34. Drinking Poison

Noble people often say they don’t use excessive seasonings to conceal the taste of poison.d2940bf4d823c6b5

But what if f7db648497 all that excessive 40fedbe10d sugar was meant 61d3be38fa to mask the 1d8cf27e0f poison?738dcdc41458172e

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My heart began f246e87660 to race.d429d77e09efbe4a

And a wicked thought 8bffcca949 crept into the corner 88d6650814 of my mind.38f04014f7e1c424

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If I just pretend not to know…9649089d8a3ea325

‘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…’cd7cb9a2c9c90de0

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I tightly closed b0f748f6db my eyes. It was terrifying.ebc0111095283d04

Perhaps, neither choice be1fde8873 would lead to b0374afce6 a happy ending.ca6c19dbf39d116d

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Four spoons, five 7c23cb2ed6 spoons.8455930f21fa47a1

With each 2d868c7cc7 spoonful of ab022151b0 sugar Suren e906a14bf8 poured into 86a225ea00 the sugar e6f707c0c3 container, my 9cdb64276d hands trembled 61a5f70f33 along with 6200dab0ec it.7337029a0348b07f

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I clasped my hands together. Without doing that, I couldn’t bear this trembling.bd02763ca7f4498a

If I were 8c4431c356 to look in d51d0f4aff the mirror, my de68fe236d face would undoubtedly daead4c914 be deathly pale.3ce1e79d13dda8d0

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Suren placed a670c799c4 a cup 6aa73887a6 in front 95f66591f6 of Elizabeth.8767a22325d28daa

Elizabeth picked up 4040e3e1fc the steaming cup 4b03702c7f of lemon tea. She gracefully a1dbcf38a4 held the 791496d669 handle of 4ce8065494 the teacup 32f955bcdf with an 14d5338a04 intricate floral c2ad76ccd2 pattern.097b502a24874c2e

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“Lady!”06a7156d69fce082

As Elizabeth’s lips touched the teacup, I unintentionally let out a loud cry.dc62711c918d05f5

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“Let’s switch.”a8cef0662975382d

“Huh?”853b47ea3e262428

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I made ab6c4e760a eye contact 2fd2071a6f with Suren.cecb0571efb049a8

She bit her fdbd3e48cb lip, lowering her dfe623dcaa head slightly.105dc25404abfe87

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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.3664647bb4a76e49

“I… I suddenly felt like having lemon tea.”ae5915143043041f

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“Suddenly? Just a moment ago, you said you wanted coffee…”58bcb703c856414e

“I thought about it, and lemon tea sounds more appealing.”5d9990acd09027df

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I knew that coffee wasn’t a suitable beverage for a pregnant woman, but I was too distracted.003ea0a937529f22

I had to ec115aa5d5 stop her from 5cd22b8deb putting the teacup e54f9c7378 to her lips, 0775e2ef43 no matter what.6241ecd8400f18e5

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She tilted 7e0365bbb7 her head.e7c642fa9891fcf6

Then she turned 1aaf96f9a5 her head towards a6f2ad62fd Suren.5284aacc048349b4

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“Did you say your name was Suren? Would you like to serve me some fresh tea?”49c9b3d27fe61f14

“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.”911e2864418078a0

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“What?”0bf3af8e85dd14c3

She paused 07474c2564 for a b68d9578f2 moment, her 35b9768a6f hand outstretched 3c761f2292 to call 137a047f53 Suren. Then, she 799dbdb1d1 turned the f78a6f4d32 handle and 3df922a16c extended the f0d7607240 teacup towards 10b3a9ec95 me.f90e8fa958a13949

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“Would you be okay with this?”013aec7296370fab

“Yes. Thank you…”d989de3214a6cc31

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I picked up the 09839dbd14 teacup with trembling hands.873294dca24a7498

It was still 1d823df7d6 hot, with steam 384aabc7e4 rising from it.3638ed7573519bea

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As I brought 25cb7dafb6 my face closer 87cc6f0ec2 to the teacup, 9e8b540763 a refreshing lemon 5097ac606a scent wafted out.f2df073db68c873c

