Just an hour ago, Hans received the news that Elizabeth, who usually showed no interest in him, was looking for him.
“You mean the Second Lady?”
Until that moment, it had mostly been Sophia who sought him out. Her main concern was whether he had interacted with Edith or not, and Hans would reassure her by stating that he faithfully carried out his tasks to dispel her suspicions, as he was afraid of Walter’s threats.
『 Did Lady Elizabeth think I was Lady Sophia’s most trusted aide and call me to get rid of me?』
Hans, not realizing that he didn’t have that level of presence, went to her room, trembling with fear for no reason.
However, Elizabeth greeted him with a gentler attitude than he had expected.
“It’s just that I want to ask you something. Now that Sophia is no longer here, I’m thinking of directly managing the servants. Do you know anything about Walter, the stableman?”
Elizabeth brushed aside her red hair.
She couldn’t afford to give the impression that she was investigating the servants with harmful intent, so she refrained from asking probing questions.
Hans was lost in thought for a moment, gazing at her as if he were fascinated.
『 It seems like she suspects something.』
In the end, Hans had no choice but to reply that he had never even spoken to Walter properly, let alone that he was close to him.
He had heard a rumor that Walter had disappeared, but he wasn’t sure if it was true.
『 There were times in the past when he disappeared for several days to practice swordsmanship.』
If Walter was still in the manor and he revealed everything to Elizabeth, there was no way he could get away with it quietly.
The memory of his hand being crushed the last time still lingered, and his rebellious spirit crumbled in an instant.
“All I know is that he’s a stableman brought in by the Viscount. He’s known to be so tough that he has no friends.”
“I heard he was close to a guy called Cassius, and he ran away last night.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any information about that. He’s known to be so gruff that he has no friends.”
When Hans answered, Elizabeth went ‘Hmm’ and looked at him for a moment.
『 I called him because he was said to have more interaction with Walter than other servants.』
She had already called several servants who might know about Walter, but she hadn’t obtained any information.
“Really? Then you can go. But if you happen to remember any information about him, let me know.”
Elizabeth sent him away with a sour look on her face.
As Hans left the room, he thought to himself, his mind not entirely clear.
『 Did Walter really leave the manor?』
As Elizabeth had investigated, Hans was indeed quite interested in Walter.
Walter’s constant pretense of superiority, casually manipulating people while holding his chin high, both scratched at Hans’ pride and made him envious of Walter for being able to do that.
『 If Walter really left, there is no one who can stop me now.』
Hans’s self-confidence grew rapidly. Eventually, he spotted Vivian on the first floor, looking up at him.
“Vivian, what’s going on?”
“…”
Vivian took a moment to choose her words.
Edith clearly told her to bring Hans, but it seemed like that was an order she gave when she didn’t know that Hans was in a private meeting with Elizabeth.
『 It could be that these two people are conspiring to deceive or harm M’lady for the inheritance.』
“I was just thinking of going to my room to rest.”
Vivian decided that it would be best to first leave, explain the situation to Edith, and get a clear answer.
However, while she logically considered the situation, Hans’s self-confidence was in an exaggerated state.
『 It’s possible that Walter has actually left. On top of that, Lady Elizabeth was looking for me, and even Cassius had disappeared.』
Hans was convinced that he was the only one who knew how Edith and Walter had secretly continued their meetings.
Walter had been extremely careful, leaving no evidence behind, but Hans was sure that if he could make use of the affair between Lady Edith and the stableman, he could make a lot of money.
“Vivian, it’s good that I ran into you. If it’s alright, I’d like to have a cup of tea with Lady Edith.”
“Have tea with M’lady?”
Vivian gulped.
The fact that he, a servant, dared to say that he would like to be ‘treated’ to tea by a noble lady strongly implied that he would take advantage of an existing weakness to gain an upper hand.
『 What should I do…?』
With Walter absent, would it be acceptable to bring Hans to Lady Edith?
Vivian turned the idea over in her mind for a long time, but due to Hans’s persistence, she couldn’t avoid it.
“Lady Edith, Hans is asking to see you.”
“Come in.”
Vivian entered Edith’s room along with Hans. This was a precaution in case Hans had any ill intentions.
“It’s been a while, Lady Edith.”
Hans grinned and looked at Edith.
“Welcome, Hans. I feel like you’ve been working hard all this time, but I haven’t even greeted you properly.”
Before he could say anything, Edith had already prepared tea and cookies. Hans was sure when he saw her trembling eyes as if she was feeling nervous.
『 Walter has really left.』
With Walter gone and no one left to threaten him, it seemed that Edith was trying to offer tea to avoid exposing her affair.
