Chapter 37
The next day.
Lia prepared to meet the marquis’s daughter. As she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she frowned.
‘Right… it’s an allergy.’
She understood it, but it was still unpleasant to look at.
Her appearance was naturally striking, so it didn’t look terrible, but it wasn’t something she could show openly.
The swelling on her lips had gone down somewhat, but they were still puffy, and small red spots had popped up all over her face like hives.
Noticing Lia’s mood, her personal maid, Laila, cautiously brought over a veil.
“Ah, thank you.”
Lia expressed her gratitude and put on the veil. It was uncomfortable to have something covering her face, but there was no other choice.
After roughly finishing her preparations, Lia headed straight for the place where the marquis’s daughter was confined.
Kartian had suggested she leave it to him and rest, saying her body hadn’t fully recovered, but Lia refused.
She wasn’t in such bad shape, and she wanted to check for herself.
Judging from Kartian’s condition, she didn’t think he could conduct an objective investigation.
“Hmm?”
Opening the door, Lia was surprised to see Baron.
“The Emperor entrusted me with your protection,” he explained.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be Tian’s duty?”
“The Emperor said that Your Highness is more important than himself, so he ordered me to protect you.”
“I see.”
Having someone following her around was annoying, but Lia nodded briefly, not wanting to argue over it.
Baron quietly followed behind her.
When they arrived at the marquis’s daughter’s confinement, Lia opened the door, receiving the knights’ salutations as she entered.
Even in just a single day, the marquis’s daughter looked completely haggard. It was hard to believe someone could change that much in one day.
“Mama!”
Seeing Lia, the marquis’s daughter called out in a panic.
“This is the Empress. Properly greet her,” Baron instructed.
“Oh… my apologies. I pay my respects to the flower of the Empire, Your Majesty, the Empress,” she said, realizing her rudeness and bowing hastily.
Lia quietly observed her behavior.
Whether it was acting or not, there was genuine concern on her face for Lia.
“You know what happened, I presume,” Lia said directly, skipping any preamble.
“…Yes,” the marquis’s daughter replied, bowing her head quietly, as if apologizing.
“The problem seems to have come from the cookies you brought,” Lia continued.
“B-But I…!”
The marquis’s daughter’s expression was one of genuine innocence, as if to say she truly hadn’t known.
“Well, we’ll see whether you truly didn’t know once the investigation is complete.”
“…Yes,” she responded quietly to Lia’s cold words.
“Do you know what ingredients were in the cookies?”
“Well… I only asked someone to make them for me,” she said, shaking her head as if she had no knowledge of it.
‘Tch.’
Lia clicked her tongue.
If any cookies remained, she could check them, but since they were all eaten, the only way to know what had been in them was to ask the person who made them. The chef of the marquis’s household would have to be brought in.
Giving that order, Lia quietly observed the marquis’s daughter’s reaction.
Even the most perfect liar could not completely hide everything.
A single glance, a single action—traces of deception would inevitably show.
The marquis’s household chef, summoned with the Emperor’s seal, hurried to the palace, leaving all else behind.
The chef answered Lia’s questions thoroughly, but even so, Lia still couldn’t determine exactly what the problem was.
She didn’t expect that simply learning the ingredients would tell her which one she was allergic to.
Later, the royal knights visited the marquis’s household and thoroughly searched the kitchen.
Yet there was no result.
Lia even asked the palace maids, the chefs, and the staff of the duke’s household if anyone knew about her allergy, but no one did.
It seemed impossible, but the situation was clear.
Unless she had given prior notice, no one could have known.
The conclusion was inevitable.
The marquis’s daughter couldn’t have known about Lia’s allergy, so she had prepared the cookies without ill intent.
Fortunately, it was concluded that her actions were unintentional, not deliberate.
However, that didn’t mean she could be let off without any punishment.
Kartian had insisted that anyone who harmed the Empress, regardless of reason, must be severely punished, but Lia refused.
As a result, Lia and Kartian had a minor argument.
For most matters, Kartian would follow Lia’s wishes, but this time, he could not.
The punishment decided was one year of house arrest and a demotion in rank. The marquis’s daughter of Slarontien could no longer hold her noble status.
She retained the marquis surname, but would be treated almost as a commoner rather than as a noble’s daughter.
At the same time, she was to serve in the palace as a maid for six months. For someone accustomed to the privileges of a noble, this was a significant punishment.
“Thank you very much.”
The marquis’s daughter accepted the humiliating punishment without complaint, grateful it wasn’t harsher.
“If it’s later revealed that you acted intentionally, this will not end so lightly,” Lia warned.
Having observed her reactions, Lia placed more weight on the daughter’s innocence. But one could never be certain.
Even with the warning, the marquis’s daughter remained unshaken, showing truly no ill intent.
