FTA Ch 5

<Chapter 5>

 

“…What did you say?”

“Now that you’re free from the curse, just your existence is a threat to the Emperor.”

“…”

“That’s what I want.”

 

Leonard widened his eyes in surprise, which was unlike him.

Though he had become thin from years of suffering, his natural physique was still impressive, so he didn’t appear pitiful.

 

“I want to destroy this country.”

“…”

“I’ll take care of everything.”

 

Gloria smiled slightly, lifting the corners of her mouth as she spoke.

 

“You just need to reclaim the rightful power you should have had from the beginning.”

 

Leonard stood there, stunned, staring at her with blank eyes.

 

“I can help you.”

 

Gloria said firmly, without hesitation.

 

“So, use my help to restore your family.”

 

She believed this was something she could certainly do.

She felt she could become a fairly good partner with the man before her.

The combination of a Duke who had been used and abandoned, and a saint—there was probably no better pairing than this in the world.

Of course, she would need to think a bit more about how to join his family in the future.

 

“Then, I’ll use your family as my backing.”

 

Gloria reached out her hand toward the man, who looked up at her with uncertain eyes.

 

“I’ll survive until the end.”

 

Leonard looked down at the hand she offered.

Just moments ago, her hand had been bloodied, but now it was pristine and healed.

 

“What will you do?”

 

Leonard’s hesitation didn’t last long.

He grabbed her hand tightly—the hand that had willingly hurt itself for his sake.

 

* * *

 

That night, Gloria decided to spend time getting to know Leonard.

She also planned to briefly discuss their future plans.

For now, she was waiting for Leonard to finish his bath, which was attached to his bedroom.

 

‘It’s taking longer than I thought…’

 

Gloria, trying to suppress her boredom, passed the time by fiddling with her feet, sitting idly.

After quite some time, Leonard finally emerged from the bathroom.

 

“Did you wait long?”

 

A warm steam wafted out from the bathroom as he stepped into the room.

The tall man was wearing only a thin robe, covering his impressive physique.

 

“Yeah. You said you’d be out soon. Why did it take so long?”

“Sorry about that.”

 

Gloria not bothering with formalities, spoke bluntly, and Leonard, slightly embarrassed, clicked his tongue and pursed his lips.

 

“It’s been a while since I bathed on my own.”

 

Leonard brushed his wet hair aside as he sat down in front of her.

Gloria observed his face intently as they sat at a large table across from each other.

His handsome features were accentuated by his thinness, and his sharp nose and jawline stood out, making his masculine brow bones make his gaze even more intense.

Overall, he had a cold, almost distant appearance. Even as he regained his health and gained weight, that cool demeanor would probably remain unchanged.

 

“How have you been eating?”

 

Seeing how thin he was, it didn’t seem like he had been eating properly.

Just thinking about Reni’s reaction earlier made it easy to guess.

The servants were probably too afraid the curse would spread to feed him properly.

Lost in thought, Gloria glanced down at the teacup in front of her, which had been prepared when she first entered the bedroom.

Of course, the tea inside the teapot had cooled down, but she didn’t mind.

She poured the cold tea into the empty cup and brought it to her lips when Leonard spoke.

 

“You shouldn’t drink that.”

“Why?”

 

Gloria paused for a moment, tilting her head in confusion.

 

“It’s probably poisoned.”

 

Leonard answered lazily, then snatched the cup from her hand and placed it on the table.

Gloria widened her eyes in disbelief.

 

“…Poisoned?”

“Yeah.”

 

Leonard remained completely unfazed.

Gloria furrowed her brows and glared at the teacup in front of him.

 

“Who would put poison in a Duke’s tea?”

“My maid.”

 

Leonard answered bluntly in a dry voice, without hesitation.

He then casually drank the tea that Gloria had been about to sip.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Gloria’s eyes widened even more in shock.

 

“You just said the tea was poisoned. Why are you drinking it?”

“I’m immune to most poisons.”

 

Gloria was taken aback by Leonard’s calmness.

 

“Even so, knowing that it’s poisoned, you still drink it?”

“If I refuse this poisoned tea, the Emperor will find other ways to harm me.”

“…”

“It’s better to drink the poison.”

 

Gloria was at a loss for words.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine how long Leonard had been ingesting poison.

But it was clear that this was not a recent development.

After all, his calm demeanor now made no sense if he hadn’t been exposed to poison for a long time.

 

“So, what shall we talk about first?”

 

Leonard placed the empty teacup down, changing the subject.

Gloria, without a word, grabbed his wrist as he casually poured more tea into the empty cup.

Leonard’s shoulder flinched.

 

“What are you—”

“Don’t drink it.”

 

Gloria forcibly shook off his hand holding the teapot, standing up from her seat.

Without hesitation, she threw both the teapot and teacup out of the window.

Crash—

The loud sound of breaking pottery echoed from outside the window.

Even without seeing it, it was easy to guess that the delicate tea set had shattered into pieces.

 

“What is this nonsense?”

 

Leonard looked up at Gloria with a bewildered expression.

Gloria quietly closed the window and turned to face him.

She had made up her mind about what she needed to do first in this situation.

 

“First, I’ll get rid of all the servants. You’re going to leave this place with me soon anyway.”

 

Leonard was once again flustered, asking in confusion.

 

“…Leave? Where to?”

“I don’t know.”

“…”

“There are a few places I’m thinking of, but I haven’t decided yet.”

 

Whether it was reckless or simply decisive, Leonard was left speechless as he watched Gloria.

 

“Wait here.”

 

Gloria said that before heading out of the bedroom without a second thought.

Leonard was so stunned by the situation that he didn’t even try to stop her, sitting there dazed.

 

* * *

 

Just like when she first arrived at the Duke’s residence, there wasn’t a servant in sight.

Because of this, Gloria had to search the mansion thoroughly for a while before finding any servants.

 

‘Even a shabby temple in a small village wouldn’t be this bad.’

 

As she explored the mansion, she could clearly tell that the place was almost in a state of neglect. The mansion was large, but lacked any proper upkeep.

It had been left unattended for so long without caretakers or guards, which explained the situation.

It was clear there were very few servants living here, given that she hadn’t encountered a single person after wandering around for so long.

Feeling more and more frustrated, Gloria’s expression grew darker as she continued her search.

Just as she stepped into the garden, she spotted someone.

 

“E-excuse me, Saint…?”

“Reni.”

 

Gloria saw Reni, who had just returned to the mansion

Reni looking surprised and unable to hide her unease.

 

“You must have been out somewhere.”

 

At this late hour, Reni’s suspicious behavior was hard to ignore.

 

“That… that’s…”

 

Gloria caught sight of a small pouch Reni had hurriedly hidden behind her back.

 

“Why haven’t you gone back yet?”

 

Reni awkwardly tried to change the subject, her nervousness obvious.

Gloria watched her closely before casually saying,

 

“That thing you’re holding… it’s poison, isn’t it?”