Hans smiled and enjoyed the tea and cookies that Edith recommended.
The luxurious taste he had never experienced before made his ambition boil even more.
Edith spoke, giving him time to fully enjoy his refreshments.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
Hans was internally delighted upon hearing her request. It seemed like she was trying to persuade him to continue hiding her relationship with Walter. When he thought he understood her intentions, his voice became stronger.
“I’m just guessing that since Walter isn’t at the manor now, you might be worried that I’ll reveal your affair.”
Hans relaxed as he had just learned that Walter had disappeared.
“I just came out of Lady Elizabeth’s room.”
“Did Elizabeth ask you about Walter?”
“Yes. I haven’t said anything to her, but I thought I should take better care of my interests from now on.”
“Interests?”
“Yes. The affair between the two of you is information that could be sold for a very high price, and I’m keeping my mouth shut, aren’t I? If you give me 50 gold coins, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“…”
“Oh, if I tell Lady Elizabeth what I know, won’t there be a problem with your inheritance?”
Edith had decided not to accept a share of the inheritance, but Hans was unaware of this fact.
Edith stared at him in silence.
Her gaze was fixed on the plate of snacks he had eaten about half of.
It was a somewhat cold gaze, but Hans, lost in his premature dreams, failed to perceive it.
“Hans, I thought you might be a slightly good person… but… seeing you threatening me like this, it doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“Milady, do you think I would keep my mouth shut just because you asked me to? But I’m not a stupid person who doesn’t know how to take action.”
Why would she be so anxious and even offer tea and cookies to a mere servant to make a request?
As Hans took pity on Edith, and by the time he ate the last cookie, a calm yet cold voice pierced his ears.
“Those cookies and tea are poisoned, Hans.”
“…What?”
Hans dropped what he had picked up in response to Edith’s eerily calm voice.
However, he had already consumed most of the refreshments she had prepared in his stomach.
“If you don’t take the antidote within three days, you’ll suffer from severe abdominal pain and die. It’s a poison that causes permanent and fatal damage to the pancreas.”
“…”
Hans looked at Edith with a pale face.
Seeing her, who appeared to be waiting for him to finish the refreshments, made his blood run cold.
Moreover, the words that came out of Edith’s mouth were not commonly used by those unfamiliar with medicine. It gives the impression that she had a good understanding of poison.
『 Actually, it’s just temporary indigestion because of the tea.』
The tea that Hans drank was mixed with branches from the cedar tree that she had broken earlier.
The cedar tree was originally used for detoxification, but when mixed with tea leaves, especially fermented black tea, it invariably caused abdominal pains.
“Hans, you’re not the only one who can make threats.”
“What is this…”
“Go and tell Elizabeth that you’ve never seen Walter alone with any woman.”
If Walter was indeed of Lexion’s blood, as Benjamin had researched, it was clear that Elizabeth would also harm the women who might have had his children.
It was evident that revealing an affair with Walter in this situation would make Edith the prime suspect in Elizabeth’s eyes, especially with Walter absent.
Without Walter, Edith wanted to prevent this from happening.
“Please, Hans. I don’t want to kill anyone.”
“…!”
When Hans heard the word ‘please,’ he felt a shiver down his spine.
『 Did she intentionally ask for a favor when I first entered the room and then wait for me to say something foolish?』
How foolish he must have looked in front of her, munching on cookies without realizing he had fallen into a trap.
Now, as she had mentioned, a creeping abdominal pain began to trouble him.
Moreover, as she said, he began to experience stomach pains that felt like his intestines were twisted.
As he began to break into a cold sweat, Hans had no choice but to answer.
“I, I’ll do that.”
“Thank you. If you go to Elizabeth right away, it might arouse suspicion, so please handle the matter tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, yes. Of course, I will.”
Edith smiled bitterly as Hans began to bend like he did right after being crushed by Walter.
She planned to give him real poison under the pretense of offering an antidote if he still didn’t listen to her, but looking at his white face, she thought it wasn’t necessary to take such drastic action.
『 Walter’s judgment was correct.』
Hans never bent to a weaker opponent. In front of the strong, he pretended to act servile, but he would cunningly appear strong to those weaker than himself.
When Walter decided to use Hans, it seemed like he had understood this aspect of Hans’s personality and had dealt with him appropriately.
『 …I wonder what he’s doing right now.』
Edith dismissed the trembling Hans with a flick of her chin and threw herself onto the bed.
It was partly because her physical condition had been strangely unusual these days, and partly because when she closed her eyes, memories of the time spent with Walter flooded her mind.
That night, Edith had a strange dream.
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is she preggers