Chapter 22
The assassination of Empress Olivia and Princess Flora was such a huge incident that everyone in the Empire knew about it.
The Empress died from poison, and the Princess was brutally stabbed to death by an intruder.
And it all happened within just two months—no wonder Prince Claude must have gone crazy.
There was one more shocking detail.
Prince Claude’s faction accused Grand Duke Spiegel for murder, but the Emperor dismissed the claims as baseless rumors.
Even though his wife and daughter were horribly murdered, the Emperor didn’t even try to find the culprit. People were puzzled by his behavior, but no one dared to question his tyranny.
In the end, the case was left unsolved and forgotten.
Not long after, rumors spread that Prince Claude was expelled from the palace and moved to a new residence.
It was the Erhardt Marquisate—once owned by the late Empress Olivia and inherited by Claude upon her death.
Was it just a coincidence?
Even in my past life, the one behind the attacks on Prince Claude was always the second prince.
Based on that, it was highly likely that the second prince was also the one who planted the traitorous royal doctor.
Although Claude’s death by poison is still two years away…
Well, the poisoning scheme might have started long before.
At this rate, my fiancé might die before our contract marriage even happens.
I need to act before the second prince makes another move.
Pushing aside my heavy thoughts, I opened my eyes wide.
Knock knock, tap tap.
I heard tapping at the window early in the morning.
I quickly got up and pulled back the curtain, only to see a white messenger bird fluttering its wings and pecking at the window with its beak.
I remembered what Alvin had said:
[From now on, I’ll use the messenger bird to deliver His Highness’s updates. It’s the fastest and most accurate way to send messages to your room.]
When I opened the window, the bird gently landed on my hand.
I softly petted its tiny head and untied the note from its leg.
As expected, it was a letter from Alvin, Prince Claude’s assistant.
It said that the prince regained consciousness late last night and was slowly recovering after taking the seizure stabilizer and Lazeren.
I was honestly relieved—it seemed the medicine was working.
Feeling a little less worried, I headed to my lab early.
Sunlight poured gently through the large white curtains.
I placed a kettle over the fireplace and looked out at the fresh summer scenery.
Bright sunlight filtered through green leaves, making them glow like translucent jade.
It was a sight I’d seen countless times in my past life.
So why hadn’t I appreciated it back then?
I’d taken it all for granted—but I learned the hard way that nothing lasts forever.
Only after dying once did I truly realize that.
Watching the clouds float slowly across the blue sky, emotions I thought I had buried started to rise again.
Life is fleeting. In this life, I’ll live like those clouds—going wherever I feel like.
Not because I should, not because someone told me to—but because I want to. Until the day I die of old age, doing whatever I please!
…Maybe I got too into it? My eyes were a little teary.
I dabbed away the tiny drop of a tear with my sleeve, then noticed steam rising from the kettle.
I poured the hot water into a cup filled with peppermint, and a refreshing aroma spread out.
Feeling uplifted, I leaned against the window with the teacup in hand.
Sipping the warm tea, the memory of yesterday’s seizure suddenly hit me.
The blood-soaked carpet, the scattered books and medicine bottles, and Prince Claude writhing in pain on his bed…
His condition was far worse than I had imagined.
In my past life, not a single mana addiction patient ever had seizures like that.
His symptoms were clearly different—so I’d have to change his medication.
I decided I’d increase the dosage of Lazeren and add something to control the seizures.
Putting down the empty teacup, I picked up the document on the table.
It was a list of all the medicines the royal doctor had prescribed, which I had asked Alvin to get for me.
As I skimmed through it, I frowned at one part.
The herb Entril had been prescribed every single day for the past three years.
[“Toxic? That can’t be. All the medicine prescribed by the royal doctor was tested and proven safe before being given to His Highness. Even the slaves who took them showed no problems.”]
Just like Alvin said, Entril is a scentless, harmless herb. Even in large amounts, it doesn’t cause issues.
