CHAPTER~51
“You found it?”
For the first time, Frezen Decart’s pupils wavered faintly.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, a maid entered and served me tea.
My throat was completely dry, so I hesitated for no time and immediately took a sip.
Only then did I feel refreshed, as if I could finally breathe again.
“Hoo.”
After the maid left and we were alone again in the office, I steadied my breath and continued what I had been saying earlier.
“Yes. From what I heard, they didn’t conduct any additional investigation into what poison was used in the past, correct?”
“That’s right. Aunt Artemene wrapped it up by exiling Nanny Quina.
She didn’t want the poisoning incident to become public.”
I could understand.
Losing her beloved son and daughter-in-law to illness was already unbearable, and then her grandson was poisoned to death on top of that.
If it were me, I would have wanted to conclude it quickly as well.
Especially Artemene, who wielded strong influence in high society, may have been conscious of rumors spreading.
“So the case was closed as it was, and neither the poison nor its ingredients were identified.
The culprit was caught anyway, and uncovering the truth wouldn’t bring the dead back.”
“……I see.”
“So, are you sure you really found it?
I’m not doubting you.
It’s just a little unexpected.”
At Frezen’s subtle urging, I placed the old herbal compendium I had brought onto the table instead of answering.
“To begin with, I wonder if this might be disrespectful to an already closed case.
But one thing is certain.
The culprit was someone who knew Aunt Artemene’s personality very well.”
“That was the nanny.
They were close friends.”
“That’s not something only the nanny could have guessed.
Anyone who had known her for a long time could have reached that conclusion.”
With that, I opened the page I had folded in advance.
Most of the explanations on the page were written in ancient language, making it difficult to read at a glance.
“……”
Frezen seemed the same, as he deeply furrowed his brow the moment he saw it.
“Anyway, to get to the point, this is the poison that killed your grandson.
It’s also called ‘Eosalcho.’”
“……Eosalcho?”
“People who aren’t interested in herbs, or ordinary folk, probably wouldn’t recognize it.
Eosalcho resembles the Andra fruit.
Both contain toxic properties and are inedible.
In other words, Eosalcho is a poisonous herb.”
Both Andra fruit and Eosalcho contain toxins, but decisively, Andra fruit was not classified as a poisonous or forbidden plant.
The reason was simple.
Unlike Andra fruit, whose toxins dissipate when boiled in high-temperature water, Eosalcho becomes even more toxic when placed in boiling water, causing lethal harm.
“One of Eosalcho’s most distinctive traits is that when mixed into tea or hot water, its color temporarily changes.”
“Its color changes……”
At the same time, Frezen’s lower eyelids twitched as if something had crossed his mind.
“And it has no smell whatsoever.
That’s why the likelihood of drinking it unknowingly is very high.”
Unlike before, his expression had visibly darkened.
“Then, is there evidence that Eosalcho was used, my lady?”
Expecting that question, I nodded calmly.
At that, Frezen grew even more unsettled.
However, as someone whose inner thoughts were hard to read, it was difficult to tell what he was feeling just from his expression.
“It’s thanks to Reia’s drawings.
From what I learned, she seems to have been drawing for a long time.”
I placed Reia’s drawing, which I had brought along with the old book, beside it.
“As you can see, the other drawings are bizarre but still generally understandable.
All except for one.”
“……This is.”
“Mela and I believe it depicts the moment her older brother was dying.
At the time, Reia was hiding under the bed.
What we should focus on is this.”
I pointed to the teacup in the drawing.
Amid the dark, blood-red stains around it, one vivid crimson color stood out sharply.
“There were teacups in the other drawings too, so I checked them.
Only in this one did the tea appear a vivid crimson.
Like I said earlier, Eosalcho changes color when mixed into tea.”
“Vivid crimson……”
The moment realization struck, Frezen’s face stiffened coldly.
Although we had managed to identify Eosalcho, the problem lay beyond that.
“There’s something I don’t understand.
The maids or Nanny Quina would have prepared the tea every day.
There’s no way they wouldn’t have noticed the color was different.”
“……”
If Nanny Quina truly were the culprit, then it would mean she knowingly served tea whose color had changed.
Yet something about it felt unsettling.
After all, Eosalcho was known as a ‘poisonous herb without scent,’ and many people were unaware that it changed color.
“If I may speculate, I think the person who used Eosalcho didn’t fully understand this poison.
……There were traces of Eosalcho being discarded in the glass greenhouse.
Perhaps even until recently.
I could tell because the color of the soil had changed.”
“Then it seems correct that the poison used at the time was Eosalcho, as you say.”
“Right?
