~CHAPTER 74~
He froze when Esther, who he believed to be dead, returned alive as Jerena.
After receiving the Crown Prince’s order, he had helped poison Ariana’s tea and frame Esther.
Later, the Crown Prince clearly said he had taken care of her, so how could she still be alive?
Of course, Ariana said Esther and Jerena were different people, and Jerena’s personality was unlike the Esther he knew.
But their faces were just too identical, which made him unsure.
She even claimed she had lost her memory, which made him suspect even more that they were the same person.
He wondered if he should just stand by like this, and what he should do next.
‘This is…!’
Someone secretly left a note in his room.
Someone secretly left a note in his room.
“Give the guest the same thing from that time.
– N”
It was the same note he received half a year ago when Esther was driven out. The letter “N” at the bottom proved it was the same sender.
His hand trembled while holding the note.
‘So the guest really is Lady Esther?’
If so, the order was to poison Esther, who had lost her memory. Realizing this sent chills down his spine.
Back then with Ariana, he had no intention of harming her, so he added only a tiny amount of poison.
But this time, he would have to poison someone to kill them for certain.
It meant he had to commit murder.
Tormented, he tightly shut his eyes and burned the note in the candle flame.
‘I never had a choice anyway.’
If he refused, the Crown Prince wouldn’t spare him, and if Esther regained her memory and revealed the truth, it would ruin him.
He had too much to protect.
‘I’m sorry, my lady.’
Once again, he decided to betray Esther.
What he didn’t know was that the same note had been delivered to four other people besides him.
Those who didn’t understand the message shrugged it off as a prank and threw it away. That meant they had already fallen into the trap.
***
While waiting for the real culprit to make a move, I focused on what I needed to do next.
Even if I caught the culprit and forced them to admit they were ordered by the Crown Prince, I wasn’t sure how much it would help me.
Thanks to the Crown Prince’s schemes, Esther Granger had already become known throughout the social world as a deranged stalker obsessed with him.
There was a chance people would say a crazy escapee was making false accusations against the Crown Prince out of spite.
‘If he sees even a small opening, he’ll try to get rid of me immediately.’
He was definitely the kind of man who would do that. How could I prove my innocence at once?
‘Well, I can’t exactly make him play a truth game…’
Hold on.
A fragment of memory flashed through my mind, mixed with Esther’s memories.
‘The Statue of Truth!’
A royal treasure mentioned in the original story.
If someone places their hand inside the mouth of a horse-shaped statue and speaks, the hand stays intact if the words are true, but it is severed if they lie.
In the story, the Crown Prince used it to eliminate enemies who falsely accused him.
‘I can use it too!’
If the Statue of Truth verifies my words, everyone will believe me.
I could also prove that I wasn’t some obsessed woman chasing the Crown Prince.
‘The Crown Prince would never hand it over to me. Which means there’s only one person I can approach.’
The Crown Princess Royal.
I needed to win her over to access the Statue of Truth.
I immediately asked Ariana if she knew the princess. Ariana dropped her eyebrows and shook her head.
“I only stay close to His Highness the Crown Prince, so I’ve barely met Her Highness. The two don’t get along.”
After hearing what the Crown Prince had done to me, Ariana completely lost affection for him and even stopped calling him by his usual title.
Good, even her wording makes a clear line between them.
Satisfied, I frowned slightly. I needed something to help me approach the princess more easily.
While I was thinking about what might interest her, Ariana spoke up.
“Oh! But I heard Lady Feltro, the Marquis’ daughter and Her Highness’ childhood friend, has been suffering from a severe skin condition lately. It seems Her Highness is very concerned about it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Her Highness has even been personally searching for remedies.”
Oh, that was great news.
My eyes lit up at the good information Ariana just gave me. Since it was a skin disease, I could make medicine for it.
Alright, let’s do this.
The next day, Greta and I tracked down the Triunfar Trading Company building where I once met Vicky, relying on Esther’s memories.
When I told the employee at the lobby that I used to be the master of the Till Trading Company and had business to discuss, I received an unexpected response.
“I’m sorry, but we do not work with that company.”
“What? That can’t be. We traded tea leaves and aromatic oils recently.”
“That was a different trading company.”
A different company? Could it be…?
“The Jerena Company?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Since I left, it made sense that Till would rename the company. I bit my lip tightly, touched by how he kept his loyalty to me.
It made me want to clear my name and return right away.
Seeing the employee’s suspicious look, I quickly explained.
“Ah, yes, I meant the Jerena Company. I heard it was renamed recently, so I got confused.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, may I meet the company master? I really have something important to tell him.”
“I’ll check.”
After a moment, the employee returned and told me to go upstairs. Even without an appointment, Vicky agreed to meet me.
I asked Greta to wait and entered the office alone.
“Hello, Vicky.”
“I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
Vicky greeted me with a smile, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers.
“What brings you here?”
As soon as I sat on the sofa, she asked her question.
“Well, last time, you suggested I try working in pharmaceuticals.”
“Yes, I did.”
“I was wondering if I could receive help in starting a business.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her red lips curved subtly.
“Suddenly?”
“Yes. I’ve even thought about how to start.”
She motioned with her chin for me to continue.
“I heard Lady Feltro, the Marquis’ daughter, is currently suffering from a skin condition. I’d like to start by developing a treatment for her.”
Silence fell.
Vicky stared sharply at me. Then, in a lower tone, she asked:
“Is there a reason you chose her?”
Understanding that she meant a reason beyond the skin condition, I nodded.
“Actually, I heard Lady Feltro is Her Highness’ closest aide. I’d like to request something from the princess, so I want to help her friend.”
After I answered honestly and cautiously, silence descended once more.
Vicky tilted her head slightly and lowered her gaze.
She spent a long moment rubbing her chin thoughtfully, then finally looked straight at me.
“I see.”
“…Will you help me?”
“If what you ask is something I can do.”
It was a conditional acceptance, but that alone made me grateful, and I nodded right away.
“Please arrange a meeting with Lady Feltro. I need to see her exact condition to make medicine.”
“I don’t think you need me to do that.”
“No, I must go through you. I can’t reveal my identity for now.”
For now, she was the safest connection I could use.
“I don’t need any other help. Just let me meet Lady Feltro as Jerena the apothecary.”
“…”
“Is that too difficult?”
I clasped my hands tightly and looked at her with earnest hope. After a moment, she let out a faint laugh and snapped her fingers.
“Alright, I’ll do that.”
“Really? Thank you so much!”
“But remember one thing.”
Her soft voice was followed by a chilling warning.
“If you tamper with the medicine in any way, Her Highness will not stay silent.”
I struck my chest with resolve.
“I would never do that. I’ll cure her skin condition no matter what.”
“Good. Confidence suits you. I’ll contact you later.”
And the next day, Vicky contacted me.
