Verit genuinely wanted to keep this maid by her side.

“What’s your name?”

The maid opened her mouth with the same calm smile from before.

“I’m called Haina, Miss.”

Her appearance was pretty to look at, and even her name was beautiful.

She was nothing short of perfect to keep by her side.

“Can you continue attending to me from now on?”

The haughty noble lady made a request rather than a command.

Haina firmly grasped Verit’s hands and smiled brightly.

“Of course, Miss. I’m so happy to attend to you.”

Not knowing this was the signal of a predator catching its prey, Verit simply smiled brightly along with Haina.

* * *

After finishing her satisfying styling, Verit came out to the garden with Haina.

The place they’d decided to have tea time was a terrace set up in a garden planted with flowers famous for being gorgeous and beautiful.

“What did you do before coming to the mansion, Haina?”

“I served someone of high standing. It’s thanks to that person that I came here.”

“Really? Who was it?”

At Verit’s words, Haina, who was holding a parasol, hesitated.

When the shadow didn’t follow, Verit stopped walking too.

“Haina?”

“…It’s someone you know well, Miss.”

“Really? If it’s someone I know… who is it?”

“…”

Innocent. Excessively so.

When she’d dismissed the maids earlier, she had the atmosphere of a villainess in her mid-teens, but now she showed the pure appearance of a child fitting her eleven years.

‘She resembles the Empress more than the Marchioness.’

Commanding people and reigning over them came far too naturally to her.

She wasn’t the type to come from between the worry-filled Marchioness and the Marquis who had little interest in others.

‘I guess even half-siblings share some things.’

It was a scathing criticism that could only come from someone who knew both their pasts sickeningly well.

As Verit and Haina approached the terrace, the Marchioness shot to her feet.

She’d done so out of joy at meeting her daughter after a long time, but unfortunately, it didn’t last.

“Come here, my dear…”

Verit tilted her head in puzzlement, but the Marchioness couldn’t maintain her smile even forcibly.

She’d discovered Haina attending as a maid.

Her complexion immediately turning deathly pale was the natural progression.

‘Why is Haina by her side?’

Since when, and how had she approached Verit?

“…Let’s sit first.”

A maid waiting nearby brewed tea and poured it into teacups.

Trickle—

Unlike Verit, who savored the tea’s aroma and asked what kind it was, the Marchioness couldn’t quite focus on her daughter.

The Empress sending Haina was to monitor her, but she felt there must be another reason.

‘I never touched Verit. So it’s not an absurd guess.’

Haina’s movements and the Empress’s proposal began to muddle her mind.

Was it really right to let the First Princess approach in order to protect her daughter?

What if she fell into greater danger? Could she overcome it then?

Worries and doubts chasing each other led her to the world of unconsciousness.

The tea leaves painstakingly procured from a foreign country to spend time with Verit no longer entered her vision.

Then Verit’s voice broke the Marchioness’s reverie.

“Mother, your tea has gone cold.”

“Ah…”

The teacup that had been steaming hot had grown cold.

Verit was looking at her with a worried expression, and Haina was observing the mother and daughter throughout with an unreadable face.

“I, I was distracted for a moment. I’m sorry, my dear.”

The Marchioness clenched her hands tightly under the table, barely holding onto her composure.

“Warm the tea.”

“Yes, Miss.”

While the maid brewed tea again, Verit cautiously spoke up.

“…Mother, did something bad happen?”

“What do you mean? Nothing like that.”

“But your expression wasn’t good. Your complexion is dark too.”

The maid brought the quickly warmed tea in a teacup to the table.

The Marchioness sipped the warmed tea and decided to calm down a bit.

“I had something to think about for a moment, and it seems that’s why. More than that, this mother prefers seeing our daughter’s smiling face rather than worrying.”

“Mother…”

Verit choked up at the Marchioness trying hard to smile.

‘She loves her family this much, yet because of that banquet…’

If only she hadn’t encountered that illegitimate child that day, she wouldn’t have gotten angry and her mother wouldn’t have been upset.

“…Actually, I wrote a letter because I felt so sorry after the banquet. I think I was too consumed by emotions that day.”

“No, my dear. Don’t blame yourself.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself either, Mother. Please.”

“…Alright, I promise.”

Tears welled up in both mother and daughter’s eyes.

The Marchioness carefully tore open the envelope Verit handed her and unfolded the letter.

A smile naturally bloomed at the densely written words.

She could vividly picture how much thought went into writing this.

However, just as she moistened her throat with tea again and was about to read the letter,

“Cough…!!”

A violent cough came up.

