Chapter 13
Among them was a spell called “Stealth,” which concealed one’s presence and interfered with others recognizing the target.
It was only a 1-circle spell, so its effects were weak. The larger the target’s body, the harder it was to completely hide its presence, and even the slightest noise would immediately break the spell.
On top of that, there was always the risk of being detected by mages of 4-circle or higher who could sense faint flows of mana.
Because of this, at first they had avoided Cain and the marquis at all costs. But after many trials and errors, they discovered that if enough distance was maintained, even those two failed to notice.
After that, spying on Ansharielle while she was with Cain, or investigating the marquis’s movements and daily schedule, became easy.
Passing among servants who don’t even possess mana is child’s play.
After confirming the physician had completely disappeared and the corridor was empty, Rira jumped lightly in place and easily opened the door.
Because Ansharielle supposedly suffered from a rare illness that prevented her from being exposed to sunlight, blackout curtains covered her room even in broad daylight.
As Rira approached the bed, she saw Ansharielle sitting blankly with unfocused eyes.
She didn’t notice Rira approaching at all.
Let’s go now.
I conveyed my intent to Rira as she lingered around Ansharielle.
If possible, I wanted her to stay by Ansharielle’s side in case Cain or the marquis tried something strange, but there was something more important right now.
With the imperial palace tea party approaching soon, we needed to quickly find a way to separate Cain from me.
Come to think of it, after the out-of-body incident, I honestly thought they’d keep me locked in the recovery room much longer.
Back then, they had said my ego was too strong for my soul to be extracted.
Yet the visits to the recovery room still remained once a week.
That unsettled me.
Even while speculating about what schemes Cain might be hiding, Rira busily moved around.
Just as I had requested, she wandered through many places filled with workers—the kitchen, laundry room, hallways being cleaned, and more.
Even after almost touring the entire mansion, no useful information surfaced, so Rira exited into the garden through an open first-floor window.
Carefully moving so she wouldn’t bump into anyone or make noise stepping on the grass, she suddenly heard voices from somewhere nearby.
“Has your son gotten any better?”
“What? Did something happen to Tony?”
“Don’t even ask. Yesterday he almost died after accidentally eating a Cromlin berry.”
“A Cromlin berry?”
The boy wearing a baker’s cap tilted his head in confusion, and the middle-aged man with a bandit-like beard laughed heartily before speaking.
“They look similar to cranberries, but if you eat them, something terrible happens. I nearly got into serious trouble after mistaking them for cranberries when I was young. John, you should be careful too.”
Something terrible?
Perhaps noticing my interest in their conversation, Rira stopped walking.
Looking more closely, the rugged middle-aged man appeared to be the stable keeper, while the man sighing heavily beside him was a gardener who had worked for the marquis family for many years.
Unaware of Rira’s presence, they continued talking.
“Derek’s right. John, you should be careful too.”
“Come on, aren’t those berries only found in forests? I’ll only be tending the marquis family’s garden, so I’ll be fine.”
“You’ve still got a long way to go before becoming a proper gardener. Cromlin is an ornamental tree, so there are some planted in the marquis estate garden too.”
The boy in the baker’s cap seemed to be an apprentice gardener.
“What? There are poisonous berries deadly enough to kill people growing as ornaments?”
“Derek is exaggerating. Cromlin berries don’t contain enough poison to kill someone. They just cause stomachaches for a day.”
“Hey, don’t downplay stomachaches. When I was little, I spent the entire day running in and out of the bathroom until I saw stars.”
“I-it’s that bad?”
“Just thinking about that day is terrifying!”
Stomachaches…
At that moment, a perfect plan for separating Cain during the imperial tea party came to mind.
“Hm, good timing. I saw the Cromlin tree in the garden had borne fruit the other day. I’ll teach you the difference between Cromlin and cranberry berries. Follow me.”
“Then work hard. I’ll head back now.”
The rugged middle-aged man headed toward the stables behind the mansion, while the gardener and the boy walked toward the front entrance.
Rira, let’s follow them!
As they crossed the vast garden and approached the entrance, red berries hanging from the trees lining the hedges came into view.
As expected, they were Cromlin trees, and the gardener and apprentice spent a long time discussing them.
After confirming what I needed, I called Rira back before the conversation ended.
I had already heard enough.
Even a dark mage won’t have a solution for this.
At last, the long-awaited day arrived.
Because it was the day of the imperial palace tea party, the maids who disliked me came early in the morning to help me dress up.
