Chapter 91

"Would you like me to peel more apples, miss?"

"We also have melon."

Heidi and Betty asked me with a smile.

Dad had made a fruit map, and our house was overflowing with fruit. I was getting tired of it, so I shook my head.

"It's fine. What about Dad?"

"His Highness is in the central tower with Lord Grimmie. He'll be back soon."

I nodded.

"Okay. Since I'm fine now, Heidi and Betty can go out."

"Still..."

"It's fine."

After all, I wasn't really sick.

Heidi and Betty knew I wasn't really sick, so they left the room more easily than usual.

After the two left, only Michelan remained in the room.

I leaned against the headboard and fell into thought.

Astra was extremely angry.

Even the relatives.

I had expected Grandfather's anger, but I didn't expect the relatives to be this angry.

"The relatives are unexpected..."

I muttered, and Michelan smiled.

"Targeting Astra's bloodline is an attack on the family, isn't it?"

"Hmm..."

"It's a matter of Astra's honor, which the bloodline holds dear, so they can't help but step in."

"Still, there are those who don't step in, right?"

"Lord Valderic and Lady Bastina are quiet. Rather, Lady Bastina..."

I heard that from Conrad.

I shrugged.

"Selene said she had to go to the party instead of me, and then she got a good scolding from Grandfather, right?"

"Yes."

"Anyway, she's a funny aunt."

Bastina can't handle social activities.

She used to dip her toes into the royal social scene until I was five, but now it's impossible.

'Because she borrowed money from a noble and couldn't pay it back.'

Grandfather was so angry about that incident that he banned her from social activities.

If that hadn't happened, the talented Selene would have risen even higher...

"Since she can't handle social activities, she's trying to take mine."

"According to Conrad, even within Astra, they are very frustrated with Lady Bastina's claims."

"Of course. She stormed into the castle as soon as the incident happened and made those claims."

Even the usually composed Aunt Basile shouted.

Then it happened.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Is that knocking, or trying to break the door...

There's only one person who would knock like that.

"The door is breaking, Balzak..."

As I said, the door opened a little, and a face peeked in.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

The door opened completely, and Balzak came in. Joshua was with him.

"Father is here."

"Okay!"

I tried to get out of bed, but then Father came in.

"Just lie down, you're fine."

"But I'm not sick..."

"It's better if you look sick."

"That's..."

"Right."

Father and I looked at each other and chuckled.

The family knew the whole story.

I told them everything when I collapsed, and the whole family turned pale.

Father immediately tried to rush to the Fante Marquess's party when he heard the story, so I couldn't keep it from him.

"No! Dad! Where are you going! I'm fine!"

The family was shocked when they saw me pretending to be sick.

"So, how did it happen..."

"Go on."

"Countess Killos handed me a cookie, but something seemed off. She didn't give me the cookie in front of her but the one far away."

"..."

"And she watched me eat it anxiously... I remembered that Countess Killos was focused on the cookies throughout the party."

"So?"

"So, I ate a different cookie and pretended to collapse."

"..."

"I couldn't refuse what an adult offered, so I had to leave the party that way."

Mixing lies and truth, Father accepted it.

'I couldn't tell the truth.'

How could I say I already knew the former empress would do such a thing from the comments?

The family sighed with relief but were still angry.

She tried to drug a child.

I looked at Father with sparkling eyes.

"What happened to Countess Killos?"

"According to Astra's informants, she confessed to receiving orders from the former empress a few days ago at the High Temple."

"So it hasn't been revealed yet..."

"The royal family hasn't revealed it."

Father's face was pale.

Knowing that the deranged former empress had done this to his daughter, he must have been furious.

Balzak was angry.

"Are you going to let this go? What if the royal family tries to sweep it under the rug!"

"Of course not. The old... Duke also seems to have no intention of letting the former empress off."

While the family was angry, I nodded at Michelan.

'It's time for us to move.'

Michelan bowed to me and quietly left the room.

* * *

The royal social scene was in an uproar.

A noblewoman rushed into the salon and asked.

"Is it true that Countess Killos met the former empress before going to Fante's party?"

She sat down and the other nobles nodded.

"Yes, that's what I heard."

"Why did she target Astra's Countess?"

"They said there was a problem between the former empress and the Countess in Astra. Something about a monster running rampant."

"That's what they say..."

The noblewoman looked around and whispered.

"They say the former empress took Astra's Countess as a hostage and dragged Daemon Astra around."

"Goodness! Did Daemon Astra willingly do that?"

"With a lifetime of being bound by a restraining spell because her child harmed the royal family, she had no choice."

"My goodness..."

"The child grew up without parents from birth, and Daemon Astra loves her terribly."

"How could that be..."

"The Countess rebelled because of that. She didn't want her father to be sad because of her..."

"My, what a good girl."

The noblewomen frowned.

The rumor spread by Erylot was,

"Countess Killos met the former empress before she acted."

—But the rumor spread like wildfire.

The leaders of the social scene pieced together various pieces of information to get closer to the truth.

"But why isn't the palace taking action? Fante and Astra are demanding a public trial for Countess Killos."

"Given the power of those who are demanding it, it's obvious, isn't it?"

"The poisoned cookie incident is definitely related to the former empress."

Words are powerful.

Especially in the world of the powerful.

The rumors from the social scene spread to the common people.

As the country was in turmoil, the royal family was cornered.

Finally, a messenger from the palace arrived at the Astra 2nd Duke's residence.

* * *

As soon as I got out of the carriage, palace maids approached.