But that’s only true for ordinary people.
In mana addiction patients, Entril interacts with the mana stored in the body to create a unique toxic substance. It’s produced in such tiny amounts that the effects go unnoticed at first.
Over time, the poison builds up, and eventually leads to death.
The timing of death varies depending on the person’s body and how much mana is stored.
Sometimes the poison never activates, and they die naturally instead. But in Prince Claude’s case…
I believed he wouldn’t live much longer if things continued like this.
If I told Alvin this now, it would shock him deeply.
Understandably so—mana addiction wasn’t even a known condition at this time, and he probably trusted the royal doctor completely.
But I knew better. I had information no one else in this era did.
Someone who desperately wants to kill Prince Claude.
I had heard many things about the Second Prince being sly and wicked like a snake, even in my previous life.
Before he sneaks up and bites me on the neck, I need to find his weakness and use it against him.
That will be my weapon and shield to protect both myself and Prince Claude.
Lost in thought, I turned to look out the window.
The lawn looked strange—patchy, as if parts of it had been pulled out.
What is this feeling of déjà vu?
I squinted and stared at the uneven patches of grass.
Then suddenly, an image of the Second Prince from my past life overlapped perfectly with the scene.
A well-known story from my previous life flashed through my mind like lightning.
With a snap of my fingers and a sly smile, I thought of it.
The Second Prince’s biggest insecurity—and something he desperately wanted.
This was a perfect chance for me to use my special skills.
A week passed, and it was the day to visit Prince Claude again.
Thanks to my hard work, I found the right formula and was able to develop a new treatment.
I carefully wrapped a week’s worth of medicine bottles in cloth and packed them in my bag.
I also prepared a surprise gift for the Second Prince, sealed in a pretty bottle.
The founding ball would be held soon, and it seemed like the perfect day to give it to him.
Seeing all the neatly lined-up bottles, I felt full even without eating—so proud and satisfied.
Smiling, I closed the cabinet.
Then, carrying the heavy bag full of medicine, I left the house.
I hoped the new medicine would work well for Prince Claude.
While thinking that, I eventually arrived at the castle.
Soon, the heavy gates opened and the butler greeted me politely.
“Welcome, Lady. However, His Highness is currently out, so you may have to wait half a day. Please come in and enjoy some tea while you wait.”
“No, I’ll just drop off the medicine and go. I heard he’s recovering, so I don’t think he needs a check-up. But… does His Highness go out often?”
“Yes, he regularly patrols the Chaos Forest. He used to go at sunset, but lately, he also goes during the day.”
“Oh, I didn’t know he personally went on patrol. I actually saw him in the forest once and was curious.”
“Yes, he says that after walking in the Chaos Forest, his breathing improves and he sleeps better. So he insists on going at least once a week. That’s probably when you saw him.”
I slowly nodded at the butler’s words.
The Chaos Forest is the only place in the empire where Lazeren mana plants grow.
That energy might be helping with the prince’s illness.
I set down the bag I was carrying and took out a large pouch from inside.
Clink, clink—the bottles inside clinked together.
“This is a new medicine. It helps calm the seizures and also removes excess mana. The dosage is now two bottles a day—one in the morning and one at night. If anything happens, please send a message right away.”
“Yes, I will. It’ll be lunchtime soon—would you like to stay and eat before leaving?”
The old butler kindly suggested while accepting the pouch, but I shook my head.
I still had to sell some of the medicine at the general store, and I had medical books to read. My to-do list was endless.
“Then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Very well, please take care, my Lady.”
Receiving the old butler’s deep bow, I lifted my heavy bag and headed off to my next task.
After dropping off the medicine at the shop and buying some medical books at the bookstore, the sun was already setting by the time I returned.
Exhausted, I opened the heavy iron gates of the duke’s residence—and saw Alex standing in the garden.
As soon as our eyes met, he waved brightly and smiled, as if he’d been waiting for me.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
