As Kaiel bent down as if to check on her, Delia took a step back.

“I’m fine. I’m good. Perfectly fine.”

Her urgent voice trembled thinly, like the bleating of a lamb.

Kaiel, who had been gazing at her for a while, opened his mouth in a low voice.

“Did I…… make a mistake?”

Delia shook her head, unable to say anything.

Kaiel ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He had his usual sharp impression, but his eyes seemed to be suppressing something.

At that moment, Kaiel looked down at the tea in her hand. The anxious look that had enveloped him disappeared in an instant.

“What kind of tea is that?”

Delia held out the teacup with both hands. Her arms were shaking so madly that it was visible to the n*ked eye, and she had to clench them tightly to suppress it.

“I’m sorry for being so sensitive all day. So…… so I made it myself.”

Fortunately, she was able to hold out the teacup to him.

“It’s black tea. Please, have some.”

Kaiel, without any change in expression, quickly reached out and grabbed the teacup. He was completely back to his usual self. 

“Thank you.”

But contrary to his words, he did not pick up the tea and remained still, so Delia asked. 

“Take it. Why aren’t you taking it?”

“I can’t take it like this.”

“Ah.”

Delia realized she was gripping the teacup tightly and awkwardly loosened her grip. However, even though she loosened her grip, Delia still did not let go of the cup for a long time.

To an outsider, it might have looked comical, as if the two of them were facing off, clutching a single teacup.

In the end, it was Delia who let go first. 

Kaiel took the tea and said.

“I’ll be returning to Tranade soon. Once I’m gone, you won’t have to work as a researcher anymore.”

“……”

“I called you to tell you that.”

Delia tried to act indifferent, but it wasn’t as easy as she thought. Kaiel’s words went in one ear and out the other.

He asked, looking at her, who was so preoccupied with watching his hand holding the teacup that she seemed to be out of it.

“Aren’t you curious about what to do now?”

“Uh……”

As Delia was about to answer Kaiel’s question, his hand holding the teacup went up. In a few seconds, it would soon reach his mouth.

“I’m cu-cu-curious! I’m curious! I’m curious!”

Delia shouted in a loud voice. He paused and put the teacup down, saying.

“I didn’t know you were that curious.”

Delia was breathing rapidly. Her pupils were shaking wildly along with her unstable breathing.

Kaiel nonchalantly lifted the teacup again. Delia, as if she was about to jump out at any moment, hurriedly took a step forward.

“What are you doing?”

“I, I think there’s a bug in the tea……”

Delia awkwardly approached him, pulled down his wrist with both hands to check inside the teacup, and then let go again.

“There’s nothing…… I must have seen it wrong.”

Despite her suspicious behavior, Kaiel simply believed her words without a word.

“I see.”

After briefly examining the inside of the teacup, he slowly lifted it. Throughout the whole process, his eyes were fixed on Delia.

Delia’s eyes met his several times, but unfortunately, she didn’t even realize it.

‘Don’t drink it.’

Delia kept saying to herself.

‘You’ll die if you drink it. Don’t drink it!’

But she couldn’t bring herself to take back the tea she had given him.

The fear of the pain that remained in her body controlled her actions. Even if she wanted to stop him, she couldn’t. 

Wanting him to live, wanting him to die. The situation, which had transformed into a double-edged sword, seemed to pierce her heart.

It was the moment when Kaiel was really about to tilt the teacup and take a sip that Delia’s arm shot out in front of her.

Crash!

The cup slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor. 

Regret flooded in the moment she stretched out her arm, but it was too late to turn back. However, the moment the teacup fell to the floor and shattered, Delia felt the tightness in her heart loosen for a moment.

“……”

Along with the teacup split in half, the contents inside flowed out and soaked into the carpet.

Delia said with a complicated expression.

“I’ll, I’ll make you another cup.”

Her voice was thick with emotion. Her eyes staring at the broken teacup, her visibly trembling hands, and her pale face all looked precarious.

“That’s not necessary.”

“B, but still……”

As she spoke and moved her eyes, Delia looked at the sofa next to her and froze, her face draining of color.

The armrests and legs of the sofa in the office were made of elaborately decorated silver. One could imagine what would happen if the silver was stained with poison. The legs of the sofa began to turn black, stained where the tea had splashed as it overturned.

Delia swallowed hard and turned her head to check on Kaiel. 

