Chapter 26
Gisela. The Empire’s greatest con artist in the Danguwon universe.
She possessed a keen eye and a silver tongue. A woman gifted at deceiving others with fake astrology.
She was also Charlotte’s most important ally in Danguwon.
Gisela had tried to repay the apothecary Charlotte, who had crafted a medicine effective for her son.
“The only reason Charlotte, a commoner, was able to enter the imperial palace and purify the crown prince was because Gisela had tricked the imperial guards.”
And later, it was Gisela who informed Charlotte that Odette was a “fake purifier.”
In her previous life, it was today, at this very location, that Gisela heard a secret from Fernand’s former nanny.
Three years ago. On the day the Count’s household slaughtered all the servants to silence them, the nanny had barely escaped by evading the soldiers.
The sole survivor, the nanny had lived as a vagrant after fleeing.
Fearing the Count’s family would hunt her down and kill her, she had hidden the fact that she had ever worked for them.
But once—just once—she had let her story slip, as if lamenting the tragic turn her life had taken.
To an astrologer she met on the first day of the founding festival, in the Red Globoznik District.
“It’s true! I only said it that once, I swear! I only told Gisela, that fake astrologer, that you’re not a real purifier!”
“……”
“What’s with that look?! Are you judging me?! I was drunk off my face—what was I supposed to do, huh?! I don’t even have a tongue to hold back with! And I did tell you Madam Becker’s secret in return! So hand over the bread you brought. Can’t you feel pity for a dying woman?”
That nanny, by now, would be passed out drunk on the roadside instead of meeting Gisela.
Clutching the silver coin she was originally meant to pay Gisela with.
“She probably won’t ever wake up again.”
After all, this was the Red Globoznik District—the most dangerous area in the Empire—and she was carrying silver.
Odette, watching the scenery from the carriage window, closed the curtain and turned to the anxious Gisela.
“You’re much better now that you’ve stopped trembling. Looks like you’re finally ready to talk?”
Gisela’s eyes filled with resentment at that remark.
“You investigated me, didn’t you? You waited here targeting me, didn’t you?”
“I’ll say it again—change your apothecary. He’s making your son worse.”
“Please answer my question first.”
“If it had been worth answering, I would’ve answered already.”
Gisela closed her eyes briefly, then calmly organized her thoughts.
“You know I’m not really an astrologer, that I’m a con artist. You know my name, that I have only one son and no other family…”
“……”
“I live hand-to-mouth every day… and you, acting like a noble, wouldn’t target someone like me unless it was deliberate… The whole setup was too precise…”
Gisela calmly processed everything, and finally reached the right conclusion.
“You’ve come to recruit me.”
“You’re useful.”
“You’re also short on time. The fact that you chose to exploit my son instead of persuading me means you don’t have time to waste.”
As expected of Gisela—her situational judgment was excellent.
“Of course, even if I had more time, I wouldn’t have used a gentle approach anyway.”
Convincing someone as eloquent as Gisela with words alone was impossible.
“What did you mean about the apothecary making my son sicker?”
Odette smiled faintly, as if she’d finally been asked a question worth answering.
“Your son is coughing up blood not because of a disease, but because of an outdated herb the apothecary uses.”
“Oh my god…”
“If you want proper compensation, you’re better off blackmailing the apothecary than reporting him. Take this, first.”
Odette handed her a vial containing small round pills.
“Heart medicine from Albrecht Pharmaceuticals.”
“This is…”
“You recognize the blue label, don’t you? It’s only sold to nobles. No matter how much money you have, you’d never be able to buy something this good.”
In the world of this game, there existed a rare condition where the heart would gradually shrink. Once diagnosed, the patient had to take medication for life to survive. And Gisela’s son had that condition.
“But if you follow my instructions, I’ll supply this medicine regularly.”
At those words, Gisela’s hands began to tremble. She was holding a medicine she never even dreamed of acquiring.
“What… what do I have to do?”
“It’s not difficult. Just keep pretending to be an astrologer and deceive one specific person properly.”
Still holding the pills, Gisela burst into tears and nodded. It was a medicine that could bring her son’s life back to normal. If she could give him this medicine regularly, Gisela was willing to give up her own life.
“I’ll also prepare a small sunlit house for you and your son. I’ll hire a personal physician. It’ll be the perfect place for caring for him.”
Through her tears, Gisela kept muttering, “Thank you, God. Thank you…”
Living in a neighborhood plagued with crime, trying to keep her sick son alive—how difficult must that have been?
To Gisela, who had to rely on scams to survive, Odette was nothing short of a lifeline.
“The store and the house will be ready in a few days. I’ll send word when everything’s set. If you accept this deal, listen closely to what I’m about to say. First, you’ll need a solid reputation as a real astrologer.”
Odette handed her a stack of papers. It was filled with dates and details—like a prophetic record.
“Everything on this list will happen on the dates written. Gain some fame with it. I’ll send a contact to the house shortly, and you’ll report to me by letter.”
“Who is the person I have to deceive?”
“The last page.”
At that, Gisela flipped to the final page. A detailed portrait drawn with remarkable skill was revealed.
Height, facial scars, moles, hair color—even the impression and features were carefully listed.
“Paula, a maid of House Albrecht.”
Albrecht Pharmaceuticals. A maid from House Albrecht.
Gisela flinched at those words. She must have guessed something about Odette’s identity hiding in the shadows—because she gulped, visibly frightened.
Even so, she didn’t ask Odette who she truly was. Gisela would likely continue pretending she didn’t know.
She asked a few more questions after that.
For someone as tight-lipped as her, she would be the perfect chess piece. Odette opened up to her, ready to use her to bring down her mother.
As promised, Gisela was dropped off at the same spot she had boarded the carriage. She thanked Odette countless times before leaving. It was clear how deeply she appreciated the opportunity she had been given.
A sunlit house, top-quality medicine to save her son, a shop to work in. Gisela had been given a new life.
“The medicine Charlotte made for Gisela’s son in my previous life probably wasn’t this effective.”
Charlotte’s skills were exceptional, but even so, they couldn’t compare to the medicine developed over years by hundreds of palace apothecaries.
“I have to give my people a far better reward than Charlotte ever did.”
Odette had none of the heroine’s kindness or charm. So she would win with her name and her wealth.
With the meeting with Gisela done, all that was left was to return to the mansion.
The coachman, saying the horse was exhausted from their earlier sprint, stepped aside to take a smoke break and let the horse rest.
Once he returned, Odette would take the same hired carriage back home.
She opened her locket to check the time.
“He’s taking quite a while. The horse should be rested by now…”
Just then, someone banged loudly on the carriage door.
Thump, thump, thump.
