It was for a simple reason. In order to survive, I once entered my mother’s room and secretly stole it to use for another person in case of danger. I didn’t expect to get it out now. I’ve never made or seen an antidote, but I knew how to make an antidote for this poison.
At that time, I memorized it forcibly to learn how to save my mother, but I didn’t expect it would be useful like this. Even at that time, I didn’t know this was the production method used by special blood Rohana. I thought they were just like other poisons.
Perhaps I wouldn’t have realized that if I hadn’t met Gabina through Shale. Because I wouldn’t know about Rohana.
Plus, it was the ointment that saved Valery. In fact, it was given to me by my mother, so it was safe to say that my mother made it.
“Ian.”
I put one of the teleportation stones Blake Ariandel had given me earlier into his hand.
“Go, now.”
“Milady.”
“Brother had done everything. The price for saving your life is paid back as of today.”
Ian refused and shook off my hand that was holding his hand. “Don’t talk nonsense.”
I grabbed his hand again and made him hold the teleportation stone and a small key that I had prepared when I was abroad to give it to him when I needed it someday.
“Go to Langrielo with this. Remember where we live for a while? Go to the bakery where Nina and I often went to contact Iskar back then. It’s not a lot, but I’ve roughly saved some, so it should be enough for an emergency fund. Even if the owner used harsh words, he is not a person who won’t keep his promise.”
“Don’t keep saying nonsense…!”
I interrupted Ian, who spoke with an expression of disbelief, then added calmly. “And go to the farthest you can go without risking your life as much as possible. It’s easy to obtain identity, right? I can’t take responsibility for that. I’m sorry, but I didn’t prepare everything. If I had known it would be like this, I should have started the business as Juri said. But I’m in a hurry.”
Ian looked down at the hand I was holding and was about to return the teleportation stone again.
“I will go to the Imperial Palace. Milady, stay safe yourself. If I tell them everything, then you will find your freedom. Hide yourself until then.”
I sighed deeply at his stubbornness. “Brother will die if you go there.”
“I know. I didn’t even think I’d live long anyway. I was supposed to be dead back then.” Ian spoke as if he had already foreseen and planned it.
I looked at him with an absurd face. “Aren’t you becoming more like Shale? What bullshit you’re talking about? Why don’t you live long when I already saved you? Since I already saved Brother, I’m your owner, so do as I say.”
“I don’t want to.”
We argued for quite some time. I couldn’t speak loudly, but no one thought about losing. I began to persuade him again.
“I was asked by the empress. I’m not gonna die right now. For once, let me do what I want to do. I’ve lived all my life listening to my mother’s orders.”
“…”
“So let me do everything I want to do. I don’t have anyone to ask now. I even broke up with my one and only lover today,” I said it to brighten the atmosphere, but I almost choked when I brought it up. Valery’s face came to my mind for no reason.
I chewed my lips and held them to Ian. “Do as I say. Got it?”
It wasn’t until a long time later that Ian accepted my request. He didn’t say anything but didn’t give it back to me anymore. Feeling a bit more at ease, I asked him one last favor.
“I’ve already done enough for Shale, and I don’t seem to owe Juri that much.”
“Milady, please.”
“I feel sorry because I couldn’t keep my promise with Blake Ariandel, but I can do that later.”
“…”
“She didn’t seem to have a comfortable life like me. I’m Brother’s owner, so I’m sure Brother will take care of that much, right?”
Ian’s face twisted as I continued to block his words. Then I smiled brightly at him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t do anything for Brother after ordering you the most. Even Brother saved my life twice.”
Pretending to have no regrets, I tapped Ian’s shoulder. Ian was trying to tell me something. I thought I knew what he was going to say, so I stopped him before he could even speak.
“I knew that Brother liked me. And I’m sure Brother knows too what my answer is. That’s probably my answer too if I hadn’t met Valery. I’m sorry for pretending not to know.”
Then, as he seemed to let out a devastated laugh, he lowered his head.
It was really time to part. In a situation where everything went wrong, shouldn’t even one person be saved? For me, it was the best thing I could do. Well… it was natural words for villainess. Where’s the cool death for villainess? I’ll be glad if I don’t get killed.
“Never get caught.”
After saying that to him, I used the teleportation stone without looking back.
It was a little later I arrived at the Imperial Palace banquet hall. As soon as I stepped on the floor inside the palace, I burst into laughter. It was really crazy for me to come on my own. Even as I thought so, my feet were heading toward the place where the empress was.
I opened the banquet hall door and was caught by the imperial guard in the hallway before taking a few steps.
* * *
“I’m the daughter of Lucellai Rudbihi. I know the antidote.”
I was kneeling in front of the empress and the imperial doctor who was treating her. To be precise, the imperial guards made me kneel.
At first, when I got caught right away, they stopped me more violently than now.
“The emperor and empress will lose their lives if they don’t drink the antidote. I know how to make the antidote. Let me see the doctor who treats the emperor and empress. And I have something to tell Her Majesty when she wakes up.”
They didn’t believe me at first. It was natural. They must have thought that they might suffer a greater disaster if they dared to bring me in front of the emperor and empress. Instead of tying me down, they hesitated. They seemed to be troubled.
After a long time, they captured me, and I had no choice but to speak on the spot about how to save the emperor and empress. But I was lucky. There I met Valery’s doctor, who treated me. He didn’t trust me and must have hated me because he found out about my identity, but for some reason, he helped me.
“Bring her with you. If she does something disrespectful, you can stop her. The urgent priority is to save the emperor and empress. What are you doing!”
Thus, I was able to meet those who were doing their best to save the emperor and empress according to my purpose without being immediately imprisoned.
“Nefiris stems, leaves, and flowers are all needed. And use the pox tree fruit and rosewood beak together. Use very strong alcohol too. The stronger, the better. To the point of burning your stomach. Juice, powder, and mix it with very strong alcohol.”
With my arms tied behind my back, messy hair, and ugly kneeling figure, I continued speaking. One doctor listened with a serious expression, while another made a puzzled face. It seemed like he was trying to figure out what kind of antidote it was.
I continued to recite it. “I don’t know if it’s one of the herbs grown in the Imperial Palace, but it’s not hard to find, so you can get it in the capital. It should be eaten within at least three days. They should drink at least 2 ounces every hour and continue drinking the same amount for over 12 hours. After that, after… that.”
I remembered it clearly, but when I brought it up in a hurry, it suddenly became cloudy. At this rate, I would be driven as a liar until the end. As time went by, there would be an after-effect even if you take antidotes. My lips began to tremble unknowingly as I became nervous.
“By any chance, are you going to talk about willow sap after that?” said the doctor who saved me.
Something I had forgotten about came to my mind. “That’s right! They should continue to eat it, thinking it will be the poison away from their body. If you do that way… they will recover without a problem. But how did you know about it?”
I don’t think anyone knows this.
“When I was a student, I saw someone using a similar recipe. I don’t know the exact recipe, but I thought of using it like that for special-blood medicines.”
“…Thank you.”
He stared at me. I didn’t know what he thought because his face had no expression. At least he didn’t seem to hate me.
I was put in jail after that. It was something I expected.