He, too, was staring at the blackened sofa decoration. Delia’s vision blurred.

‘This is bad.’

Her heart was racing so fast she felt dizzy. 

‘What should I do now?’

Where should she start the story, what excuse should she make, how should she face his disappointed expression, what would happen to her mission? All these thoughts jumbled together in her head.

‘Excuses won’t work. My actions were already too suspicious!’

Telling the truth was out of the question. 

How could she possibly say that she had followed him here to kill him in the first place!

‘Should I just close my eyes and run away?’

She wasn’t confident enough to see his reaction. 

How could she face him openly after failing to poison him?

This mission was a complete failure. 

It was supposed to be the easiest way out of all the methods.

If she messed up this badly even with this, there was no way she could succeed with other methods.

‘What to do, what to do, what to do……!’

At that moment, Kaiel moved and approached the broken cup, kneeling down to take a closer look.

“Th…… I……”

Delia couldn’t finish her sentence and collapsed on the spot. 

She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t. Even if she had something to say, her voice wouldn’t come out.

She buried her face in her trembling palms. It was a time when she wanted to disappear into the darkness like this.

“Delia.”

His voice called her name. 

It wasn’t an angry, enraged, or disappointed voice filled with betrayal. It was just his usual low, pleasant voice. Maybe that’s why she felt even more nervous.

But then, completely unexpected words came out of his mouth.

“Delia, you broke the cup.”

Delia looked up with a dazed expression.

He said the cup was broken.

‘Can’t he see those black marks on the legs of the sofa?’

That couldn’t be true.

Kaiel turned his head to face Delia.

“Are you alright?”

At that moment, an unbearable feeling of frustration and sadness welled up inside her, and Delia buried her face in her palms again.

‘He’s asking if I’m alright……!’

It was a stupid question, worrying about the person who tried to poison him.

But Kaiel wasn’t stupid, so he must be doing this on purpose.

‘But why?’

If he was pretending not to know, what could be the reason?

Delia muttered with a confused expression.

“The, the sofa…… It’s poison, that. You must have, must have seen it.”

Kaiel glanced at the legs of the sofa and then turned back.

“Ah, I see.”

His eyes stared straight at her.

“You saved me, Delia.”

Delia’s mind went blank, and she froze.

“Thank you.”

What in the world was going on?

Was Kaiel really this clueless and simple-minded?

No, he wasn’t.

Now that she thought about it, she wondered if he had really intended to drink the tea. She had overlooked it because she was so nervous, but it was strange, wasn’t it?

No matter how much she interfered, if he really wanted to drink the tea, he could have done so countless times. 

But Kaiel only raised the teacup; he didn’t even bring it to his mouth until the very last moment.

‘Did he even touch it to his lips?’

As she glanced at his lips, sure enough, they were dry without a hint of moisture.

As Delia remained rooted to the spot, still half out of it, Kaiel moved and approached her.

Kneeling down to meet her eyes, he let out a soft breath and opened his mouth.

“When we return to Tranade, you can eat, sleep, play, and rest. That’s your job.”

Delia dropped her head.

‘He must know I poisoned it. Why?’

Kaiel gently lifted her head. 

“Answer me.”

“……Why……”

Delia couldn’t understand.

‘Could it be that he knew my intentions from the start? No, his actions so far don’t make sense if that’s the case. But it’s also strange if he just realized it now…….’

As Delia struggled with her jumbled thoughts, Kaiel suddenly pulled her to her feet. 

She stumbled as she stood up due to her nervousness, and he caught her. As she broke free from his embrace, Delia bit her lip.

“I…… I want to go. I’ll go. I’m going to eat.”

Her face looked like she was about to lose her mind.

Perhaps because he didn’t hear the answer he wanted, Kaiel said with a slightly sullen expression.

“Alright. I’ll eat with you.”

Delia started shaking her head.

“No! I, I’m eating alone, alone. Really, really don’t come…… Please. I don’t want to eat with Your Grace anymore. No, I can’t……”

Her tone was almost pleading. Kaiel’s eyes darkened for a moment. He let out a short sigh and replied.

“Alright.”

Kaiel brushed her messy hair behind her shoulder.

“Delia.”

He called her name and then summoned a servant waiting outside. 

While the servant was coming, Kaiel added in a low voice, only for Delia to hear.

“Don’t worry.”