That’s the common name. But think of it as a stimulant or aphrodisiac. It’s an illegal substance that amplifies sexual desire to the extreme, even with just a single drop.”
“…”
Lizelle was at a loss for words.
If Peter’s words were true, the pink liquid Bess had must’ve been a love potion. And the one who orchestrated all this…
“Selena.”
Lizelle muttered, her face filled with anger.
From the moment she met Selena earlier that day, the woman had shown hostility toward her.
Moreover, Selena led Chase away almost immediately after he drank the champagne.
Now, it all made sense.
Chase kept telling her to go away and that it was dangerous.
It had all been because of the potion.
Realizing that his behavior in the carriage was merely a result of the potion left Lizelle feeling strangely disheartened.
She was relieved his health wasn’t in grave danger, yet the bitter taste in her mouth lingered.
She stared at the back of her hand, where his lips touched, then rubbed it quickly.
“Will master be alright, then?”
“Yes. I gave him a shot with a sedative, so he’ll be fine soon.”
Rohan cleared his throat, looking relieved.
Peter stood up and packed his bags.
“He’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”
As Peter left the bedroom, Lizelle also stood up.
“Well, I’ll take my leave now.”
“What? Miss, can you stay by his side until he wakes up?”
Rohan quickly grabbed Lizelle.
If the master woke up with his beloved lady by his side, he would definitely be happy.
“Please.”
“All right.”
When Lizelle reluctantly answered, Rohan bowed in gratitude.
Rohan left the bedroom, saying he had some business to attend to, leaving Lizelle alone with Chase.
She closed her eyes for a while before opening them again and stared at Chase lying on the bed.
He had his eyes closed with a much more relaxed expression on his face.
To be honest, she was annoyed.
She felt disappointed because she thought his actions were a reaction caused by the potion.
She understood it was because of the potion, but she still felt disapointed.
Maybe it was because her heart was pounding from the sudden kiss.
Lizelle sat on an armchair next to the bed while waiting for Chase to wake up.
When she was looking out at the setting sun with her arms crossed.
“Miss.”
A deep, cavernous voice called out to her.
Her eyes slowly turned to Chase.
He was now awake, looking at her.
“You’re awake?”
“What happened…?”
He looked at Lizelle with confusion in his eyes before sitting up.
His complexion had returned to normal, likely due to the physician’s prescription.
“You collapsed and the physician came to see you. He said it was the side effects of a potion overdose. Apparently, Lady Selena used a love potion.”
Lizelle explained everything she knew, except for the things that happened between them.
“Oh, is that so?”
Chase put one hand on his forehead. He was still feeling slightly dizzy, perhaps from the lingering effects of the prescription.
His suspicions about Selena’s actions had been correct.
It seemed like Selena did something to him, and in the end it turned out to be a love potion.
The potion was banned because its effect that was contrary to its name. The body…
Chase froze for a moment as he recalled everything that occurred at the banquet hall.
Then the events from the carriage came to mind in a flash like lightning.
Inside the carriage, he eventually couldn’t hold back anymore and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him.
And then…
‘Because it’s dangerous.’
‘What… exactly?’
‘Me. To you.’
He’d then kissed the back of her hand.
Chase’s face flushed red at the embarrassing memory.
He lifted his long finger and touched his lips.
At first, he couldn’t tell if the memory was real or an illusion created by his desperate longing for her.
But the feeling of her skin touching his lips was still vivid.
It was neither an illusion nor a dream. It was truly him kissing her hand.
Chase immediately looked at Lizelle.
He looked nervous. His lips were dry, betraying his anxiety.
How was he supposed to explain this to her?
Should he say he couldn’t control his desires because of the potion?
That made him sound like a beast.
Well, if he told her he neither felt desire nor did anything like that to Selena, and that he only felt this way towards her…?
No matter what he said, it would sound ridiculous.
It was clear he would be seen as crazy or perverted.
He had a hard time deciding how to phrase it.
“Now that you’re awake, I’ll be going now.”
Then…
Lizelle got up from her seat with a calm expression, as if nothing happened.
Chase was momentarily confused as to whether he really had mistaken the dream for reality.
But that was definitely reality.
Because her voice and the feeling on his lips all came back to him vividly.
So why wasn’t she bringing it up?
Did it mean nothing to her?
Did he mean so little to her?
His chest ached.
“Take care of yourself.”
Lizelle briefly checked his condition before turning around.
Now that Chase was awake, there was no reason to stay any longer.
She felt like she would get annoyed with him if she stayed like this for much longer. She’d been in a bad mood since a while ago.
“Miss.”
Chase called out to Lizelle, who turned her back on him.
The voice, without any fluctuations, was incredibly low.
Lizelle stopped walking and turned around to look at him.
“Yes?”
“I’m saying this because I’m afraid there might be a misunderstanding.”
“About what?”
She replied calmly, anticipating his response.
He would likely clarify that the kiss had been an accident caused by the potion, telling her not to misunderstand or read too much into it.
“About what happened in the carriage.”
“Yes, I know. I didn’t misunderstand, and I won’t read into it. Don’t worry.”
She struck first.
It was better to speak first than to hear him say it was an accident.
“Oh…”
Only then did Chase realize.
Her nonchalant attitude meant that she thought his actions were a mistake caused by the potion.
Chase had no intention of letting her go on thinking that.
He had no intention of letting her misunderstand.
He originally planned to confess his feelings when he felt a little more confident, but he felt like he had to say something now.
He was sure she’d feel burdened, but he wanted her to know he was sincere.
From the moment he realized he liked her, he was always sincere to her.
“Please misunderstand.”
“…”
“Read into it. It wasn’t a mistake or something that happened because of the potion.”
His red eyes blazed. They were as intense as if he were still under the affects of the potion.
“It’s what I wanted to do to you.”
