Episode 29
At Semela’s sudden demand for a divorce, Theodore’s face instantly turned pale.
He looked like he might faint at any moment.
What on earth is going on?
Laria felt like she had been hit by lightning too.
She never imagined she’d hear her parents announce a divorce during a meeting to celebrate her engagement!
For a second, she wondered if it was a joke, but Semela’s expression was icy cold.
“D-d-dear… it’s me! Your sweetheart!”
Theodore grabbed Semela while crying uncontrollably.
But Semela shook his hands off sharply, as if disgusted.
“Don’t touch me. You make me sick.”
Theodore froze, shocked.
Semela had never treated him so coldly before.
Unable to control his emotions, fox ears suddenly popped out from Theodore’s head.
Without realizing his tail had also appeared, he began sobbing even harder.
Herdin, who was standing there with his mouth open like Laria, quickly grabbed Theodore and shook him.
“Where’s the antidote?”
But Theodore didn’t seem to hear him.
“My wife… hates me now…”
“Father, snap out of it!”
Laria, watching the chaos, turned to Herdin.
“Antidote? What are you talking about?”
Herdin’s face stiffened awkwardly.
From his expression, Laria guessed there was something only the three of them knew.
It couldn’t be poison — Semela was from the snake tribe and could neutralize most toxins herself.
Then…
“Don’t tell me… Mother took some kind of magic potion?”
Herdin sighed and glanced at Zenox.
“I’m sorry, but could you step out for a moment?”
Zenox didn’t answer immediately.
He stared at Herdin for a moment — the atmosphere growing tense — then stood up.
“I’ll wait outside.”
Herdin called a servant to lead Zenox to another room.
Now, only Semela, Theodore, and the siblings were left in the sitting room.
Looking exhausted, Herdin pressed his fingers against his forehead.
Even after Zenox left, he stayed silent, so Laria crossed her arms.
“Mother wouldn’t suddenly decide to divorce Father.”
Just yesterday, she’d seen them clinging to each other.
She’d even seen her mother pinch her father’s cheek and call him her cute little fox. And now she wanted a divorce?
“What kind of potion was it?”
Seeing that Laria clearly already knew, Herdin exhaled.
Rather than take the blame himself, he decided to put it on their parents.
“A potion that makes you hate the one you love.”
Laria was so speechless she could barely react.
“Why would you…”
She suddenly remembered something suspicious from earlier.
Semela had offered Zenox some cookies — and after eating them, he had started acting strangely.
“Don’t tell me you put the potion in the cookies?”
Herdin avoided her gaze.
That was enough for Laria to figure it out.
“Are you insane?”
“Father said it’s harmless to your health.”
From his tone, it was like he was saying, At least it’s not poison.
Laria felt the urge to grab him by the collar and shake him.
No wonder they didn’t approve of Zenox but hadn’t told her to break up with him — they planned to use the potion to make him leave her instead.
She had even been touched, thinking they respected her choice…
Looking at Herdin with betrayal in her eyes, she saw him quickly defend himself.
“It was Mother’s idea! Father made the potion! I was just following orders — what power do I have?”
“We’ll talk about this later.”
Realizing how angry Laria was, Herdin shut his mouth.
Honestly, Laria yelling would’ve been less scary than her current tone.
“I’ll be leaving the mansion tonight, just so you know.”
With that, Semela stood up, seemingly serious about divorcing.
Laria and Herdin turned back to their parents, still in chaos.
Their father, who should be making the antidote, was too busy clinging to Semela’s skirt and crying.
At this rate, they might see divorce papers tomorrow.
“Should’ve made the antidote in advance,” Herdin muttered, running a hand through his hair.
He hadn’t expected this situation, so they didn’t have any prepared. And judging from their father’s state, he wasn’t going to make it now either.
Herdin couldn’t make it himself — though he could brew almost any cure, potions like this were different.
He had some fox blood in him, but no talent as a shaman.
Then Laria stood up.
“I know how to make the antidote.”
Laria went to find Zenox first.
“There’s a problem. You should probably go home for today.”
“If it’s not going to take too long, I’ll wait. I have something to tell you.”
Something to tell me?
She was confused for a moment, but quickly realized.
After the scene earlier, Zenox could probably guess what was going on.
Since they had secretly given him a potion, they had no excuse.
“…I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She headed for the herb garden behind the mansion.
It was quite large, filled with all kinds of plants.
The count, who ran an herbal medicine shop, would sometimes plant rare herbs he found there.
Laria often came to “borrow” some.
She picked several plants she needed for the antidote and went into her workshop.
“Lovegrass, scorpion tail, rainbow seashell…”
Laying them out on the table, she began mixing.
Luckily, she knew the recipe.
In fact, her family didn’t know she could make magic potions at all — she had tried to live as normally as possible after awakening as a shaman.
That’s why Herdin looked so shocked earlier when she said she could make the antidote.
“A potion that makes you hate the one you love…”
Her family probably thought it didn’t work on Zenox.
But the truth was different — Zenox simply didn’t love her.
Their relationship was only pretend for several reasons; there was no love to erase.
Of course the potion had no effect.
It was obvious… so why did she feel disappointed?
Zenox had truly liked her when she was “Hayan.”
But his affection for Hayan didn’t reach Laria.
To him, they were completely different people.
And she was the one who hadn’t gone back to him after leaving the mansion.
There was no reason to feel like this.
I guess I liked him more than I thought.
After half a year together, it was natural to grow attached — though not in a romantic way.
Pushing the thought away, Laria added the last ingredients and chanted a spell.
Potions that affected emotions always required a spell, and often expensive gems.
She sacrificed a ruby she had been saving and split the antidote into two bottles.
Even though the potion hadn’t worked on Zenox, she decided to give him some, just in case.
She also took a bottle of a different potion — one that gave pleasant dreams — which she had made for him earlier but never given.
Laria left the workshop and gave the antidote to Semela.
It was like Semela woke up from a trance; she blinked at Theodore, who looked exhausted from crying.
“Dear?”
She seemed surprised to see him in that state, but quickly soothed him.
“My cute little fox. Did I scare you by asking for a divorce?”
“Huuuuh…”
Theodore burst into fresh tears, hugging her tightly.
Leaving the two of them acting like reunited lovers after ten years, Laria stepped out.
The immediate crisis was over — now it was time to talk to Zenox.
I’ll apologize first.
Even though she hadn’t taken part, it was her family’s doing, so she should ask for forgiveness.
Later, she would make her family apologize to him too.
Walking quickly, she entered another sitting room where Zenox should be waiting.
But instead of Zenox…
A small black-furred wolf pup was sitting there.
“I believe we have a bit of a problem,” it said — speaking out loud!
