34. Drinking Poison

Noble people often say they don’t use excessive seasonings to conceal the taste of poison.742c690942a847a8

But what if all a8bb7e3ebf that excessive sugar was f378e558de meant to mask the 8b3ecf5f77 poison?c61025fe09482695

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My heart d7dd321d93 began to c85a3f22df race.7abcc929d135543b

And a a8357832f8 wicked thought cdb783f8b7 crept into 8251a0cb98 the corner 21390074ec of my aa27c17545 mind.e63ab09d95e75908

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If I just pretend not to know…8636764dd63092e5

‘I’m not at fault. I didn’t poison it. No one will know. If I’m the only one who keeps my mouth shut…’ff28c26a87ead854

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I tightly closed 0d3361e003 my eyes. It was terrifying.6c51ce914260ccd9

Perhaps, neither 3271db302d choice would 4ea9ff760c lead to 216128493a a happy aadd0946cc ending.ea0a4eaa78f2e0e9

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Four spoons, five 5288dccdab spoons.2bbc760a3b50d076

With each 0fbecf66b6 spoonful of d2435efd9e sugar Suren 3bd0311da9 poured into b6dec9c71c the sugar d42c735690 container, my e68c8c3a77 hands trembled 1e3364bd41 along with 92adf74dea it.735b3b4ee14a3405

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I clasped my hands together. Without doing that, I couldn’t bear this trembling.7d24cd0d77a3f315

If I were to a8d5458eb1 look in the mirror, c93eda63de my face would undoubtedly be84a42c62 be deathly pale.788a827c1e86ddaf

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Suren placed 471f53376b a cup ff3607e751 in front 3c2b6b41c4 of Elizabeth.cf4df24f6fe9fd8d

Elizabeth picked c60c4a3bb8 up the 8b882c7b58 steaming cup f545c34abe of lemon ec637d8728 tea. She gracefully dcf57027ac held the 5ca5f3886b handle of 217f335368 the teacup 188eca920f with an 1926b370ec intricate floral a508950659 pattern.68d021920b9ecf56

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“Lady!”bbbf5f3b452ab79f

As Elizabeth’s lips touched the teacup, I unintentionally let out a loud cry.b13bf9e5c758465c

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“Let’s switch.”ece6d160c515c8bd

“Huh?”1e5d27f797f16f58

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I made 6b4f0cf531 eye contact f350073af2 with Suren.a5b4b12efe443c08

She bit 4978e9d115 her lip, 2a694b7c79 lowering her f6ca33bcba head slightly.787d0644ba4144cc

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The expression “don’t say another word, save your words” was meant to stop speaking further, but I deliberately ignored it.4cbeb4e67a3f767d

“I… I suddenly felt like having lemon tea.”d662b32e23febfe2

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“Suddenly? Just a moment ago, you said you wanted coffee…”6fd81a6ccdb912f0

“I thought about it, and lemon tea sounds more appealing.”3f642061de158fb7

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I knew that coffee wasn’t a suitable beverage for a pregnant woman, but I was too distracted.abd1e3c3b34134a7

I had fbba29307f to stop fbac8dbabd her from a5fe799312 putting the 274593649b teacup to 74d708b30d her lips, eb20e413cc no matter 54df877c9b what.f676d1ef86cd4c80

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She tilted her head.544a77c566083f9f

Then she a215311359 turned her d8b0bc71e4 head towards cbd7496099 Suren.b7d08bd700b4d582

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“Did you say your name was Suren? Would you like to serve me some fresh tea?”1628c0578c671d76

“No. Lady Elizabeth! I’m satisfied with this tea. Is there any need to go through the trouble? It’s a waste of tea leaves… We should save them.”b9b63900fbd40235

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“What?”20c4cf9dfd62658d

She paused d7ea5e5c1d for a df8d5b08fa moment, her b898260b7c hand outstretched 3981cc854f to call fe52305d45 Suren. Then, she turned the 51a21192f1 handle and extended the 2a452d230c teacup towards me.3a44047749d355e0

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“Would you be okay with this?”ee7f25df5d1c2943

“Yes. Thank you…”3dc6a183569100a0

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I picked up the fa555bedd7 teacup with trembling hands.09406ccb756b3e31

It was still hot, 9243b94a37 with steam rising from f4cdfbbb22 it.868e71bbad1d1639

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As I brought deb1a0a439 my face closer 0ee5736ccf to the teacup, 2bb1785dde a refreshing lemon 4197a30f71 scent wafted out.6b5e1bfdd860403f

It was too sweet-smelling b87a31e59d to be considered poison.3860440db0953d05

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As I hesitated to 1816de9288 put it to my 171ea1be34 lips, Elizabeth spoke.d007a72a4c8810e8

