“You still have nothing to say today.”
Tania felt a cold sweat running down her back at Rebecca’s elegant voice. She bit her lip hard, cursing inwardly. Damn it…
Since the day she first reported to Rebecca and received sapphire earrings, Tania had tried to find significant weaknesses in Diana, but to no avail. Diana was clearly a gentle person. However, whenever Tania tried to pry something out, Diana would deflect with an incredibly kind demeanor. Whether this was intentional or not due to her innocent face was unclear. What mattered was that Tania had not achieved any results. Now, it was not about expecting rewards but about the fear of being abandoned by Rebecca if she failed to prove her usefulness.
Rebecca, leaning back in her chair, tapped her lips with her fingertips, lost in thought. If she tried so hard to find a weakness and came up with nothing, it means there is nothing particularly dangerous.
Tania might be foolish, but her persistence was noteworthy. Given that Tania had been monitoring closely for two weeks without detecting anything unusual, it was likely that Diana Sudsfield was innocent.
It might be time to cut her off…
Rebecca looked coldly at Tania’s bowed head. But then, as if nothing had happened, she drew a sweet smile and stood up. There were plenty of people in the imperial palace who could monitor Diana Sudsfield after Tania was gone. It was time to dispose of the now useless tool.
Rebecca, standing before Tania, gently patted her shoulder and whispered, “Don’t worry. I have no intention of blaming you.”
“…!” Tania looked up in surprise at the unexpected mercy.
Rebecca smiled, watching her face soften in relief. “The third princess consort probably needs time to open up to strangers in a strange place. Didn’t you say she likes sweet things?”
“Yes, yes…”
“Then how about offering her some precious tea that suits her taste?”
“…Ah! I happen to have something suitable!” At Rebecca’s suggestion, Tania’s face lit up with an idea.
Rebecca thought how rare it was for someone’s thoughts to be so transparent and patted her hair kindly. It was a behavior that was exactly similar to what an owner would do to their pet.
* * *
Early in the morning, before the servants arrived, Diana summoned her spirits. Sitting on the bed, she called out to the spirits lined up before her.
“Hillasa.”
Beep!
“Muf.”
Meow.
“Yuro.”
<How long are you going to keep doing this useless task? Woof.>
The low, mid, and high-level dark spirits responded in turn to Diana’s solemn call. Of course, Yuro, the black wolf, responded disrespectfully as usual.
Diana tilted her chin slightly, trying to look imposing, and began to speak. “Alright. Today is really the last of the last of the last chances. You guys really have no connection to the mutated monster?”
<How many times do we have to say it’s the last of the last of the last answer? We don’t know anything.>
Yuro growled quietly, apparently tired of the questioning. Hillasa and Muf couldn’t convey thoughts in human speech like Yuro but seemed to share the same sentiment, with Hillasa flicking its tail impatiently and Muf sprawling on the floor.
Diana, still hesitant to give up, stared at the spirits intently before finally sighing and relaxing her eyes. Well, I guess they really don’t know anything…
The dark attribute spirit energy she felt when dealing with the mutated monster had bothered her. So she had secretly summoned her spirits to ask about it upon returning to the palace. But Diana’s spirits were all young, less than a hundred years old. Moreover, they could only be manifested in the world through Diana, so the chance of them being connected to the mutated monster was extremely low.
Was it just an ominous feeling?
After repeatedly summoning and questioning the spirits for days, Diana finally gave up. Just as she dismissed the spirits with a sigh, there was a knock at the door.
“Your Highness, it’s Tania Hamilton. May I come in?”
“Come in,” Diana replied calmly.
With her permission, the maids entered the room. The routine was the same as usual. The maids chatted while attending her bath, and Diana skillfully avoided their questions with an innocent face.
After the bath, as Diana’s hair was being dried, Tania cautiously began. “That, Your Highness, I recently acquired a tea known for its health benefits in the East. Would you like to try a cup?”
Diana tilted her head at the unexpected mention of ‘health.’
“Health?”
“Yes. It’s important to take care of your health at this time…” Tania’s cheeks reddened slightly as she trailed off.
Realizing the ‘health’ she referred to was for the couple’s benefit, Diana awkwardly smiled. But she couldn’t show her discomfort in front of Rebecca’s maids, so she nodded, pretending to be embarrassed. “Thank you for being considerate.”
“It’s my duty as your maid to take care of you.” Tania smiled warmly, almost convincingly sincere.
After Diana’s preparations were complete, Tania brought tea leaves and a tea set into the sitting room. Placing the tray on the table, she explained proudly.
“This is Sella flower tea. It’s something hard to get.”
“My goodness, such a rare thing!”
“I’ve heard of it, but this is my first time seeing it.”
The other two maids exclaimed and praised Tania. Diana, however, recognized the familiar tea leaves and subtly raised an eyebrow.
Sella flower tea? She remembered this tea because Rebecca often used it as a warning.
“There’s no danger in just drinking the tea. But if you add a certain amount of sugar, it will cause mild paralysis.”
Before her regression, Diana had been curious about the rare tea, and Rebecca had explained it to her with a smile, cautioning her to be careful since she liked sweet things.
So it’s today. She knew instinctively. Today was the day Rebecca had decided to get rid of Tania and her group. Despite the thoughts running through her mind, Diana maintained a composed exterior.
Meanwhile, Tania brewed the tea and added sugar to Diana’s cup with practiced ease. The white sugar dissolved smoothly into the light brown tea. “They say you should drink it without sugar to appreciate its true flavor, but since Your Highness likes sweet things… Is this amount okay?”
“…Yes.” Diana calmly answered and took the handle of the teacup. The tea would cause mild paralysis, nothing more. It wasn’t meant to be lethal, and only Rebecca and her close associates knew its true effects. Hesitating would be problematic if Rebecca heard about it.
Diana carefully lifted the teacup and took a few sips. The fragrant tea aroma filled her nose, belying its paralyzing nature.
Tania, eyes filled with anticipation, asked, “How is it?”
“Just right.”
“Of course! Now, even with my eyes closed, I can tell Your Highness’s preference…” Tania babbled, wanting to be acknowledged for her effort.
Clang— Suddenly, the teacup Diana was holding fell to the floor with a sharp noise.
“…Huh?”
Tania’s face turned pale in an instant. As she opened her mouth, Diana, clutching her neck with a pained expression, collapsed sideways.
