“You may raise your head.”

At Reibella’s words, Henan raised his head. Following him, the servants also raised their heads and lowered their gazes.

“You must be tired, right? I’ll guide you to your room first.”

Henan guided Reibella to her room with a friendly smile. However, the location was in the main building where direct family members would stay, not in the guest wing.

Soon stopping in front of a room, Henan said.

“Since this was decided today, we couldn’t properly prepare Miss’s room. We’ll depart for the territory tomorrow, so please bear with it just for today despite any shortcomings.”

……Shortcomings?

Unlike his humble words, the room he provided was extremely luxurious. It was almost intimidating to enter.

‘Are they trying to establish dominance because someone from Felicity came?’

While she might understand if it was the Duke whom she had met before, she didn’t think the people under him would have good feelings toward Felicity. Reibella swallowed her shallow doubts and answered.

“This room is too much for me. Is this really where I’m staying?”

“Too much? I’ve heard well about Felicity’s splendor and elegance. We’ll do our best to decorate your room in the territory befitting you.”

No, where did you get that from my words……?

Honestly, when she lived as Lady Felicity before, being surrounded by sparkling things was normal, so she used to think such a life was natural. But after her past life’s memories surfaced, and soon after her family was exterminated, those things disappeared.

After being chased by knights and sleeping in stables, and even spending a few days in prison, she would have been happy anywhere as long as there was a soft bed where she could avoid rain and wind and sleep peacefully.

But it was bothersome to explain such petty things, so she decided to leave it be.

“What about the Duke?”

She asked, thinking she should at least pay her respects since she had arrived, but Henan answered with an apologetic expression.

“The Duke has stepped out momentarily. I will inform you when he returns.”

“Even late at night is fine. Please let me know whenever the Duke has time.”

“Yes, understood, Miss.”

After he bowed politely and turned around, Reibella’s luggage was brought in.

However, there was clearly one small bag added that she had never seen before among her original luggage. When Reibella opened the bag with a puzzled expression, she found a small glass vial containing a transparent liquid along with a note.

The shape of the glass vial was familiar.

‘It’s the antidote.’

It seemed the Emperor had sent it.

‘……When?’

She had definitely checked her luggage before boarding the carriage. The bag hadn’t been there until then. When did this get mixed in?

‘Is this how they threaten?’

That they’re watching from anywhere, at any time.

That if she has other thoughts, they won’t send the antidote.

Reibella clicked her tongue and read the note. The content was an explanation about the poison.

‘At first, it says I might get a fever and chills like a mild cold, so take more antidote.’

Reibella, who let out a small sigh, dug through her luggage again and took out a bundle of flowers wrapped tightly in cloth.

Raffle. The antidote herb.

‘There’s even a vase.’

Someone must have packed it while preparing her luggage. Checking the note, there was a message from Raniel.

[It’s a vase containing magic stones. It’s a gift I received from Her Highness the Princess long ago, but I think you’ll need it more.]

She used to mix the antidote herb with other flowers to make bouquets to avoid suspicion, but it seems she was misunderstood as liking the flowers.

‘I was worried about the antidote herb, so this worked out well.’

Although vases containing magic stones were extremely expensive, they had the effect of keeping flowers fresh for a long time. Since the antidote herb needed to be eaten fresh, she had picked plenty before coming here. It was fortunate.

‘But when should I eat it?’

Originally, she had planned to eat it in the carriage right after leaving the palace. But after seeing the note, she became cautious about whether now would be the right timing.

Even if it was poison, not all symptoms were the same. One might look fine on the outside, or sweat profusely, or get headaches.

To deceive the Emperor’s spy from now on, she thought she should first find out how the poison’s effects manifested. Thinking this, she put the raffle back.

‘How do I find the spy?’

They clearly said someone would be watching nearby. Despite already having a spy in Vicheravali, they sent her, which means the current person probably hasn’t infiltrated deep into the Duke’s family.

No, wait.

‘Do I really need to worry about this?’

Couldn’t I just run away……?

Her previous resolution to go to the Kingdom of Baribe came to mind again. Although the plan had fizzled out after meeting Calyx and returning to the palace, it was time to bring it up again.

If she ran away, she wouldn’t need to deceive the spy’s eyes, and she wouldn’t get involved with a family that would be tragically exterminated along with the unfilial act of a son killing his father.

Moreover, Felicity’s false accusation of abusing the princess still hadn’t been cleared. Getting involved with Royan, the princess’s follower, would only threaten her life. It would be better to run away before that.

……This sounds completely good? 

 * * *

 Having decided to run away, now she needed a plan.

While pondering that plan, night quickly deepened.

Around when human activity had decreased within the mansion, Reibella began to move. Having no presence was quite useful at times like this.

Looking around carefully, Reibella left the corridor and headed toward the mansion’s back door, where after a brief search, she discovered a carriage standing outside.

‘That’s it!’

Reibella scurried over and hopped onto the cart attached to the carriage. This carriage was the garbage carriage present at every mansion, handling the day’s waste from the mansion. It usually operated late at night or early dawn, when noble people weren’t active.

It was the servants’ role to dispose of dirty things without catching the eyes of distinguished people.

It was the same in Felicity and the imperial palace, so she had hoped, and fortunately, Vicheravali was no different.

Reibella waited for the carriage to depart while breathing through her mouth with her nose blocked. Fortunately, the carriage started moving not long after. Reibella carefully raised her head to look outside the cart.

The carriage that left the mansion area moved toward the commercial district, and Reibella jumped off when the carriage briefly slowed down. The place she arrived at after hurrying her steps was a wide commercial alley. It was a place where merchant groups gathered.

While other streets were all dark, drawing the last scenery of the day, this place was different. Despite the late hour, it was bustling with people coming and going and haggling over goods. They were people getting ingredients or items to stock their stores for the next day’s business.

Threading through the bustling crowd, Reibella followed an old memory toward one store. The place she arrived at looked relatively less busy than others.

‘Still, this is the right place.’

Looking through the store’s window, it was full of items from the Kingdom of Baribe. She had discovered this place by chance while playing with children on the festival day, but who knew it would help like this.

When she first resolved to escape, Reibella had planned to go to the information guild to get information and maps about how to get to the Kingdom of Baribe.

But after thinking more, she concluded that wasn’t a good method.

This was the Empire’s center, the capital. Guilds friendly to the princess dominated this area. Although they would say they keep clients’ personal information secret, such things wouldn’t work against the princess, and if she made a mistake, the Emperor might discover her attempt to escape before she even tried.

So Reibella decided on the alternative of getting information from regular merchants.

Hoping that choice was right, Reibella entered the store with an excited heart.

“Excuse me.”

At the slightly shy call, a large burly man approached. He looked down for a while and said with a gruff face.

“What brings you here, kid?”

His cold examining gaze suggested he didn’t think she was a customer. Reibella stared at him directly and answered.

“I want to get a gift for my grandmother. It seems you have many items from the Kingdom of Baribe. Could you recommend something?”

At the question specifically pointing out the Kingdom of Baribe, his previously rude gaze took on a different color.