Episode 78
Serena looked at Zed, whose face had turned crimson, with concern. His face was flushed as he continuously coughed, as though something had gone down the wrong way.
“Here, have some water.”
When Serena handed him the glass herself, Zed gulped it down and finally managed to calm down. Just then, Daniel, who had been silently observing Jed, suddenly stiffened before pulling him aside.
“Zed, come with me for a moment.”
“Huh?”
“Your face…”
“Ah, cough, alright, alright.”
After whispering something in hushed tones, Daniel and Zed stood up from their seats. Sebastian looked at them curiously.
“Leaving already?”
“Oh, I just remembered something we left behind. We’ll be back shortly.”
With a friendly smile, Daniel casually excused himself and exited. Serena watched, puzzled, wondering why he’d drag someone who was clearly coughing so much.
Just as she was about to turn her gaze elsewhere, a familiar face entered the reception room. It was Lydia.
Why is she here?
Serena stared at Lydia with a look that said she’d seen something she shouldn’t have. Lydia hated gatherings like these, which made her presence even more perplexing.
Lydia, too, seemed startled upon noticing Serina, but only for a moment. She quickly grabbed her partner’s arm with a triumphant air.
Lydia’s partner, recognizing Sebastian, approached the group.
“So, this is where everyone’s been! I’ve been looking all over. Haha!”
“Mr. Marco, it’s been a while. And this is…?”
“Oh, this is Miss Lydia Vincent from the Vincent family. Lydia, introduce yourself.”
“Hello, nice to meet you.”
“The Vincent family, you say…?”
Someone nearby trailed off and glanced at Serena. The tale of the Vincent family’s burned-down garden was already widely known.
“Yes, Serena here is my younger sister.”
Of course, she’d say that.
Serena looked at Lydia, astonished by her shameless introduction.
“It’s been a while. Aren’t you going to greet your big sister?”
If it were you, would you want to?
Serena decided to maintain decorum and excuse herself without causing a scene. After all, Sebastian had introduced her to this circle, and giving Lydia an opportunity to make a fuss was out of the question.
“Sure. Hello.”
Serena greeted her neatly, and Lydia’s face twitched subtly. It was clear that Lydia was annoyed by how unbothered Serena appeared.
Since Serena remained composed, the group continued their conversation in a cheerful atmosphere. After some light conversation, they were about to part ways when someone brought up the upcoming auction.
“Oh, you all should stay for the auction.”
“Not sure. I don’t really have anything I need, so I might leave.”
As someone voiced their intention to skip the event, Marco interjected.
“Oh, no, no. You’ll regret it if you leave now.”
“Why, is there something special being auctioned?”
“Actually, we’re planning to auction a new drug developed by our company, Yungsa.”
Yungsa?
Serena’s eyes widened at the familiar name.
Wait, where have I heard that before…?
While she was deep in thought, Marco continued to boast.
“It hasn’t been released yet, but all the safety tests are complete, and its efficacy is guaranteed.”
“What kind of drug is it?”
“It’s a mana supplement. You could call it a health product—it doubles the usual mana absorption rate.”
“Fascinating!”
Sebastian’s eyes sparkled, while Serina’s face turned pale.
I remember now. That cursed mana supplement!
It was the very drug that had caused Azaid to go berserk in her second life.
The frail emperor had been prescribed countless supplements, and anything deemed beneficial naturally found its way to the palace. Yungsa’s mana supplement was no exception.
Though it had passed all safety tests, it had a severe side effect: mana core overload.
As a result, Azaid lost control, and the royal bloodline nearly perished.
Yungsa was ultimately dissolved, and its CEO was executed for attempting to harm the royal family. If Serina hadn’t stopped Azaid’s rampage back then, she would’ve died along with him.
Right. They started selling it at an auction, didn’t they?
Who would’ve thought it was this very auction? Watching Sebastian’s interest in the drug filled Serena with dread.
“Are you seriously thinking of buying it?” she whispered to him.
“I’ll just observe for now. If it works, of course, we’ll use it.”
No, it’s not a good idea!
Serena didn’t know how to explain it. She was the only one here who knew about the drug’s side effects.