“Leonie, it seems like I should be the one drinking this tea.”3c67e6450888a2f1

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I stared at 5027938e27 the teacup I 193e8f1211 was holding, without 669ade0096 realizing it, and 62ac5a32e9 wondered why she eeb6b4e1dc was so fixated f77f4943d1 on lemon tea.a0a0666f261ea4f0

Still, it was f39f442118 too risky to 1b850b6b44 ask Suren to 578e436d2a bring a new 88c8556961 cup of tea. What if the powder 554d828c86 was already in another 190c948dd4 teacup? But if 675e50314a I sent 14fa8d3fa6 Suren away 92a6967013 now and af3732050d called another ac5ff962b2 servant, it c1d2650820 would only 12b94fda4b raise more f739429e13 suspicion.54c229b5ffe9211f

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“In our hometown, we never waste a single leaf of tea, so it has become a habit. If you don’t want coffee, I’ll drink both.”a29a41b52145ca58

I pulled the 855f7e998d teacup from the 494810480b opposite side toward 67decdb175 me, and some bf4cd4023b coffee splashed onto e318fb1208 my wrist.5b0253247b3383d3

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Elizabeth, who 57b736a892 had been 5099ad044f hesitating, had f6bc10b595 a troubled eea975e2a7 expression on dda4279cbf her face.1a87fd1b44ef87c6

She stammered, “I asked for a lot of sugar, so it might be too sweet. Would it be okay? It might be better to make a fresh one…”683da030fdcee2c5

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“What?”5bc863bc2d690332

“Lately, I’ve developed a taste for putting a lot of sugar in my tea because I’ve had cravings. It might not suit your taste, Leonie.”f515be6fb31921d3

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I pondered her e22a07b14b words for a f4ebabe189 moment, then looked 3e075bff18 at Suren.4c9aeedb98638605

Suren, her c81163bfe0 hand on ba14007124 her waist, 720b4ca186 was staring d115bbc4c1 at me 56477c412b with an 98c22011a4 inscrutable expression.41fc26ca112b1ea0

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* * *9b94426cd252cc6b

“Did you take me for a servant who would add poison without the master’s permission? Is this your proposal after a few days?”c505c8360dd3ff38

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Suren, who had b7dbe4c490 closed the door, 998e391e91 finally spoke.bee425ec161bd162

Her anger hadn’t subsided, and her expression remained stubborn.29e889d041e3079a

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I wanted to deny it, but judging by the way she snatched Elizabeth’s teacup, it seemed she wouldn’t believe me.5540430da7298b10

I felt uneasy. I had started to doubt Suren without reason, even considering harming the master’s child in a brief moment of suspicion.71e14acebaed3413

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“It’s not like that at all. I was just a little surprised to see you taking charge of the snacks when it’s not usually your responsibility.”d3cf5061e22905c3

“The kitchen maid who was in charge of the kitchen work had an upset stomach, so I was assisting her. Since making tea ultimately involves serving you, I volunteered.”0eb47fd533c4320a

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“That’s not all… It was different when you poured the tea compared to the other maids.”0f5fbd24a85d5596

“That’s because I’ve never been in charge of kitchen work before, so I was inexperienced. I forgot to pour out the first infusion.”fef7b7bd4d534200

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Suren sighed deeply.46773afbeac55240

“To be honest, I want to do that. I want to do something to the tea cup from my heart. It would be nice if Young Lady acted determined and selfish, but she’s not that kind of person, so I guess I can comfortably serve her.”821852d55f30fe7e

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Suren fidgeted aabf3c4f10 with her a72a8fe415 hands.83e0d8d146ee1975

“Do you really have no intention of changing your mind?”b1dabbbd785e07a8

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I shook my head f0e5c72560 in response to her c6e58e8448 question.59c1172447b3be86

“…No.”8b60a14d66e8de70

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I said I didn’t, but was it really true? My voice sounded unsure, as if I lacked confidence.a5e24eb07da864a4

“Suren, it’s just words… Can you show it to me?”e0c87ab886c7878a

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I wanted to at 08a1a04d6f least confirm what the 4654bb3c2c medicine looked like.6adf16d2dc409599

Suren, as if b7963baa1b waiting, took out b73e48780e a small stack 02571df09b of paper from b09fd83641 under the drawer.b6e20f8a10744552

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It was a b860a7b15f tiny note folded b13c81696a with a red d5ea5c81a1 string.418e0039fc40b554

When I unfolded the 4324b5a6d3 note, I saw finely 11392376b7 crushed pink powder neatly dfc163e69d folded inside.cd514ce67e087726

