[SUDDEN QUEST IN PROGRESS!]
‘Drink from the cup meant for the Emperor!’
TIP 1! The system always prioritizes the player’s safety 🙂
TIP 2! Be prepared to faint!

“……?”

After reading the system window that suddenly appeared once, twice, three times, four times… more than five times, she finally understood what it meant.

Leaving aside the sudden quest, telling her to drink from the Emperor’s cup and then talking about her safety and preparing to faint could only mean one thing.

‘…Are they telling me to drink poison instead?’

If she were at home, she would have screamed, but she couldn’t do that in the grand banquet hall, which was frustrating.

Why should I, who lived as a good citizen, suddenly have to drink poison? I haven’t done anything wrong.

Prioritizing safety and telling me to drink poison!

This crazy game had been quiet for a while, and now it was screwing her over in such a way she never imagined.

Raising her gaze, she saw the Emperor talking to a man. After exchanging a few words, a servant beside them brought a cup, and the man was about to hand it to the Emperor…

‘What happens if I don’t proceed with this?’

As if reading Lysith’s fleeting thought, the system chimed again.

[WARNING!]
[No other path can be found outside this route.]
[Loading…]

‘Damn…’

Cursing inwardly, something she rarely did, Lysith finally moved her feet.

Whether it turned out to be a disaster or a success, she had to try.

Judging by the system window’s warning, it seemed that this was indeed the path to targeting the Emperor, making all her previous worries seem trivial.

After ensuring her passive was activated, she hurried her steps.

The man handing the wine glass to the Emperor was a Count from the Noble faction. His name was, let’s see, Count Hanel.

Under normal circumstance, the Emperor wouldn’t drink it even if he accepted it, or there wouldn’t even be a situation where he would accept it, but strangely, the Emperor naturally took the wine glass handed to him.

Assessing the situation, Lysith was convinced.

This was either a situation the Emperor had deliberately created or one that was unfolding as intended.

In that case, her intervening in this situation…

“Greetings to the brilliant sun of the Empire.”

…was akin to an act of suicide.

“……Who is this? Isn’t it Lady Gronevelt?”

But whether his plan failed or not was none of her concern. Whether she died from poison, got beheaded, or failed the quest, it was all the same.

Regardless of the Emperor’s subtle displ*asure, Lysith naturally inserted herself into their conversation with a gentle smile.

“Forgive me for intruding on your conversation so suddenly, Your Majesty.”

“No. Would I punish the lady for something like this?”

The subtle undertone in his words made her swallow dryly. His tone and manner were relaxed and gentle, yet the back of her neck felt chillingly cold.

His blood-red eyes clearly revealed his displeasure. It wasn’t that he couldn’t hide it; he chose not to.

He was undoubtedly in a bad mood because things weren’t going as he had planned.

The ‘I’m sorry’ directed at the Emperor implied that she would accept any punishment if he intended to give it. But his response, ‘Would I punish the lady?’ suggested that he wasn’t happy with what she had done, but he’d let it slide because of her family.

Lysith, who felt like she’d sighed five hundred times internally, trusted in her passive and continued to speak.

“I’m relieved you’re not displeased. It’s been a while, Count Hanel.”

“Hmm. To see the famous Lady Gronevelt up close, it seems my day will be lucky.”

‘Lucky, my as$.’

If things went as Lysith thought, the Count’s day would end in chaos.

And what? Famous? It felt like her blood pressure was rising rapidly at the choice of words, similar to the old-fashioned man she had just dismissed.

But she couldn’t show that, so Lysith responded with a smiling face.

“Is that so? I didn’t know I’d become such a symbol of fortune without realizing it.”

“You’ve been keeping to yourself, haven’t you?”

That’s true. Lysith dismissed it simply and fixed her gaze on the glass the Emperor was holding.

Count Hanel was not someone she had much to fear. In a physical fight, she would undoubtedly lose, but at least in this banquet hall, she had the upper hand.

“But isn’t there a reason the lady suddenly approached me?”

