Chapter 93. Love Potion

Is there anyone else in the world who has suffered as long as I have from Melissa?

I knew Melissa very well. How she thinks and acts, and what desires underlie her behavior.

Basically, Melissa is highly delusional.

Furthermore, she takes pleasure in the pain of others and commits unethical acts without hesitation… In other words, she is a person who is lacking something.

If Melissa had been smart and meticulous, I would have suffered several times more. Fortunately, Melissa had many flaws.

Choosing Melissa as a soldier… Is she a discarded card for Angela?

I don’t know for sure, but if it were Angela, she would have already planned a scenario in her head to cut Melissa off like a knife.

Anyway.

‘You look much better and more confident than before, Melissa.’

At least on the outside.

Inside, there wouldn’t be much change. People don’t change easily…

‘I can roughly guess how Angela intends to use Melissa…’

It doesn’t seem very threatening. Melissa’s sudden actions would be more problematic than Angela’s schemes.

As mentioned earlier, Melissa’s delusions are pathologically severe, and she often commits absurd acts based on those delusions.

This time will probably be no different. What kind of scheme could she have… Hmm, nothing comes to mind. It’s not easy to understand Melissa’s twisted psychology in detail.

“Your Highness…”

Lady Haywood called me with a worried voice. I glanced at her and gave a faint smile.

“Don’t worry, Countess Haywood.”

“…I never thought Lady Besnard would recruit Lady Melissa… It must be with ill intentions.”

Well, probably. It’s unfortunate that it won’t be very effective. Angela will soon discard the card called Melissa she holds in her hand. Melissa’s value is extremely low.

Just then, Angela looked this way, whispered something to Melissa, and started approaching us.

I watched her approach indifferently, feeling like ‘come if you want.’

“Your Highness, how have you been?”

Angela greeted me with a bright smile. I suddenly remembered the contents of the letter she sent after the department store incident. She said that she acted out of emotion and was very sorry, asking for forgiveness.

Since I couldn’t let a conflict arise between the Besnard family and me because of Angela alone, I replied that I understood.

But still…

To greet me with such a brazen face and smile. She’s truly a person with an unusually thick skin.

“I’ve been doing exceptionally well. As you know, I’m newlywed.”

Even though I deliberately said something provocative, Angela just smiled innocently. It seemed she wouldn’t be easily provoked anymore.

“I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. Oh, by the way, how about greeting Lady Melissa? After all, she is your sister.”

Look at this.

I tried to suppress a laugh and managed my expression. She knows about the bad blood between me and the Lopez family, yet she deliberately tries to link me and Melissa as family. Her intentions are obvious.

Later, when a problem arises, she’ll probably say, ‘I had no ill intentions,’ with an innocent face. The future is as clear as day.

“Sister…”

Melissa called me with a pitiful voice that made my skin crawl, clasping her hands together as if in prayer.

Her slowly blinking green eyes were filled with a timid light, and her expression looked extremely servile.

“It’s been a while… How have you been? I… worried a lot about you…”

“……”

It was a truly pathetic act. I almost wanted to applaud Angela’s malice in planning this situation. If I acted harshly towards Melissa, they would paint me as an unforgiving person.

‘If I act according to my feelings, I’ll fall into Angela’s trap…’

I had no desire to play the role of Melissa’s kind sister, not even a grain of sand’s worth.

I knew well enough what Melissa and Beatrice Palmen were saying to explain the rumors that the Lopez family abused the Grand Duchess.

‘All the ab*se is a misunderstanding by the Grand Duchess, and although the eldest, Helene, was somewhat mean to her, Melissa never did such a thing. Melissa is a kind lady.’ … Something like that.

Even though such ridiculous excuses might have worked on some, most didn’t believe it, so I didn’t care. But to think Angela would use that story like this.

‘How despicable…’

I hated Angela’s way of doing things. So much so that I didn’t want to act meekly. Even if someone misunderstood me as a cold-hearted and unkind person.

Enoch’s voice suddenly echoed in my head.

‘You should act a bit more arrogantly. Why are you so timid?’

Right, at this point, I too should act arrogantly. After all, I didn’t want to get sick from stress with my limited time left.

I put on the most splendid smile I could muster. Then, I sharply retorted to Melissa.

“My worry? You? Don’t make me laugh, Melissa.”

“S-sister, I…”

“Don’t call me sister. We are not blood-related. I have never considered you or your family as my family. And remember. No matter how much you and your family suffer or how much your life falls into ruin, I will never pity or forgive you.”

“……”

“And, Lady Besnard.”

Angela was about to speak as if she had been waiting for this moment, but I cut her off.

“I thought you cared about your reputation. Why are you associating with someone like Melissa Lopez? If you don’t want to be treated as the same kind, you should cut her off quickly.”

“…What? How could you say such a thing…”

Angela, not expecting me to speak so bluntly, was visibly flustered and stammered.

I smirked at her and walked past her, weaving through the crowd.

At the entrance of the party hall, Enoch was waiting for me with his arms crossed. He looked like a perfect statue of a mythical figure.

When our eyes met, a playful smile spread across his formerly cold face. It was as if a work of art had come to life.

As I finally reached him, Enoch extended his hand towards me.

“Shall we go back?”

“That won’t do.”

I answered with a sigh-like laugh, and he, despite his disgruntled expression, asked, “Then, the lounge?”

I quietly nodded. If we went to the lounge for a while, Angela and Melissa would be gone when we returned. Unless they were completely oblivious to the fact that they had ruined the party’s atmosphere.