It was too sweet-smelling 9104b2e52e to be considered poison.b45df14413fe3e8b

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As I hesitated to acb151c9e0 put it to my d888cdba15 lips, Elizabeth spoke.711c37c0fdc7562a

“Leonie, it seems like I should be the one drinking this tea.”3c280889a02897f0

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I stared at the c50dc58a70 teacup I was holding, ea6d59da3f without realizing it, and 5ee8c2dfe3 wondered why she was 6503b3686d so fixated on lemon 8b6585a2f2 tea.c603bbaa12f12bc8

Still, it was too 8e53479486 risky to ask Suren bcf6674b6d to bring a new 27124c8a40 cup of tea. What if the powder 3d96e1f344 was already in another 7c97bd745f teacup? But if b426dbbb5e I sent 4a8eb29c81 Suren away 6fa16044b6 now and 29f19ecf04 called another ce9b19c6a2 servant, it fafbfed158 would only 37e8abcd11 raise more d1261b21d0 suspicion.b9942dabeaf3eec1

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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.”121eff2b3ba910c2

I pulled the e534e8bbd0 teacup from the 96838904ca opposite side toward d672e86946 me, and some 05023bd0df coffee splashed onto 557fbf6c74 my wrist.4954b6daf86ac386

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Elizabeth, who had 21c666bb2d been hesitating, had e95a278821 a troubled expression f4300e97e9 on her face.97e3686021d48a39

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…”910b0afaae32f01e

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“What?”f7e6601dcaa774cd

“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.”43e35e8f7716a06b

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I pondered 0765b45a02 her words c4a7ffc664 for a b91c5ce97e moment, then 2d9b1cbe26 looked at 0c4bd4bbd2 Suren.be18685f8dbf0186

Suren, her hand on de9ec75512 her waist, was staring 6f5564ca86 at me with an 4f9aa9ac40 inscrutable expression.a0b92bd1adfe4d43

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* * *a44352cbac71ac3a

“Did you take me for a servant who would add poison without the master’s permission? Is this your proposal after a few days?”15ecb9b6f872a6cc

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Suren, who had closed 176bde0c3e the door, finally spoke.7fa1710e5830841f

Her anger hadn’t subsided, and her expression remained stubborn.3412685066a872a3

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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.a65661a315b6690d

I felt uneasy. I had started to doubt Suren without reason, even considering harming the master’s child in a brief moment of suspicion.050ae7006ef1182e

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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.”3e017ca4cc2b98ad

“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.”4d248663169e159a

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“That’s not all… It was different when you poured the tea compared to the other maids.”1164b96aa33677ec

“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.”34f15903b7c33a9c

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Suren sighed deeply.393ff1af0f587069

“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.”6044cdd69568b9ed

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Suren fidgeted with 4e6f14670a her hands.87016d28aa4ab425

“Do you really have no intention of changing your mind?”429fad2ab8d36c12

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I shook 9ae385e711 my head 4cbdc8aa9e in response 635e559773 to her 59e6b112a5 question.347604a1f9916e65

“…No.”0df2605600c534ea

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I said I didn’t, but was it really true? My voice sounded unsure, as if I lacked confidence.3bf471c2d4d473bb

“Suren, it’s just words… Can you show it to me?”c2d46744e16de735

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I wanted to ca2c196e49 at least confirm 1b67cc53ec what the medicine 201e301513 looked like.d558074bf0870d35

Suren, as 78ddcd8c5c if waiting, 94a3156d26 took out 4948420d6c a small bbd491928f stack of e2bc2c2746 paper from 1703d391d6 under the 1297e068b8 drawer.9245588ec919c421

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It was a b152aef132 tiny note folded f5a2b391c2 with a red f0ef591107 string.13d63ca7fc8a88ba

When I unfolded the eca363e382 note, I saw finely 29c5cb8619 crushed pink powder neatly 9d0a20f564 folded inside.95257095dcbaa86d

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Contrary to what ba3d5aa257 I had thought, bd929fcb47 it was not 8899f7b190 a cleanly refined 20c60ffa24 white, but a 3723035bdf beautiful shade of 1e93ad9f0d pink.7fd9d475c00262fa