"Greetings, Countess Astra."

I bowed slightly.

The reaction was completely different from when I first came to the palace to meet the Empress Dowager.

'Back then, a servant only came out when we reached the Empress Dowager's palace.'

Today, the maids came as soon as we arrived at the carriage waiting area.

They were even senior maids with sapphire brooches.

"Was your journey not too busy?"

I could feel the maids watching me, so I smiled like a child.

"How could it be busy with the palace sending a carriage! I came very comfortably. Thank you."

"That's good."

The maid who spoke had shivered when she saw the former empress at the lily garden party.

"The royal family is waiting. Please come this way."

"Yes!"

I followed the maid.

'I thought I was going to the Empress Dowager's palace, but it's a different place.'

I was heading to the Emperor's palace.

'This is my first time in the Emperor's palace.'

I had never even seen it in my first life.

Moreover, the Chief Steward of the Emperor's palace came to greet me.

I entered the palace with the Chief Steward of the Emperor's palace and a senior maid of the Empress Dowager.

The huge red door opened, and I saw the royal family and nobles.

'Ah, Grandfather!'

I ran to Grandfather.

"Grandfather."

"Yes."

Beside Grandfather were Uncle Grimmie and Father.

The Marquess and his wife from the Fante Marquess's family were also present.

The other nobles were all very powerful.

The royal family included the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Empress Ocellia.

And...

"Oh, Brother, why is that child here...!"

—The former empress was also there.

The Emperor looked very tired.

His face was completely different from when we met after the dragon incident.

His dark circles were so deep he looked haggard.

It was clear how much the Emperor had been pressured by Astra.

'So, it couldn't be swept under the rug, and he had to call the nobles.'

The Emperor rubbed his forehead and gestured to me.

"Countess, please come to the center."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

I stood in the center and looked around at the seated people.

The Marquess of Fante grumbled.

"The Countess was poisoned at my wife's party. It's related to the former empress—!"

"Dear."

The Marquess's wife calmed him down.

It seemed the Marquess's wife was the center of the Fante Marquess's family.

'I need to show this better.'

The Marquess's wife looked at the Emperor calmly.

"The person who brought the poisoned cookies to my party was Countess Killos. Why is the former empress here?"

That's right!

I should have asked that first.

Indeed, a leader of the social scene.

Her words meant, 'Is the former empress involved as we suspected?'

The former empress shouted.

"How dare you mention a royal!"

'Idiot.'

I wasn't the only one who thought that; the other royals' expressions soured.

Empress Ocellia even laughed bitterly.

The royals must already know the whole truth.

The Empress's expression said, 'There are events that can be suppressed by royal authority, and those that cannot.'

I could understand the former empress to some extent.

This was like a hearing.

The fact that such a meeting was held meant the Emperor had given up on the former empress.

She had to try to pull the Emperor to her side using royal authority.

The Marquess's wife looked at the former empress coldly.

"I asked why the former empress is here. Is there a reason for you to be so angry?"

"That, that's...!"

"Is there a reason for you to be angry?"

The last words were from Uncle Grimmie.

I chuckled inwardly.

With the pressure from all sides, the former empress looked almost dead.

Then, our Grandfather stepped in.

"Do we need to investigate further? We all know the former empress was involved in this."

"Duke!"

The former empress shouted hysterically, but the Emperor sighed.

"Countess Killos mentioned the former empress. That's why I called the Countess here."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"The former empress said the drug was a truth serum. She wanted to reveal something the Countess was hiding at Fante's party."

Ah, a truth serum?

The Emperor looked at me directly and asked.

"Was the drug the Countess took a truth serum?"

Is this how you want to handle it?

If I say I took a truth serum, the incident could be framed as 'the suspicious Erylot Astra, who the former empress wanted to take a truth serum.'

The focus was on 'giving a truth serum' rather than 'taking a drug.'

I laughed inwardly.

'Are you going to let it go like that?'

I blinked and said,

"I don't know, but after taking it, my heart raced, I felt dizzy, and I couldn't speak properly. The doctor said it was very dangerous for a child."

I refocused the attention on how dangerous the drug was, regardless of what it was.

Father, who had his arms crossed, frowned.

"What the drug was is not important. What's important is that my daughter almost died."

The Emperor closed his eyes tightly.

'You know this can't be swept under the rug, don't you?'

The former empress shouted.

"It wasn't a dangerous truth serum! Your Majesty!"

"Please, just stop..."

"I wouldn't use a dangerous drug on Lord Daemon's daughter. She always interfered with my work and portrayed me as a wicked person!"

"Anatoly."

"I couldn't take it anymore, so I wanted to reveal everything she did to me!"

I tilted my head and said,

"What did I do to the former empress?"

"What?"

"Maybe I... did something to upset the former empress, so I want to apologize..."

"You said you wouldn't leave me alone!"

"Me? When...?"

"You looked at me with those eyes. You said it! At the Harvest Festival..."

"Oh, I remember."

I raised my eyebrows and took out the ledger I brought.

"The herbs the former empress used to summon monsters at the Harvest Festival. I knew about them."

"That, that's...!"

"So I told her. This matter won't be easily overlooked."

"..."

"Because it's the Harvest Festival. It's a major national event."

"You, you...!"

"So I warned her. It would be very troublesome if the royal family found out."

"Yes! I said that to threaten her!"

"I was genuinely concerned for the former empress. Otherwise, why would I have kept the evidence and done nothing..."

I looked at the former empress with a feigned defeated expression.