No More Regrets, Just K*ll Me

 

First, the tall Duke of Denaves got out of the carriage, followed by Ariadeline, dressed in a pure white gown, holding his hand as she descended.

‘She looks good for a sinner.’

The maid thought to herself while politely clasping her hands and welcoming the two.

“Yermondi Volovichya, the First Princess, is waiting for you.”

“We are grateful for the invitation.”

Ariadeline responded demurely. The maid glanced at her; the white dress matched her so well that it was almost blinding. It made Duke Denaves, who remained unmoved even with such a woman clinging to him, seem impressive.

The Duke stood with a stoic expression, merely holding Ariadeline’s hand as if to escort her.

‘I wonder what he’s thinking.’

What on earth is the change in his mind that made him suddenly show interest in his ex-wife, whom he had never paid any attention to?

As the maid stepped forward, the two began to follow her. There was no conversation among the three.

Soon, they arrived at the tea room.

The waiting servants opened the door to the tea room. The maid addressed Yermondi first.

“Duke Denaves and Ariadeline have arrived.”

“Both of you, please come in.”

As she sat at the white table in the tea room, the princess welcomed them. The duke placed his hand over his chest, and Ariadeline lightly lifted the hem of her dress to greet her.

“I am honored to meet Her Imperial Highness, Yermondi Volovichya.”

“There’s no need for formalities. Please, have a seat.”

The maid guided the two to their seats. Ariadeline and Carlothian sat down in their respective places, and Yermondi observed them.

Carlothian Denaves was originally someone whose emotions were hard to read, showing no expression except for frowns. As for Ariadeline… Yermondi furrowed her brow slightly.

Ariadeline wore a calm smile, as if she had no worries at all.

‘She must have some thoughts on this.’

Ariadeline showed no hesitation in revealing her feelings, making her an easy person to read.

‘But…’

Yermondi couldn’t figure out what Ariadeline was thinking now. During her imprisonment in the monastery, she struggled to conceal her emotions.

‘You’ve made some progress, it seems.’

However, Yermondi didn’t care at all. After all, Ariadeline was just a clueless girl—weak and frail.

“Bring in the tea.”

At Yermondi’s command, the maid quietly went outside the door to summon the servant. Soon, that servant would bring her poisoned tea.

All Yermondi needed to do was consume it and collapse in this spot. It was a simple task with nothing more to do.

Creeeak.

At that moment, the door opened. A slightly tense servant approached, balancing a tea cup and teapot on a tray.

The maid carefully placed the cups on the table.

The left cup is for Ariadeline, the middle cup is for Carlothian, and the poison-laced right cup is for Yermondi.

Yermondi waited with a peaceful expression, showing no signs of change, as the servant filled her cup with tea. But then—

Knock, knock, knock—

A knock was heard. Yermondi raised her eyebrows.

Who could it be? No one should be visiting now.

One of the maids opened the door to check on the visitor.

The maid seemed a bit flustered as she exchanged a few words with the visitor before quickly rushing back to Yermondi to whisper.

“Her Highness, Crown Princess Dorothea, has arrived.”

“The Crown Princess has come…?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Yermondi slightly furrowed her brow and then stood up to head toward the door.

At the door, Dorothea was waiting for her. As soon as Dorothea saw Yermondi, she smiled brightly and said,

“Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to see you.”

“Please skip the formalities. What brings you here, Dorothea?”

Dorothea replied with a hint of shyness.

“Oh, I know it’s not proper, but I heard that Ariadeline visited the palace today.”

“Yes, she just arrived, and we were about to have tea.”

“I wanted to have tea with you after a long time, and I also wanted to check on how Ariadeline has been, so I took the liberty of coming here.”

“I see…”

Yermondi smiled, but her insides twisted. She had learned that Dorothea had decided to forgive Ariadeline and accept her after the recent curse incident.

Despite being cursed herself, Dorothea had been adamant that Ariadeline was not to blame.

‘Still, I can’t let this go wrong.’

The sight of the princess collapsing after drinking poison right in front of her, followed by a confession from the culprit, made it clear that no matter how saintly Dorothea was, she wouldn’t be able to protect Ariadeline.

“…Then, would you like to come in? The tea hasn’t been served yet.”

“Oh, thank you, Your Highness!”

Dorothea naturally entered with the princess. The maids quickly added an extra chair and teacup.

Dorothea glanced at Ariadeline’s face, smiling as she posed the question.

“How have you been, Ariadeline?”

“Quite well. You visited us recently, remember?”

“We didn’t get to talk much then. I’m glad the princess graciously accepted my visit.”

Dorothea said, glancing at Yermondi. Yermondi maintained her smile and nodded.

“I enjoy talking with Dorothea as well.”

As Yermondi said this, she glanced at Ariadeline once more. She was smiling at Dorothea with a smile that seemed too polite to reveal her true feelings.

Then, suddenly, she locked eyes with Carlothian, who was standing next to her.

Yermondi was momentarily flustered. She had just realized that he had been looking at her all along.

Why was he looking at her when Dorothea was right there? As if he had something to say.

Could it be because of the rumors she had spread? While she was pondering this, Yermondi noticed that the maids were acting strangely flustered.

“Your Highness and Ariadeline used to get along well. It’s fortunate that you can meet again like this.”

Dorothea spoke, clasping her hands. Yermondi, unable to interrupt, signaled to the maids.

One of the maids, looking anxious, glanced at Ariadeline.

‘What has Ariadeline done?’

In the meantime, the maid began pouring tea into four cups with trembling hands.

Clink.

The red tea filled the cups, and Ariadeline was the first to take a cup to her lips.

The faces of the maids grew pale. Yermondi thought something was wrong.

What exactly had gone wrong?

What could possibly go wrong in this situation?

Yermondi’s gaze slowly shifted from the maids to Ariadeline. She saw Ariadeline take a sip of tea.

No way.

Yermondi’s eyes widened in shock.

“Cough—!”

Crash!

The teacup fell from Ariadeline’s hand as she covered her mouth with her white hand. Soon, blood began to seep through her fingers, and Dorothea screamed.

“Ahh!”

“Cough, cough!”

Yermondi stood frozen, her eyes wide open.

The cups had been swapped.

Yermondi and Ariadeline’s eyes met. Yermondi saw a fleeting, intense look in Ariadeline’s eyes. Yermondi trembled.

She saw through me!

“Ariadeline! Ariadeline!”

Dorothea hurriedly stood up and rushed towards Ariadeline.

“Dorothea…! Hurry!”

Carlothian’s shouting overlapped.

Yermondi sat frozen in place, watching Ariadeline, who was coughing and spitting blood.

Then, as if she were a person frozen in shock, she opened her mouth.

“What on earth…?”

How dare you?

“How could this happen?”

You’re trying to rise above me.