“Alright, I’ll escort you to the lounge, wife. You were quite impressive just now. Keep acting that way. It surprisingly suits you.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his consistent remarks.

* * *

People were whispering.

“Her Highness seems to have changed a lot.”

“Right? She’s different from when she was a baron’s daughter.”

“How should I put it… The way she speaks… It’s just like the Grand Duke.”

At someone’s words, people showed subtle expressions and then burst into small laughter. It wasn’t malicious laughter. It was more of amazement.

“They say couples resemble each other.”

“Indeed.”

It was already a well-known fact that the Grand Duke cherished the Grand Duchess very much.

Conservative nobles still didn’t favor the Grand Duchess, who had foreign blood, but they didn’t antagonize the Grand Duke. They couldn’t dare to.

So, Angela Besnard probably had no choice either. The only way was to tarnish the Grand Duchess’s personal reputation.

But it didn’t work.

What was the mistake? Melissa watched Eleanor and the Grand Duke of Bayern from behind a pillar.

Angela had long left the party hall, using dizziness as an excuse. Melissa, who had accompanied her, was left abandoned like duck eggs on the riverbank.

Gritting her teeth in the darkness, Melissa began to bite her nails like crazy. Her low-saturated green eyes were as gloomy as a misty moss forest.

There was only one mistake.

The famous figures who ruled the capital’s social circles were much more favorable towards Eleanor than expected.

Since they led public opinion, people naturally followed the trend. The existence of Melissa Lopez, which was on their lips, had now become ‘a shameless and conscienceless woman.’

After all, she was the daughter of the Lopez family that abused the Grand Duchess. Someone had criticized, saying it was outrageous, “She’s not even the patriarch’s real daughter.”

Melissa fell into a panic at the cold criticism directed at her.

‘This isn’t right…’

She believed in Angela’s plan. She thought that if she did as Angela said, public opinion criticizing Eleanor would arise.

But the plan failed, and Angela, as if she had somewhat expected this, turned her back on Melissa.

Only then did Melissa realize. She was just being used.

And she was nothing more than a disposable tool.

“……”

Melissa bit her lip hard. Her insides were boiling. Angela, Eleanor… If she could just make them kneel before her and trample them, she would have no other wish.

Burning with endless hatred, Melissa stealthily took out a small glass bottle from her reticule. It was her secret weapon, which she hadn’t even told Angela about.

The pinkish-red liquid inside the glass bottle sparkled transparently under the chandelier light. Melissa took it and headed to the servant area of this mansion.

The place she found was the waiting room where the servants’ clothes and belongings were organized. Fortunately, there was no one inside when she opened the door and entered.

Melissa grabbed a tuxedo from one of the lockers. But the male servant’s clothes were too big for her.

So she had no choice but to wear a maid’s uniform. She had seen earlier that there were quite a few maids in the party hall, so she thought she could blend in without much trouble.

After dressing up, Melissa even stole a pair of glasses she found in the locker and went outside.

The glasses had a prescription, making her vision somewhat blurry, but not to the point where she couldn’t distinguish people’s faces.

Thus, disguised as a maid, Melissa returned to the party hall and immediately identified the location of the Grand Duke of Bayern. He was talking with a gentleman, separate from Eleanor.

Now was the opportunity. Melissa’s heart pounded like it was being bombarded. Her hands trembled with tension, but she opened the glass bottle and poured the liquid into a champagne glass.

The champagne mixed with the love potion had a slightly darker color, but it wasn’t suspicious. The scent was also the same.

With a sinister smile, Melissa placed the champagne glass with the love potion on a tray along with other glasses. Then she approached the Grand Duke of Bayern.

“If the Baile Canal extends to the southeast of Asir…”

“Wouldn’t it be difficult to persuade the Prince of Asir? He’s a very stubborn man.”

Just then, the Grand Duke placed his empty champagne glass on a nearby table, and Melissa quickly replaced it with the glass containing the love potion.

From the outside, it seemed like ‘that maid is very quick at her job.’

However, the maid wearing glasses was none other than Melissa, hiding her sinister intentions.

She waited with bated breath, hoping the Grand Duke would drink the champagne. If he took even a sip, she would immediately approach him and make him see her… Then…

‘The Grand Duke will finally love me.’

Her heart was filled with joy. She couldn’t suppress the grin creeping up her face.

The Grand Duke’s hand finally touched the champagne glass. He lifted it lightly and was about to bring it to his lips.

“Enoch, are you done talking?”

Of all times. Eleanor appeared at that moment, interrupting him from drinking the love potion. Melissa bowed her head deeply to hide her contorted face. Why, why are you interfering again? D*mn Eleanor…!

“Well, I don’t think there’s much more to talk about. Right? Marquis Wistad.”

“Indeed, I shall take my leave. Please enjoy your time together…”

Melissa bit her lips hard. The situation was getting worse. What if the Grand Duke put down the champagne without drinking it? He needed to take at least one sip…

“Oh, I’m thirsty. Is that champagne?”

“Yes. Would you like some?”

‘No…!’

But Melissa couldn’t intervene.

If she rushed forward without the Grand Duke drinking the love potion, her identity would be revealed, and it would all be for nothing.

Eleanor smiled slightly as she received the champagne glass from the Grand Duke. She then brought the rim to her lips and tilted the glass.

Oh, no.

Melissa watched in despair as the love potion went down Eleanor’s throat.