Chapter 26
What is happening right now?
I was genuinely bewildered. At that very moment, there was a knock on the door. I froze in place, completely unprepared for this situation.
“…I’ll hide under the bed, Lady Erika.”
Didier whispered to me in the faintest voice possible.
Yes, Didier was whispering to me.
Phew…
Exactly.
Didier was in my room right now. Didier, who was supposed to be at the Hydra caravan.
And on top of that…
“I didn’t get a chance to speak with my son’s bride.”
That was what Beyran, head of House Regulus, had suddenly said.
I swallowed hard.
Didier must absolutely not be discovered here, and Beyran had shown up out of nowhere.
In other words…
‘…Everything is over.’
Not a single day passes without something going wrong…
* * *
To explain everything, we have to go back to the morning.
When I was briefing the three Owls on the tasks they had to carry out.
“So your name is Lu?”
“…Yes.”
“Aha!”
“Yes.”
“…A truly unique name.”
I leaned against the desk and observed them.
Lu, who flapped her arms excitedly whenever she smiled.
La, who I couldn’t tell whether she was lazy or just slow.
And Li, who stood perfectly straight in the middle.
They looked exactly alike, but their personalities were completely different. Their gestures, the way they spoke… I had noticed all of it in a short time.
I placed a hand on my forehead and sighed. I had to explain the mission to these three sisters.
“Which of you is the best at fieldwork?”
“Um… Lu! I’m the best at work!”
“…Don’t lie, Lu. You always rush things.”
“No, no! I’m really good!”
“Enough. Lady Erika, I’m the best at work.”
Yes… that figures.
Clearly, Li, you’re the most competent.
I swallowed the words I couldn’t say in front of them, picked up the papers on the desk, and reviewed them again. I felt three pairs of eyes following me intently, but I pretended not to care and spoke while reading.
“Li.”
“Yes, Lady Erika.”
“You will damage the axle of Delamont’s carriage.”
If the axle is broken, only a specialist can repair it. And in the current situation, it would be difficult for Delamont to call one.
Not only is the area he’s in remote, but it’s also suffering from heavy rain.
The road there is rugged, and with the rain it turns into a muddy swamp that’s nearly impossible to cross.
Delamont may have chosen a carriage suited for the terrain, but rocks and rough ground can easily cause a breakdown.
If Li damages the axle, it won’t raise too much suspicion.
Li listened carefully, nodded, and repeated the instructions in her mind twice. Then she looked at me attentively.
“Is that all?”
“There’s one more thing. Delamont might borrow another carriage…”
I stopped speaking and frowned.
Here’s where it gets tricky.
‘If I could, eliminating Delamont would be the cleanest solution.’
That would be ideal, but it’s impossible, so things are complicated. Simply preventing him from attending the regular meeting is easy.
As I just ordered Li, damaging his means of transport would be enough.
But that would only stop him from attending the regular meeting.
At the next hunting competition, if Delamont shows up, he could overturn the board I’ve painstakingly set.
I can’t allow that.
Because…
‘…The hunting competition is the perfect opportunity.’
The perfect chance to bring Father down.
At the regular meeting, Father will react to my moves, giving me the opening to force him to step down as head of the family.
If I succeed, I’ll be able to leave the family with Didier.
‘But for that to happen, Delamont must be completely restrained.’
Not just from the regular meeting, but from any reason that might bring him here.
That’s why my mind was in turmoil.
I needed a plan that wouldn’t arouse Father’s suspicion and would make Delamont choose not to come on his own. I spent the whole night thinking and finally found the answer.
‘Delamont went to recuperate because of his health.’
He values his authority, but he puts his health first. He left everything behind and went to a place with clean air.
So, to send him back there…
‘…He has to become sick enough to return.’
The medicine Delamont takes is made from the stems of the “Arsva” plant, which is naturally poisonous.
But the stems contain a weak toxin that acts as a purifier for the body.
However, the Arsva poison reacts badly with the poison of the “Monkshood” plant.
Even in small amounts, this interaction causes a severe fever.
‘Adrian’s information comes at the perfect time…’
Adrian had told me about certain combinations that could be medicine or poison, swearing they were secret.
‘If I use this, everything will work.’
Since Delamont is naturally frail, if he falls ill on the way here, he’ll return to his recuperation spot without raising Father’s suspicion. And recovering enough for a week-long carriage journey will take a very long time.
There’s no better solution.
I organized my thoughts, pulled a letter from the drawer, and handed it to Lu.
The previous night, I had written a letter to Adrian with instructions regarding Monkshood poison.
Lu caught the letter with eyes full of curiosity, urging me to answer.
“Lu, all you have to do is deliver this letter to the head of the Hydra caravan. He’ll give you the medicine.”
“Got it! The medicine!”
“Take it to Li.”
“So… we give it to Delamont?”
I nodded slowly instead of answering. Seeing that, Lu seriously tucked the letter into her bosom. La, who had been silent, spoke up.
“…And me, what do I do?”
“La, when Lu brings the medicine, help Li administer it to Delamont without being noticed.”
“…That’s all?”
“You’ll go with Li. Be the lookout.”
“Alright, that’s easy. I’m good at watching.”
La answered slowly, clearly satisfied as she blinked. I quietly clapped my hands to get their attention. Three pairs of eyes turned to me.
“Go now. But never get caught.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Lu answered enthusiastically, then the three vanished from my sight. Not literally—they simply erased their presence in an instant.
I looked at the spot where they had been, then sat down in the chair and stretched.
“I barely slept and have been working since dawn. I’m exhausted…”
Even with my physical fitness, the sheer number of things requiring focus had worn me out. I didn’t have much left today, so I would relax in the bath this evening.
I breathed slowly and stood up. There were still tasks left unfinished.
After peacefully completing the last schedule, I was returning to my room. I spoke to Mary, who was following me.
“Mary, prepare the bath for me.”
“Right away, my lady!”
Mary nodded and headed confidently toward the storage room. Watching her back, I slowly smiled and opened the door to my room.
“…Hmm?”
Then closed it again.
“…Am I seeing things?”
I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I rubbed them hard, counted my fingers, then opened the door once more. But the situation was unchanged.
I closed the door and stood in front of it, blinking.
“…Why?”
Why are you, Didier, in my room?
What is this… how…?