Her throat burned. She instinctively covered her mouth and coughed, but couldn’t completely block it.

‘Blood…?’

The thick liquid on her hand was red.

Her body heaved greatly with the painful coughing.

Though she covered her mouth, blood flowed through the gaps and droplets of blood splattered everywhere as she moved.

“Mom? Mom!!”

Verit’s shocked face flickered beyond her blurry vision.

She couldn’t see Haina’s face standing behind Verit.

She couldn’t confirm what expression she was making, like someone had smudged it.

“Butler! Butler!”

She saw Verit urgently searching for someone.

Her precious daughter was crying desperately, and maids and servants moved frantically.

Soon her body tilted and moved away from the table.

Someone’s warmth touched her body, and her head seemed to spin.

The last thing she saw was the ceiling of the terrace where they’d had tea time.

And then there was a blackout.

* * *

With the Marchioness suddenly collapsing, the Marquisate of La Voletta went into emergency mode.

To save her dying life, they called every famous physician they could, and even brought a priest from the temple by paying money.

Three hours after treatment began.

Finally, the priest emerged from the Marchioness’s bedroom.

“Is Mother alright?”

“Yes, the treatment went well. It was fortunate it was a Mainti-type poison—if it had been a Lyubre-type poison, we probably couldn’t have even detoxified it.”

“That’s a relief…”

At the priest’s words, Hesion finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After receiving a sudden contact from the Crown Prince in the morning and hurrying to the palace, to receive word in the afternoon that the Marchioness had collapsed and he should come urgently.

He wondered if all this could really happen in one day.

‘Even bad luck shouldn’t be this bad.’

Once he relaxed, he noticed his surroundings.

The servants whose complexions had been pale returned to their positions, and the bustling mansion also seemed to gradually settle down.

“I’ve detoxified her, but that doesn’t mean there are no aftereffects, so she may not be able to get up for a while.”

“How long will recovery take?”

“About ten days should be sufficient.”

For having ingested poison, it was a shorter period than expected.

“Then I’ll be going. If any problems arise, please contact the temple.”

“Take care.”

After seeing off the priest, Hesion immediately went to find Verit.

Perhaps from the shock, Verit hadn’t taken a single step out of her room even while the Marchioness was receiving treatment.

‘How frightened she must have been.’

Having seen someone collapse coughing up blood right before her eyes, it was fortunate she hadn’t fainted.

As he approached Verit’s room, he heard an unfamiliar voice conversing with Verit.

‘A woman?’

Unfamiliar yet somehow familiar.

Like a voice he’d heard before.

‘Come to think of it, it’s different from Verit’s maid’s voice.’

Since Hesion and the Marchioness had chosen Verit’s maid together, it was natural for Hesion to know her voice.

‘I should check.’

Hesion knocked on Verit’s door.

Knock knock—

“Verit, may I come in?”

“…Please come later, Brother. I’m not in good condition right now.”

“I’m worried about you. Mother’s treatment went well. So…”

“Later, Brother.”

Verit firmly refused, cutting off Hesion’s words.

Hesion momentarily froze, not expecting Verit to come on so strong.

‘Was Verit always this kind of child…?’

His usually quiet and gentle sister’s voice contained gloom and anger.

Whether it was from shock or some change, one thing was certain—she was different from before.

“…I failed to be considerate of you. Rest, and let’s talk later.”

“…”

Verit didn’t answer until the end.

Returning to his room, Hesion took out a communication magic device from his pocket.

A golden orb engraved with the dragon that was the imperial crest.

Hesion stared intently at the orb.

The Crown Prince’s words when he handed over this device during the day echoed in his ears.

“If you’ve decided, contact me with this.”

Was it right to accept his proposal?

Was he making the wrong choice?

But with his mother nearly dying today, Hesion became certain.

What that discordant feeling he’d sensed in the mansion for the past few days was.

Why the Crown Prince had made such a proposal to him.

When he pressed the very center of the orb, the transparent sphere began turning purple.

Soon, when it had completely dyed from purple to black, Hesion opened his mouth.

“…Your Highness.”

He could no longer just stay still while only doubting.

The Marquis’s condition grew more serious day by day, and strange things kept happening in the mansion.

– Have you decided?

“Yes, I’ll accept the proposal.”

– …There can be no going back. Are you certain?

“I’m certain. However, I also have a condition.”

– What is it?

“Help me meet Evolaine.”

Who poisoned the Marchioness, who the changed maid attending Verit was.

Why Verit felt different from usual.

He had to find out everything.

To reclaim their original daily life, without fail.