I wore a more luxurious dress than anything I had worn in the mansion and braided my hair with a yellow ribbon.
Since I was still young, I didn’t need makeup, so preparations finished quickly.
After the maids left, I took out a brooch from my jewelry box and pinned it where it would be clearly visible.
Then, before Cain arrived, I retrieved the small bottle I had hidden beneath my pillow and tucked it into my clothes.
Mm, perfect.
I spun once in front of the mirror, checking everything one last time.
“Rira, let’s do our best.”
“Ngk!”
We had started preparing early in the morning, but the tea party itself was an afternoon event.
Most likely, just like before, there would be magic training in the morning before heading to the imperial palace.
The opportunity would come during lunchtime.
Just imagining what’s about to happen is making me grin already. Calm down.
Knock knock.
“My lady, it is time for your meal.”
Carefully controlling my expression, I opened the door and stepped outside.
Cain, completely unaware of the misfortune about to descend upon him, calmly escorted me to the dining room.
“How is your training going?”
Perhaps to check my condition, the marquis always ate breakfast with me on the mornings of tea party days, and today he spoke again in his usual flat voice.
“It is progressing steadily.”
After pretending to be brainwashed every day, I no longer even felt nervous about it.
“Do not become complacent at the 1st circle. Work hard to reach the 2nd circle quickly.”
Even though he planned to use me as a sacrifice before I ever reached it.
Though I could clearly see through the marquis’s intentions, I obediently answered as if controlled by mental magic.
“I understand.”
“Do not behave rashly at the tea party either. Especially in front of Her Majesty the Empress.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
After breakfast, we moved to the private study and began magic training.
On tea party days, we studied theory in the morning to avoid appearing disorganized, and practical training would take place after returning from the palace.
Rira normally couldn’t accompany me during training. Usually she would either rest in my room or wander the mansion gathering information, but today was different.
Before Cain came to fetch me, I had already cast Stealth on Rira and sent her outside through the window.
My room was on the third floor, but since she could safely descend using the tree branches connected to the terrace, there was nothing to worry about.
Looks like she’s reached the kitchen.
In fact, I had been sharing senses with Rira ever since arriving at the study.
All five senses could be shared, but I could also choose which specific senses to receive.
So when I was awake like now, I usually shared only hearing.
No matter how accustomed I became, overlapping two fields of vision still caused dizziness.
Besides, the private study was quiet enough that outside noises wouldn’t interfere.
Today’s lunch menu is tomato soup, bread topped with cheese, and bacon.
By eavesdropping on conversations in the kitchen, I learned what the servants’ lunch would be.
Thanks to his position as head steward, Cain ate higher-quality meals than the ordinary servants, but generally, the soup was the same.
Which meant my target was the soup.
Good thing it’s tomato soup. If it were cream or clear soup, it might have been noticeable.
Cromlin berries were red.
After gathering many berries and making juice from them, the liquid became even redder.
But if mixed into tomato soup, no one would notice by appearance alone.
I feel bad for the other servants, but there’s no helping it.
From the beginning, I had intended to put Cromlin berry juice into the food shared by all the employees.
If only Cain’s food caused stomach trouble, naturally he would suspect someone was targeting him.
But what if everyone got stomachaches together?
Then it would likely be dismissed as an accidental case of spoiled food rather than deliberate sabotage.
Besides, I adjusted the dosage carefully, so everyone except Cain should be fine.
According to the gardener, accidentally eating only one or two Cromlin berries merely caused a mild stomachache.
Just one trip to the bathroom and it would pass.
I had prepared two bottles.
Both contained the juice of ten Cromlin berries, but one bottle would go into the large pot, while the other would be poured directly into Cain’s personal serving.
So although the fifty-plus servants would only suffer mild stomach discomfort or a single bathroom visit from the diluted soup, Cain would end up sitting in the bathroom until he saw stars.
—The marquis has arrived at the dining hall!
—Everyone, move quickly! Serve these dishes first, and you lot prepare lunch for Lady Tiamia and Lady Ansharielle!
—Yes, understood!
Loud voices rang through Rira’s ears.
As expected, they’re preparing Ansharielle’s lunch together with mine.
Normally, Cain would watch me finish eating before delivering Ansharielle’s meal during the afternoon magic training and eating himself afterward.
But on tea party days, we had to leave for the imperial palace immediately after lunch, so he didn’t monitor me as closely.
Because before departing for the palace, he needed to deliver Ansharielle’s lunch and also eat himself.