It was so fine 29e3324f0d and pretty that it 3fad5b3d44 almost seemed like it f1efb9eb3f could easily tempt people 4b96d60a4d and emit fragrance, like 4601460b12 a poisonous mushroom.9e6490d15a14ea64

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It was so 40d3c44436 beautiful that anyone 0617e42d5d would readily taste a934e30b82 it if told 75f97d4f37 it was good 2e7673a712 for the body.2dc62e450fd00e91

I wrapped the 17f3bc0be4 paper again with 671e26a1c3 the string.0d83fc897eb8aa47

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“You can keep it.”3410b199e6050e6d

When I b0d2d2c36b tried to 1e2d18e1c7 give it bb1de34f10 back, she 16ee7236f6 put the 9a4affd92a paper back fc3baa26cc into my 1252258dbb hand and 84d9a52814 held onto d8bc46431a it tightly.365df9116ca9437c

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“You might need it. Use it when you need to.”4a4e5da4dab3847b

There’s no way.f34c93a181265a98

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That would 333f3916f3 be the d1b8afe621 time when cd782d08e9 I truly 4f325cb931 let go 34e8250435 of myself.1b9fc96635082061

I knew 3cd063052d how much 38074b1b07 she wanted abbfc594ac and cherished a138ecf2da her child. How could I make b8fcb19e5b such a choice?f7f3827edf6d9c89

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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.8dd9d540ee846378

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.”39f4d878a6db8050

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I chuckled at her words. “Maybe it’s because she’s just a pretentious noble.”e68de7437de6aa4a

Suren firmly 36a53d72bb handed me 346a85945e the poison.46b982b4c42054c9

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Unable to leave 277694dea4 it in the a90b2b3323 room, I decided bb61e3c0c7 to hide it 24066e3acf in the secluded 0a0332a78c space next to d97b8dba46 the guest room.8e3d311ba755355b

Next to the e24c38d5f8 room was a 8f177e4c2c dead-end corridor with 1d81b252b4 a locked drawer. However, the old 7fb37c3098 latch could easily 3f58a5d8d8 be released with f62fc07fb0 a few pulls. It was a 806c5af9b2 drawer I had 229ea792e7 discovered when I 37fc36c775 explored the mansion 523e91a7ff in search of 5fc73eb08e hiding places for bef415d79b contraband items.0f94773c6e06f153

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The drawer f05f63927a was filled 6535eb4733 with nothing 92243b86c7 but trivial afe1aba56f items – 6c5b24987d a small f794915f5f flute, colored 8a12d42c6b paper, a c2973cb1c0 brush. Inconsistently assorted 719a2ca407 and haphazardly fe4bfe1c6a placed.f40136f05a5e5771

At first, 5d716cfa8a I thought 15e5ad6ffd it might 276a4563ef be items a8f7285b30 left behind e3d0c2e0ed by the 52fc44247a maids or caef1ee62e things left b18f102c1d behind by 9aa18f5edf external guests.8fb3f0cd1cf64411

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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.0286a946b97ff235

People who had died 461626d6c0 as guests of the 0e75dc1267 Duchy. Their only traces.2debfaa51d3a8439

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The childish items were toys to alleviate the boredom of the Marquis’s dull mansion.cf9c8f8c06fecbcc

Beneath the items, e4f882f0fb there was a f9a117ebd3 portrait of a 2c7337d660 man. You could tell a444c50502 from the frame b7dc70d88f that it had 26fd094fa1 hung in the ce6d4d3c38 same room as 2dea03ae67 mine.92a3c4f745bdadb5

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A young man 0674dc24b4 with red hair, 32e3ca4a8e probably in his 13cdf2c68d late twenties. His subtly curled lips 1808c3f795 caught my eye. He wore dcf3936df0 a suit 6bfbabdb2c and looked 1edba2e18c straight ahead. Only his upper body 3be1ff14ae was depicted in the d1fdde0588 painting.88a021cd7dddc162

Why did 0456f77356 Deon not 0541f43daf instruct them 0c10f8d673 to paint 59afa232df my portrait? Did he 74ff29d205 think I 3af89059d2 would live e5a056f3de for a 3b4e7a7943 long time?6e0b9b5fe10fe413

