WARDV 61

CHAPTER 61

A threatening aura of mana began to ripple around Idris.

At that moment, Deon’s subordinates flinched instinctively.

“Let him go.”

Deon’s command came from inside the office.

His men swallowed nervously and stepped back as Idris, now devoid of his cold smile, walked past them and disappeared down the corridor.

Step, step…

As the sound of footsteps faded into the distance, Deon’s face—until now perfectly composed—suddenly twisted with frustration.

‘This is going to be a problem.’

Now that Idris had caught on, it would be difficult to proceed with any new plans for the time being.

At least until he could divert Idris’s attention elsewhere.

‘I need to find another way.’

Tap. Tap. Tap…

The sound of fingers tapping on the armrest of his chair echoed in the office for a long while.

A few days later.

“My lady! A-an invitation from the Imperial Palace has arrived!”

Erin burst into the room, out of breath, waving a luxurious envelope in one hand.

‘Hm. It’s finally here.’

It was an invitation to the Empress’s tea party.

On the day the Empress had summoned me to the palace, she had shared her plan.

“Once Lady Leticia is ready, I’m thinking of hosting a spring tea party.”

It was an annual tradition for the Empress to invite noblewomen of the empire to a spring tea party.

Just as the men would hold a hunting competition to foster camaraderie, the women would gather to strengthen their bonds and discuss the future of the empire.

But since the Empress’s health had weakened after giving birth to Rudian—and the former Empress Dowager, who had taken over hosting duties, had passed away—the event hadn’t been held for two years.

And now, the Empress herself had decided to revive the tradition.

“Are you sure it’s alright? Considering Your Majesty’s health… and the social climate still being a bit unstable.”

“This is not just for you, Lady Leticia. It’s also for Rudian.”

Her determination was firm.

She believed that Rudian had been put in danger at the Founding Festival because his protective influence was too weak.

And so, I didn’t try to stop her.

‘Besides… I personally hope someone with such wise leadership qualities gains more recognition.’

Having heard her plan, I told her not to delay and to send the tea party invitations soon.

“Have you already gathered evidence for Lady Elise and the Duke’s scandal?”

“Not yet. But it won’t take long.”

After all, I already knew Elise’s entire plan.

Tea party invitations were typically sent out two weeks in advance to ensure high attendance.

‘Elise has to act before her belly starts to show, so she won’t be able to stall for much longer.’

Two weeks would be more than enough time for Elise to make her move.

And so, on the night before the tea party—

I moved according to plan.

By the time dusk had settled over the city, I had arrived with Wig at a shabby shop tucked into a back alley of the capital.

‘…Is this place even open?’

For a moment, I had doubts. But just then, I saw a faint light leaking from within.

“This is the place, right?”

“Yes, no doubt about it!”

Wig nodded without hesitation and opened the door.

Satisfied, I pulled my hood lower and stepped inside.

Inside the shop, various weapons were on display—bows, daggers, longswords.

Past the shelves, we approached the counter where two men stood, both in black robes with hoods drawn low over their faces.

“Welcome, customer. What kind of item are you looking for?”

Outwardly, it looked like a shop selling hunting weapons.

But that wasn’t what they were truly selling.

“I’m looking to buy something… not available to the general public.”

At my words, Wig placed a pouch of gold coins on the counter.

Thunk—

The heavy sound echoed as one of the men stared at the pouch, then turned to fetch a velvet box.

Inside was a small, jewel-encrusted dagger—clearly meant for self-defense.

But I shook my head.

I gave Wig a small nod, and he placed two more gold pouches on the counter.

“Still not enough?”

“…”

After exchanging a glance, one of the men finally asked the question I had been waiting for.

“What kind of animal are you planning to hunt?”

“Deer.”

The “animal” referred to the strength of the poison.

“Do you want something that kills instantly, or something that causes a slow death?”

“I’d prefer something that causes death gradually but has immediate effects.”

The method of death indicated the type of poison.

That’s right. What they truly sold here… was poison.

Because poison was so dangerous, it could only be distributed by licensed merchants authorized by the state.

But in these lawless back alleys, illegal distribution still thrived.

And in my previous life, Elise had purchased poison from this very shop.

‘Of course… she must’ve done the same thing in this life too.’

As if to confirm my suspicion, one of the men snickered and turned to look for the poison.

“You’re in luck, customer. We just happen to have one left—”

At that moment, I cut in.

“Just as I thought. You really do sell that kind of product here.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m not here to buy that item. I’m here for the receipt of the person who purchased it recently.”

I smiled and gestured to the pouches of gold in front of me.

“What do you say? How much for it?”

The men, caught off guard, exchanged wary glances and said nothing.

Few people even knew this place existed—and now someone was here, just days later, asking for a previous customer’s receipt?

No wonder they were suspicious.

Still, their reaction told me everything I needed.

Elise had been here.

‘How is she following the exact same path, without a single misstep…?’

The fact that Elise was repeating everything from her past life left me more exasperated than surprised.

Not that I had any remaining expectations of her—but at this point, even the faintest trace of faith in humanity had vanished.

“Give me her receipt. I’ll pay double the amount I just offered.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the men finally responded.

“…We’re sorry. But we never sell our customers’ information. No matter what.”

“Triple.”

“…”

“Still not enough? Then how about five times the amount?”

It was an outrageous sum, yet the men didn’t so much as flinch.

Their commitment to customer confidentiality was… almost admirable.

‘So… you’re running an illegal business, but customer trust is your top priority?’

Then again, if they had been leaking customer information all this time, they wouldn’t have lasted this long.

They would’ve been rooted out and crushed long ago.

‘I really thought money would be enough… This is a problem.’

Without proof that Elise had purchased poison, I wouldn’t be able to expose her when she staged her fake “accident.”

Even after tracking down this secret shop, I’d hit a wall.

‘What now…?’

I bit my lip, frustrated.

Wig, standing beside me, seemed to sense my distress.

I lightly tapped his arm and said,

“Let’s go for now.”

“Take care, customer.”

Wig followed closely behind as I turned to leave.

But the moment we stepped outside, he asked urgently,

“You’re not giving up, are you?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Then what’s the plan?”

At that moment, my eyes caught the tarp covering one side of the carriage.

I had draped it there to hide the Del Lua crest—didn’t want to visit an illegal shop with my family’s seal on display.

And just like that… an idea popped into my head.

Smiling triumphantly, I said,

“If money won’t work—then it’s time to try something else.”