Criticizing Yungsa’s new product in front of its CEO would leave a bad impression. Moreover, Marco was Lydia’s partner. If Serena raised objections, Lydia could easily twist it as petty jealousy.
I should just buy it myself and expose the side effects.
Having evidence would lend credibility to her claims.
It would even benefit Marco—if the drug entered the palace and its flaws were discovered, the fallout would be catastrophic.
As conversations continued, Serena excused herself to leave the room.
“Trying to act all clever, aren’t you?”
“So, ‘bathroom break’ was just an excuse.”
In the hallway, Serena sighed deeply as she spotted Lydia waiting at the end of the corridor.
“Well, this is convenient. I wanted to talk to you anyway.”
“Talk? What, to apologize?”
Lydia sneered, leaning lazily against the wall—a posture far from what one would expect of a noble lady.
Serena strode over to Lydia with swift, decisive steps. Surprised by her sudden approach, Lydia flinched and pressed her back against the wall.
Serena placed one hand on the wall beside Lydia’s head, looking down at her.
“W-What are you looking at?!”
The effort to keep her eyes wide open to avoid looking defeated was utterly pitiful, but that wasn’t the point.
“I recently heard something very strange. I think I need an explanation from you.”
“Why don’t you just figure it out yourself with that brilliant brain of yours? Now get out of my way!”
Lydia irritably shoved Serena’s shoulder, but Serena didn’t budge an inch. Instead, she leaned in even closer and whispered.
“When I was a child, did I ever go on a trip?”
“What nonsense. Who would send a bastard child on a trip? They’d buy another outfit with that money instead.”
Lydia retorted venomously, as if she had just heard something utterly ridiculous. Her reaction was expected, so Serena posed the real question she wanted to ask.
“Is that so? Then why did you tell Aunt Elda that I went very far away?”
“…!”
“It’s strange, isn’t it? I don’t remember ever leaving the capital when I was young.”
As Serena pressed persistently, Lydia’s face turned pale. She looked as if she were utterly terrified. Serena immediately sensed that something was off based on Lydia’s reaction.
“…Are you hiding something?”
“I-I-I am not!”
“The way you’re stuttering makes it obvious.”
“Damn it…!”
Lydia lashed out, clearly irritated by Serena’s disbelief. Her excessive reaction hinted that she knew something.
Serena, her gaze cold as ice, stared at Lydia and recalled what Aunt Elda had said.
– Yes, her face was so pale back then. When I asked if she was unwell, she snapped at me to mind my own business.
It was unusual for Lydia, who normally wouldn’t deign to speak to commoners, to show fear toward Aunt Elda.
It wasn’t like her at all. Lydia had always been cunning and shameless since she was young.
There had to be a reason for her guilty conscience.
‘Could it be…?’
A sudden suspicion crossed Serena’s mind, and her face hardened.
A damp, unremembered warehouse.
Serena, bound tightly and clinging desperately to the faint light of a single candle, along with a mysterious boy.
Then, the holy knights of Pherianus bursting in.
The boy and Serena being rescued.
Lydia’s suspicious reaction.
Serena voiced her sudden suspicion without holding back, hoping—just hoping—that Lydia wasn’t that much of a monster.
“You didn’t… sell me off as a child, did you?”
“!!!”
Lydia’s pupils trembled violently. It was an unspoken admission. Serena felt heat rising to her head and let out a dry laugh.
As her anger reached its peak, it was accompanied by a hollow, bitter laugh. This was far worse than she had anticipated, and it was too serious to brush aside.
The fact that an innocent boy had been dragged into it. That, if his parents hadn’t come to rescue them, both she and the boy would’ve been stuck on a fishing boat forever.
And even after barely surviving, Lydia had the gall to keep tormenting Serena without a shred of remorse.
Grabbing Lydia by the collar, Serena snarled.
“This is absolute trash behavior, isn’t it?”
“Kyaa! Help me!”
Lydia spotted a passerby and screamed, seemingly trying to play the victim.
Serena, seething with anger, ran a hand over her face to compose herself and turned around. The passerby was none other than Jed.
Zes looked at Serena’s face, surprised for a moment, then glanced at Lydia and frowned.
Naturally, his eyes were drawn to Serena’s hand gripping Lydia’s collar. His next words were entirely unexpected for Serena.
“Please, carry on.”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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