WARDV 65

CHAPTER 65

“W-What do you think you’re doing…?!”

Elise, finally snapping out of her daze, grabbed Leticia’s hand.

But Leticia shook her off and tightened her grip on Elise’s collar.

“You’ve gone so far as to poison an innocent person now?”

“Kugh…”

“How far are you planning to fall?”

“……”

“Just how much more… do I have to hate you?”

“Let go of me!”

Pressed by Leticia’s overwhelming fury, Elise finally came to her senses and slapped her hand away.

Then, as if she had never faltered, she lashed out sharply.

“Are you seriously accusing me of poisoning Lady Lewen’s tea?”

“That’s right. You’ve always wanted to drag me down.”

“Ha! Madam, you’ve been delusional for quite some time, haven’t you?”

“Delusional…?”

“Me, trying to harm Lady Lewen? And why would I even do such a thing? What reason would I have?!”

“……”

“You’ve always been like this.”

Tears welled in Elise’s eyes as she continued emotionally.

“Always looking at me with disapproval… In the end, the distance between you and the Duke was because of your own obsession and delusions, not because of me.”

At that, the young noblewomen who had been watching with a mix of curiosity and concern began whispering.

“Then does that mean Lady Elise and the Duke of Farnese really have nothing going on?”

“I’m not sure… But at the very least, it doesn’t seem like Elise is the one who tried to harm Lady Lewen. I mean, Leticia had the antidote ready…”

Everyone was suspicious of the antidote Leticia had used.

Sensing this shift in mood, Elise seized the moment and turned the accusation back on Leticia.

“How did you know something like this would happen and conveniently have an antidote?”

Her eyes gleamed sharply with triumph.

It was the look of someone who believed the tide had turned in their favor.

Leticia bit the inside of her cheek hard.

Just as she feared, the fact that she had an antidote was now working against her.

‘But I can’t just start talking about past lives or time loops.’

Still, she had no intention of backing down quietly.

Leticia calmed her heated emotions and replied coolly.

“Because I suspected you would pull something like this. I didn’t think you’d go so far as to use your friend as a scapegoat, though.”

“That’s your delusion again, isn’t it?”

“You told me yourself—about lying to Feydan, saying you were pregnant when you weren’t.”

At that, Elise’s eyes flickered briefly.

She clearly hadn’t expected Leticia to bring up the pregnancy.

“You couldn’t give birth to a child that never existed, so you had to get rid of it. Even if it meant using poison.”

“……”

“That’s why I carried an antidote—just in case. Because I got intel that you had purchased poison.”

But Elise quickly composed herself and let out a loud, mocking laugh—almost as if to make sure everyone heard.

“I’ve thought this for a long time, but madam, your imagination is truly unhinged.”

“……”

“I’ve never been pregnant. That’s all just something you made up in your head!”

The only people who knew she was pregnant were Feydan and the duke’s butler.

Neither of them were here, so Elise could deny it all she wanted now.

‘I’ll just give Feydan some excuse later.’

The noblewomen and young ladies murmured uneasily at the mention of pregnancy.

Under normal circumstances, Vanessa—who would usually step in to mediate—simply ordered the court physician to check on Lewen’s condition and stood by quietly, frowning.

The situation was turning against Leticia.

Realizing this, Elise smiled inwardly in satisfaction.

‘You did a pretty good job digging into me… but if you were that sharp, you should’ve stayed out of my way.’

Leticia, swept up in a moment of righteousness, had acted despite the danger to herself.

Elise looked straight at Leticia, who now stared back in cold silence, and delivered her final blow with smug confidence.

“Do you have anything more to say?”

“……”

“If not, then let’s just wait for the Imperial Knights to investigate—”

Before Elise could finish her sentence, the greenhouse doors suddenly burst open, and the Imperial Knights stormed in.

Elise’s face brightened at the sight of them.

‘Did the Empress already summon the knights?’

But that hope quickly faded.

Because the man who emerged between the knights was none other than Idris.

‘Why is the Grand Duke here…?’

A terrible sense of foreboding washed over her.

Idris strode past the knights and calmly entered the greenhouse, approaching Vanessa.

He knelt before her on one knee and greeted her formally.

“Please forgive my sudden intrusion upon this gathering of noble ladies, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“What brings you here, Grand Duke?”

“We recently apprehended a human trafficking ring, and one of the perpetrators is present here.”

“…Human trafficking?”

“I regret disturbing such a rare tea party, but I cannot overlook the presence of a heinous criminal among these ladies.”

“……”

“By the order of His Majesty the Emperor, I have come to immediately arrest the suspect.”

Gasps and murmurs erupted again among the noblewomen.

“My goodness… Human trafficking? Isn’t that something from a bygone era?”

“Exactly, that’s why it’s a crime.”

“B-But who on earth would do such a thing?”

They exchanged wary glances, trying to figure out who the culprit could be.

Their eyes then turned to Idris, who had received the Empress’s permission and started to move.

Whoever he approached would be the criminal behind this vile act.

And the moment Elise saw Idris heading toward her, her eyes trembled wildly.

‘How… how did he find out?’

At that moment—

“Lady Elise. There’s still something I wanted to ask.”

Leticia, who had remained silent throughout Elise’s attacks, finally spoke.

“If you truly never claimed to be pregnant…”

“……”

“Then why did you purchase a newborn baby from the trafficking ring?”

Seeing Leticia’s cold smile as she questioned her, Elise finally understood.

This entire setup was orchestrated by Leticia.

And the situation she thought was playing in her favor—had now completely flipped.

* * *

In truth, the clue that led Leticia to suspect Elise’s involvement in human trafficking had been surprisingly simple.

On the day they raided the illegal poison shop with Idris’s help…

Leticia had asked Idris to confirm just one more thing.

“Idris, I’m sorry, but could I ask one more favor?”

“If my partner wants it, I’ll do anything.”

Without hesitation, Idris nodded.

“So, what is it you want me to check?”

“There was something odd on this receipt.”

“Odd?”

“She bought poison… but didn’t buy the antidote. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”