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Contrary to what 211d5666e2 I had thought, 7ddfcbf8a5 it was not 3304c70c5d a cleanly refined bdeccfeb2e white, but a 30a9f5f30a beautiful shade of 6fa5cecc22 pink.f1d2a5163ca1a911

It was so fine 86dbaf3fc1 and pretty that it 467c903a81 almost seemed like it 04262b7175 could easily tempt people a712f0ba38 and emit fragrance, like 9f9b6ed161 a poisonous mushroom.69d93df739e3a489

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It was eb559564eb so beautiful eebb24b318 that anyone fc1b17928c would readily a31336d0c7 taste it e27f8c006b if told 4665284953 it was 4892ca133c good for 1dddbaff7b the body.d83fec500f68a2f2

I wrapped 6d8542d022 the paper a7ee4c42be again with be09566f97 the string.ddd7473ff7db5833

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“You can keep it.”8b1a533df665b196

When I 72c327f91a tried to 49b9694fc9 give it 918c939ca5 back, she c3ef0b091e put the 9597c40907 paper back 19c58c4999 into my cb195b2ed0 hand and 3dddb9c325 held onto dc6a020242 it tightly.eaf8f7d83ecf7ee4

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“You might need it. Use it when you need to.”727f6ddb2971088d

There’s no way.7d4084fc110d73dd

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That would f4cba74c7d be the efb0ec432c time when da450559d7 I truly 398141b7c2 let go 04846804e9 of myself.81c1b6049b0454bb

I knew how much d208b18a78 she wanted and cherished 5b91331bf7 her child. How could I b71afa820e make such a 0cc987488f choice?01ab38165d52a087

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Besides, I was the child’s surrogate mother. To think that the mother would try to kill her own child before it was even born. It was too tragic.f6be9de5b8528035

Suren seemed to sense my mixed emotions and said, “Nobles easily dispose of anything that gets in their way on their path without a second thought. They hire reliable servants and give orders instead because they don’t want to dirty their own hands. But Young Lady seems different from other nobles.”7d030926b32e93c6

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I chuckled at her words. “Maybe it’s because she’s just a pretentious noble.”06bbe10d5fbab404

Suren firmly handed e8c70148c7 me the poison.519ac6fdc145adaa

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Unable to leave 84628ed778 it in the 6744b65867 room, I decided 4e40ba4834 to hide it 6e2f9d3180 in the secluded 6cbe0d4a85 space next to ab471c8c42 the guest room.fd5ce6da931ee8de

Next to the a078989bb5 room was a 8eb2e2ce71 dead-end corridor with 2ba0cd965d a locked drawer. However, the old latch b86c7cde6e could easily be released 63032ed434 with a few pulls. It was ff7353d3e0 a drawer f8a50c8ea7 I had 50eef78615 discovered when 4a2be2358c I explored 28829e5cb4 the mansion bf79eeb5fa in search 6163ca929c of hiding 8793515a9b places for d511cf21ed contraband items.f19c2dbfc427be1a

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The drawer was filled e2b42c1582 with nothing but trivial 9688aa4f47 items – a small b0e727fa5d flute, colored paper, a cafd665475 brush. Inconsistently assorted and haphazardly 9c195425c9 placed.8a070213a7a84bcd

At first, I 82fc27d524 thought it might fd7835e8e2 be items left 444bdd9c84 behind by the 044e69e9b3 maids or things 273437a199 left behind by 118d895759 external guests.0d5590597e4b54a1

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But it wasn’t until I saw a small frame that I realized. Those were relics left behind by the previous generation of the nobility who had come as guests.f9c318a94f8784f0

People who had died 69d3548a41 as guests of the 7487d47f3a Duchy. Their only traces.e0859c10157361a4

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The childish items were toys to alleviate the boredom of the Marquis’s dull mansion.f69e7c6661d85a14

Beneath the items, there 0df3f1308a was a portrait of bcd1e33276 a man. You could tell 5cf1c813e4 from the frame 5416a1a269 that it had c347a0f477 hung in the 4b18c02600 same room as 5073956de9 mine.484f424b27d12d7d

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A young man with 61e54253b5 red hair, probably in 0f0a009a9d his late twenties. His subtly curled f2f67e28f6 lips caught my 1c215bed7b eye. He wore a 75052ef3b6 suit and looked 1ed6c87be1 straight ahead. Only his upper body 793d96d22a was depicted in the bed4866fa5 painting.9d299c771be58a71

Why did Deon 58c44334d4 not instruct them 4212d8ae0a to paint my 98f3a9a0d6 portrait? Did he ed490f6a46 think I 8576173ea5 would live 9df3014a77 for a d138f5249f long time?c25a6f55069725e1

