The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud

A girl who was different from the maid before, stood in front of Peridot. Similarly, she is dressed as a maid, but she is smarter than the previous girl who became Cutie’s food.

Peridot chose the 37th maid to whom she entrusted her “noble work.” The maid continued with a sad expression.

“If it hadn’t been for that run-down teahouse, you’d have already opened a cosmetics store…”

“I certainly would have.”

This year, Peridot planned to launch a cosmetics brand.

Not something like lipstick that only adds colour, but cosmetics for the skin. A face lotion, a cream for moisturising, a cleaning soap, and clotted perfumes. They created such items.

Because that was the best location for her, Peridot secretly forced one of the landlords into bankruptcy. And she only needs to buy the building at the auction, but guess what?

Her strategy failed. She even sent decoys just to buy that building, but the previous maid failed to complete even the simplest tasks correctly.

“How about kicking out the fan shop across the street and launching the lady’s cosmetics there?”

“On the same street where that wench became popular first?”

“Th-That… Of course, Miss will be much more popular! Flatten that bitch’s nose*!”

*(Deflate one’s ego)

The frightened maid clenched her fists and raised her voice.

She is aware that there have been many maids before her. And that if she made a fuss, she would end up ‘disappearing’ as well.

However, the maid was well aware that without this opportunity, she would never be able to escape her life as a lower class person. A single wooden bridge on which you can perish. Walk with courage. Because that is your only option.

Furthermore, today’s Lady Peridot was unusual.

The most unusual part was the bruise on her neck, as if someone had violently grabbed it.

“Well… Somehow, the fun is gone.”

“Is that so?”

Was she caught staring at her bruise? The maid inquired, surprised.

“Yeah, I guess I should just play with the things that have already been prepared. Will they be having an engagement ceremony soon?”

Shieek. A stalk grew from beneath her feet, wrapped around Peridot’s left arm. The maid who was standing nearby swallowed her saliva.

“Even after drinking this child’s sap, she was fine… Or maybe she just didn’t revealed anything.”

Peridot spoke to herself and spread her hands gracefully. Her hand gestures caused the roots to move, reaching out for each of her fingers.

A scene that is too bizarre to be classified as something people are capable of doing. 

The plant has its own will, allowing it to freely stretch forward and backward.

The roots could move as much as they wanted both inside and outside the greenhouse.

Humans are barely surviving in nature, but they believe they are the masters of this world.

Peridot, on the other hand, knew from a young age who truly rules the world.

“It’s always been the ground beings.”

Peridot smiled and flicked her index finger. Then, a very small stem silently stretched out and curled up in the air.

“Love for someone is the he greatest poison of all. Don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, miss.”

“It’s better to break it if I’m not going to have it anyway. I don’t want to see it any longer.”

Peridot murmured quietly, almost to herself. She then ripped off the stem and poured the liquid into a small bowl. The dark-coloured sap with a high viscosity was terrifying to look at.

The maid opened the lid of the cosmetics set next to her quickly and placed it in front of Peridot.

Drip. Drip. The sap is creamy and easily absorbs into the soap.

It was obviously black, but it didn’t seem to be a problem permeating the cream.

“Give this to a servant named Thomas in the Knights of Rentus. These are the senior knights’ soap and cream, and this one is for the captain.”

Whisper. The subtle voice was so low that it could barely be heard. The voice, however, was louder than thunder in the maid’s ears.

“What is this, my lady?”

“Would you be able to deal with the consequences of knowing?”

The maid’s cheeks were covered in soft leaves, which she hadn’t noticed when had arrived there.

Thump, thump, thump. Her heart is racing as if it’s about to burst. And, as if she were being pursued, the maid quickly poured out her answers.

“I can handle it!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I can—I definitely can handle it.”

Perhaps this is a lie, but the maid clenched her teeth and insisted.

She must gain her trust. Only then could she escape the hellish life of a lower-class person.

Peridot laughed as she looked at the maid.

“This is known as a fever poison.”

“P-P-Poison?”

“Yes. The body temperature rises abnormally when fever poison spreads throughout the body. Nothing could possibly cure it.”

The maid’s pupils dilated.

Peridot stirred the cream with a clean teaspoon, mixing the sap in.

“If you use this cream even once…”

Gulp. The sound of the maid swallowing her saliva with nervousness is stark.

Peridot pretended not to notice and kept going.

“At first, you won’t notice anything. The poison will only remain in your skin. It shows up when you drink wine with this child’s honey.”

Swoop. The maid’s head was cast in a huge shadow.

The prey’s instinct is extremely strong.

The maid lifted her head in response to the chilling sensation.

“……!”

The maid’s eyes were filled with fear, as if she had witnessed something she was not supposed to see.

Peridot’s eyes shone dimly with pleasure as she observed the maid, whose face had turned white as if bleached.

It’s a greenhouse. A space filled with plants she grew herself.

The greenhouse’s secret had to be kept hidden. But it can’t hurt to try raising a fly.

The maid this time was much more tenacious than the previous ones.

“Wait a minute, Miss. Are there any side effects to this fever poison?”

It’s admirable to see her overcome the instinctive fear that grips her entire body and ask.

At the same time, she was arrogant. Peridot would normally have killed her the moment she asked again.

But, on a whim, she decided to be generous today.

It was because getting a new one was inconvenient.

“Well, if the poison works, your blood vessels will burst and you will die. If you don’t, you’ll succumb to the boiling sun energy and turn into a beast.”

In fact, after removing as much of its toxicity as possible, fever poison can be used as an impotence agent for men.

Of course, there was a lethal dose of poison in that cream and soap, so anyone who used it would die.

“Go now.”