But this alone doesn’t prove that Nanny Quina is innocent.”
“No.
It can.
More than enough.”
With that, Frezen stood up from his seat.
This could be evidence?
I followed him and asked.
Instead of answering, Frezen silently nodded.
His face looked as though he knew something.
For some reason, he even appeared relieved.
As I stared absentmindedly, Frezen suddenly placed his large hand atop my head and gently patted it.
“Thanks to you, I found something as well.
You did well, my Evelyn.”
“……Still, please don’t pat my head.
It feels strange.”
“Why?
What does it feel like?”
“There you go again.
You always try to tease me whenever you see me, don’t you?”
“Caught me?
I feel like doing that whenever I see you.
I keep wanting to laugh.”
“……”
Laugh?
Frezen, who didn’t seem to be joking, had been smiling the entire time.
But what exactly did he mean by saying he laughed whenever he saw me?
Did that mean I behaved that amusingly?
Well, it probably wasn’t meant in a bad way.
Thinking lightly of it, I opened my lips.
“Anyway, about that.
If this becomes evidence, wouldn’t it clear Nanny Quina of the false accusation?”
“Well.
It’s possible.
If the person involved wants it.”
“She will.
Of course she will.
If she truly isn’t the culprit, it’s unfair!
This is great.
Then, at the upcoming family banquet—”
I thought everything was proceeding smoothly, just as planned.
“About the family banquet.”
Up until I heard those words.
“We won’t be able to attend.”
* * *
“As you all know, starting next week will be the Decart family’s Night Banquet week.
It’s a meaningful occasion, much like a festival, so I hope those attending will enjoy it.”
“Waaah!”
The so-called ‘Night of Decart.’
The news of the family banquet was a hot topic even in the study hall.
The reason the children were all smiles was that the study hall would be closed for about a week during the banquet period.
“Are you siblings attending the family night banquet again this time?
I’m so jealous!
That’s amazing!”
“You’ll probably get to eat a lot of delicious food there.
How is it?
I wish I had been born a noble too.”
“Hmph, seriously.
Still, at least we get to study in a place like this!”
It was rare for the children to eagerly approach the Lazar brothers, but it seemed the family banquet was the reason.
Mela, however, didn’t join the conversation and sat alone at her desk.
“Family banquet.
If I make an impression there, could I receive private lessons?”
Thinking that, Mela unconsciously began scribbling words as she rested her chin on her hand.
Magic, swordsmanship, magic, swordsmanship……
As she repeated only specific words, an irritating voice suddenly pierced her ears from somewhere.
Turning her head indifferently, she saw that Lazar was standing beside her, though she hadn’t noticed when he arrived.
“How do you know that?”
After being quiet for days, Lazar was picking a fight as usual.
Mela stood up, asking with an expression as if she’d bitten into something rotten.
“Ugh.
T-That’s because!
You won’t receive an invitation from the Council of Elders anyway.”
Lazar instinctively flinched and covered his forehead.
It seemed the aftereffects of the previous headbutt still lingered.
“Unfortunately, you’re someone the elders haven’t acknowledged.
And neither is your mother.”
“You little—!”
Mela raised her small fist and advanced.
Despite her cute appearance, her aggressive momentum was no less than an adult’s.
“……Aah!
Anyway, that’s what I mean!”
Using his younger brother Morris as a shield, Lazar turned and ran away.
Ha, seriously, that damned brat.
Mela clenched her fist, trembling, and let out a deep sigh.
Having fists and still being unable to use them—how infuriating.
“Um……”
As she was still fuming, a timid finger lightly tapped her shoulder.
Mela sharply turned her head.
“Eek.
S-Sorry!
Please don’t headbutt me.
Morris recoiled in surprise, shrinking his shoulders.
……Big brother?
Mela replied with dead eyes.
“Is something wrong with your eyes?
Anyone can see I’m a girl.”
“Still, calling you big sister feels kind of……”
“Oh?
So you want a taste of a headbutt too?
Fine.
You should’ve said so earlier.”
“N-No!
B-Big sister!
I’ll call you big sister!”
At Morris’s swift change in attitude, Mela smiled in satisfaction.
“By the way, why are you still here?
Your brother ran off happily.”
“Well.
I had something to say.
I’m sorry about what happened last time.
I wanted to apologize.”
He’s not such a bad kid after all.
Even if he’s a bit timid.
In a better mood, Mela slapped Morris on the back and said,
“It’s fine.
A man shouldn’t dwell on things like that.
You brat!”
“Ouch.
A-And……”
Morris hesitated, dragging out his words as if unsure what to say.
When he finally spoke, Mela’s expression froze cold.
“Be careful.”
