Chapter 28
In truth, Celia had long been seething with resentment. It was because she kept hearing good things about Viola everywhere she went.
A mere commoner—yet she would openly defy Celia every time, while acting sweet and agreeable toward everyone else.
It was obvious everyone had been fooled by that hypocritical mask.
Even Conrad, who was usually sharp, had inexplicably taken that woman’s side.
But Celia’s anger was not simply due to personal dislike.
There was a clear, separate reason behind it.
After receiving a stern warning from Conrad to restrain herself, Celia had tried to keep a low profile.
But then, by chance, she overheard a conversation among the maids—and learned something shocking.
“About that little squirrel lady… they say she might actually be some foreign princess?”
“Really? You mean Lady Viola? Honestly, I could see it. She has such an unapproachable elegance.”
A squirrel lady?
At first, Celia couldn’t understand the strange nickname, but after hearing the name that followed, she realized who they were talking about.
She scoffed.
What? A princess from somewhere?
Not only was she pretending to be kind and virtuous, she was even going around impersonating royalty? No wonder she was being treated so well everywhere.
Everything suddenly made sense, and Celia felt strangely satisfied.
“How ridiculous. There’s no way a filthy commoner widow like her could be a princess.”
Celia pictured Viola in her mind.
An upright posture. Flawless skin without a single blemish. And a steady gaze that never avoided eye contact.
For a mere commoner… no, as much as she hated to admit it, she did have a noble air that even surpassed many noble young ladies.
Even her manners were flawless, as if she had been raised deeply within aristocratic etiquette.
Celia flinched.
Could it be…? Was she really… some hidden daughter of royalty or a great noble house?
But she quickly shook her head hard.
No matter how easily foolish maids were deceived by appearances, she, a true noble lady of House Dornen, would not be fooled.
“Besides, if she has the nerve to impersonate royalty, she must have planned it carefully.”
She must have learned somewhere, scheming to gain favor and eventually secure the position of a ducal lady.
A cunning plot indeed. But no matter how much a low-born woman struggled, she could never match a noble born of House Dornen.
Foolish maids—of course they would be easily deceived by pretty words.
But then, a shocking thought struck her.
“Wait… what if even the whole ‘apothecary’ thing is fake?”
A woman bold enough to impersonate royalty could easily be lying about that too.
It suddenly made sense.
She had heard that becoming a certified healer was as difficult as reaching for the stars.
It required vast knowledge and expensive education, making medicine and pharmacology almost exclusive to the wealthy nobility.
But… how could a poor commoner, a woman abandoned by her husband, possibly afford such studies?
“Impossible.”
At the realization, Celia trembled in shock.
A sense of mission surged within her.
I must expose her. I must tear off that woman’s deceitful mask that has deceived everyone.
And if she did… perhaps this time, the Duke would finally notice her.
After all, she would be the one who exposed a fraud who dared deceive the ducal household.
“Yes. This is my chance.”
Recently, Cain had been absent from the estate due to repeated monster waves.
So Celia had lost her opportunity to approach him and had wasted time.
But unlike before, he was now staying at the estate.
This time, she had to make a contribution and etch her presence into his mind.
“But how do I find proof?”
Searching inside the estate was out of the question. After the previous warning, she could feel butler Conrad watching her every move.
Celia was not foolish enough to act recklessly under such surveillance.
A noble lady of high birth must always think several steps ahead of commoners.
Then, a good idea came to her.
“Father!”
Unlike Viola, who had been abandoned even by her husband, Celia had a reliable father who could pluck even the stars from the night sky if she asked.
She immediately sent him a letter. Her father, a renowned count, would surely be able to find something.
Fortunately, Viola had a distinct trait.
Her rare pink hair.
Celia asked her father to discreetly investigate whether any royal families in foreign lands had members with pink hair.
As someone who often traveled on diplomatic missions, her father was perfectly suited for the task.
“Commoners have never even left their country. Of course they would believe any lie about a foreign princess.”
But she, a true noble, could not be deceived.
Not long after, Celia received a reply from her father.
[How dare that lowly commoner upset my precious daughter.
Do not worry, my jewel.
This father has thoroughly investigated, and aside from the late imperial princess, there is not a single royal family with pink hair anywhere in foreign lands.
Commoners are like pests who lie as naturally as they breathe, but it is admirable how our Celia saw through it.]
Ha! Just as expected. Celia felt triumphant. The lies were slowly being exposed one by one.
“She must also be lying about being an apothecary.”
However, to her disappointment, the next part of her father’s report confirmed that Viola did indeed possess a healer’s license.
“…That can’t be.”
Celia frowned. There was no way a mere commoner without proper training could pass an exam that even nobles repeatedly failed.
“Did she bribe the examiners?”
She had no evidence, yet she began to spin wild theories that suited her belief.
Already trapped in her own logic, there was no one to stop her—especially not her father, who supported and indulged her delusions.
She continued her investigation.
And then, today—she finally found a decisive clue.
The “gamhwangcho” Viola had recently brought into the estate was not an herb, but a poisonous plant containing deadly toxins!
“Just as I thought—she’s a fraud!”
Her father said it was an extremely lethal poison with no known antidote. It could cause instant death if consumed.
The moment she heard this, Celia stormed straight into Viola’s apothecary room.
“W-What brings you here…?”
Ignoring Viola’s greeting as she approached, Celia walked straight to the worktable.
On it lay the infamous poisonous herb she had only heard about.
Without hesitation—
She grabbed it.
Barehanded.
“Ha! I knew it!”
So she really was making poison in this estate!
“What do you think you’re trying to do with this?!”
Startled, Viola rushed over.
“Miss Celia! You mustn’t touch that! It’s dangerous—it’s poison!”
Trying to scare her? As if she would believe that.
Celia tightened her grip on the plant.
She could not allow this evidence to be taken away.
“Stop pretending to be kind! You fraud!”
“Huh?”
“I heard everything. This is a deadly poison, isn’t it? And you’re using it to make medicine? Hah. If it weren’t for me, who knows what would’ve happened? Everyone here is being deceived by a scammer like you!”