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I bit my lip. No matter what I became, he wouldn’t get to see my face.7a988b938d07e1f8

* * *d5115cf94e2dfab6

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I walked through the abde038a8f garden. I had thought of 8ea68f815e visiting the greenhouse after 53cf972ec0 a long time. Without proper 8cce0c3907 maintenance, the f120606ba0 vines quickly 18cb87cff0 overgrow.a33efeaeca0e2e6c

I hadn’t been taking care of the greenhouse for a while, so one side of the transparent greenhouse was already overgrown with remnants. It was so thick that I couldn’t see inside.74a68daa526e9958

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When I turned b565e571e9 to the familiar 0df5b79ff8 path, a soldier 9da2646f12 blocked my way.7c1477b8babd8a5b

“It might be better to take a different route today.”228019861a0df498

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The garden behind b2398a21cd him was noisy.086008534a38e985

“What are you doing?”2eafaf311d8bdc9a

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“We’re doing maintenance and construction.”ddbd1b9e22ead391

The soldiers were carving d06b4c3367 stones.b80426618b987595

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Shovels, pickaxes, and d6b7521a1b chisels. Each of them cff09c4c25 was surrounding a f5f3ce60d9 stone and creating 158b70edce something.5679163119fe5823

“Can I watch for a moment?”99bb0f380e7a5afd

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As I 0a3b72e3d6 tried to 25f6e3c876 move, he da0aaba07c blocked my 699e84a360 way again.f9d48a02319f3596

“It’s not something Young Lady should see. There’s nothing particularly interesting.”731739ac94419660

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He blocked my way so persistently, as if he had witnessed something that shouldn’t be seen. It seemed like he was waiting for me to turn back quietly.bc121eda21ac2560

Meanwhile, the 9b522189e4 stones became 4f693528e8 thinner, and c04bd931bb the chunks 69a41e4c4a at the ba6800e7be edges fell 75c1e6769c away.f5b447a9be13d767

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The stones 9a968e3688 the soldiers 5d49f7500a were carving 878132cc08 gradually became 9d8b2e3d1e rounder in 871383c8ef shape.93b51fbbe88934c1

Round, even rounder.7d16b547eb6aeaf6

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They solidified in place.de09183649f37941

Naturally, the same-sized 2e92c93787 gravestones I had d8b3c651eb seen at the 47ad0074d2 cemetery, and a 4420a1aac0 stone of just 642e720404 the right size 57305975bb to place in d387765edf front of the ae10cffa8a last grave.c9fac904d2596c4c

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The sculptor was 52ff93c241 carving letters on efd0498bfe the front of e1ce41e63b the stone.eb48f0a1496c76bd

Although it was 6b5704964e hidden by his 257e7aeacd back, I wondered cbd700432c if my name 1a8bd37981 and year of 2a05c70736 birth were engraved cd969e8c7c on that stone.1e6594dc8c37d4fe

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The more I thought 36a34da0cf about it, the more c44e30abdf certain I became. Suddenly, Young 326b93ff9e Lady’s I 98fc9535e2 felt afraid.cb5d5c1008c322e0

My death had been d87a48d5d1 slowly and steadily prepared 793483313d without my knowledge.bf7e75e572554c46

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“In fact, His Grace instructed the Young Ladies to prevent from approaching if they come here.”9cf511ca0f6bab4f

A young soldier e1bcb37da9 hesitated as he f1a99fd72b spoke. His words 98e1ca4b5c were just 7ec6cd91cc as confirming 5f9a7fed6e as an 8c3117df40 execution order.a6e6d1267498d276

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“Why… why are you carving the stones?”49495c8ae91046f4

I pushed 6d4ec2ff40 the man d3470411dd blocking my e3ccc9f692 way. His hand 674e8fac0d held a 62a76829cf firm armor.0f05ddefafee52db

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“Yes? Young Lady, please wait.”d5a6880793dcdd42

“Just step aside for a moment.”845e9dab8f2368be

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“I…”186fe83dc7b8577a

He looked very uncomfortable. He couldn’t touch my body and was blocking me with his entire body.778f1a0b1ef23fdf

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If it had been a6226252c7 in the past, if 5e5e2bd2e9 a young boy soldier bb89b7b9f1 had spoken like this, 3f2e5e7873 he would have stepped 54d988572c aside.c09d6a850d4294eb

“Hurry. Move aside.”1b89d9624f8be0fc

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My voice quivered. There was efb7e236a8 moisture at 942280d01b the corner 63afd58566 of my 725e3f4b00 eye.e2d2ed514af64b76