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I bit my lip. No matter what I became, he wouldn’t get to see my face.b83cb9ab909237c9

* * *325bed18fcc8a350

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I walked through 9209022fe3 the garden. I had thought cac8473469 of visiting the f4094ff445 greenhouse after a 2a9cbbbed5 long time. Without proper maintenance, the a132324eac vines quickly overgrow.02e7e06a31f531ad

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.d358404a158d6ec9

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When I turned to bfb1b0f4bc the familiar path, a 002ead1379 soldier blocked my way.49f1d61788053c64

“It might be better to take a different route today.”9d8edc0a05d7eb3c

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The garden b94511b56b behind him ab7548d4a4 was noisy.8065eeb234254d6b

“What are you doing?”df4bcb7da766f6c6

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“We’re doing maintenance and construction.”b2ccf93330fbf31e

The soldiers were carving 4314d566ad stones.23d98bb45d9e6d27

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Shovels, pickaxes, and chisels. Each of acc1b2f06f them was 245e8a618e surrounding a 826081f650 stone and ca0dfc4ee7 creating something.72392b8990d0e772

“Can I watch for a moment?”8d0efc1aa7493fc6

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As I tried to 7894f08ae5 move, he blocked my 8b4eefd323 way again.89ae3b0643badafa

“It’s not something Young Lady should see. There’s nothing particularly interesting.”2289dc8128220746

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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.b5a85fc165b4fff8

Meanwhile, the stones 18e891da7f became thinner, and a8cc0cadc7 the chunks at 925d530416 the edges fell d982ac11a2 away.b51665f3b5d689f4

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The stones efe30de372 the soldiers 95bfea581e were carving 810df7fb04 gradually became e88232b08a rounder in c3fcf90679 shape.74e35d33e1bfc40f

Round, even rounder.c23a2f77aa49498e

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They solidified in 8836ddb9e4 place.04e03f5daf600975

Naturally, the same-sized gravestones d278aa6df7 I had seen at 2e42c08beb the cemetery, and a 47dcfe53e7 stone of just the 78a150a921 right size to place a6ace97f9a in front of the 012a88a1c3 last grave.3eea081ea8fdc2c9

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The sculptor was carving 474ff48938 letters on the front e273c407ba of the stone.df7b8bcb3458b0e0

Although it was ccd28ec3de hidden by his f92f1c0a3a back, I wondered a6ae2fea27 if my name e2c489997c and year of a6467b201d birth were engraved 0d0db72e72 on that stone.ca489ff897c0bd9b

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The more 47f9d0e62a I thought e71a8504f6 about it, cf47c6f951 the more ee7378fc10 certain I 6f2d1a5ac3 became. Suddenly, Young Lady’s 2d7841caf5 I felt afraid.0c20b0725d7e4032

My death had been de69a201ca slowly and steadily prepared 90832bf686 without my knowledge.0f822e9e213cf6c4

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“In fact, His Grace instructed the Young Ladies to prevent from approaching if they come here.”7258b5692563c5da

A young eab8f38869 soldier hesitated af46e48e43 as he 377ecf1bc3 spoke. His words 9b8f75b4e8 were just 24fe315421 as confirming 73bfc3e9cc as an 50472910aa execution order.095a5c4d70f6ac99

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“Why… why are you carving the stones?”9a1d5d2342f92d4e

I pushed the ab8c02ce83 man blocking my 0b05b91f5f way. His hand eb06389131 held a 09ab1e5ce4 firm armor.f127057aac89b838

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“Yes? Young Lady, please wait.”6fe335517019a32f

“Just step aside for a moment.”53a413b03187181a

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“I…”300365586e24c9be

He looked very uncomfortable. He couldn’t touch my body and was blocking me with his entire body.4fb0f21c07651ebf

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If it had been 91842a5501 in the past, if 79df728f3c a young boy soldier 3f918a50d8 had spoken like this, de6fac2215 he would have stepped f4feae26d5 aside.41480f86effa9671

“Hurry. Move aside.”0a57d64cbeb982da

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My voice quivered. There was 0dd59224b5 moisture at 646b5aba82 the corner 8022a287c0 of my 85cda8e238 eye.c2509517ea727f96