Under the chandelier, his platinum hair shimmered like waves. Beneath that hair, his blood-red eyes glinted, and sweat trickled down her back. It felt like her neck would be on the line if she made a mistake. Of course, the current Emperor wasn’t that much of a tyrant, but…

“Didn’t the Count just hand His Majesty a glass of wine?”

“Indeed.”

“I couldn’t help but step forward out of concern as a subject. …It’s only natural, considering it’s a drink for none other than Your Majesty.”

The previously relaxed atmosphere suddenly tensed.

Lysith discreetly swallowed and subtly shifted her gaze. She thought she briefly made eye contact with Dietrich, who was standing far away, frowning like he was trying to grasp the situation.

Turning her gaze back to the Emperor, Lysith smiled faintly.

Anyone who didn’t understand the implication of her words must have wasted their years.

At first glance, it seemed like a simple warning about the danger of poison, but that wasn’t the only meaning.

“……Hmm.”

“……”

“So, what the lady means is… ‘It can’t happen again,’ is that it?”

“There’s no harm in being careful, Your Majesty.”

The sharp gaze that seemed like it could cut through softened considerably. It wasn’t goodwill or affection, just a curious gaze mixed with a hint of wonder as to why this woman was suddenly acting this way.

Accepting that gaze with a smile, Lysith subtly glanced at Count Hanel, who couldn’t manage his expression.

As mentioned earlier, he was part of the Noble faction, so there was no way he didn’t understand what this situation implied.

Most people believed the former Emperor’s cause of death was poisoning. Though the situation was different, Lysith aimed for this.

“Lady, your statement just now…”

“You mean it’s dangerous? But there’s no reason not to suspect.”

Count Hanel, whose thoughts became complicated by Lysith’s words, began to ponder.

The other person was Lady Gronevelt. Even if she were just a lady, she would naturally be threatening from his position, but Count Hanel knew the rumors that were rampant in social circles.

The Grand Duke seemed to have taken an interest in her again, and the Tower Master would drive anyone who messed with her to the brink of bankruptcy, according to those rumors.

In the distance, they could see Grand Duke, frowning and looking in their direction. The Tower Master seemed not to have arrived yet, but since he had expressed his intention to attend, it was only a matter of time before he appeared.

Even disregarding her status, no one here could speak to her harshly. They had to maintain courtesy in their interactions. But she was certain that he hadn’t poisoned the cup.

There wasn’t even time to do so. Besides, who would be foolish enough to attempt poisoning the Emperor at such a public event?

‘That’s obvious.’

Lysith was well aware of that much. She knew Count Hanel hadn’t poisoned the cup. Of course not. Who would be idiotic enough to hand the Emperor a poisoned wine glass on his birthday? It would be like declaring, ‘I’m the culprit!’

Yet, Lysith was convinced the cup was poisoned. The quest had hinted at it, and the culprit’s intrigued expression was visible.

The person orchestrating all this was likely…

“The lady is not wrong.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Why are you so surprised? Perhaps it was a mistake to accept your cup today, given my good mood.”

“I didn’t have time to poison the cup!”

“Isn’t that something we can’t know? There’s no way to believe the Count’s words in the current situation.”

If the cup were taken elsewhere for investigation, the quest requiring her to drink it would be impossible to complete.

Lysith bit her tongue slightly, redirecting the conversation to prevent others from thinking along those lines.

“Isn’t the important thing that it can’t happen again?”

“……”

Count Hanel seemed at a loss for words and remained silent.

If he were at least neutral, he might not have been so speechless. Lysith clicked her tongue inwardly and shifted her gaze.

Immediately, she locked eyes with the Emperor, who still looked at her with interest. She wondered if this could be a positive sign.

The Emperor, holding the wine glass he had received earlier, was spinning it leisurely. He didn’t look like someone who had just received a drink suspected of being poisoned. Of course, being the Emperor, he might just be good at controlling his expressions, but Lysith thought otherwise.

…Lysith was half-convinced that the Emperor had poisoned his own cup.

While she was mulling over this, Count Hanel, who had been silent, suddenly seemed to have a bright idea and spoke confidently.

“Then, shouldn’t we conduct an investigation? To see if it’s truly poisoned or not.”

“Hmm…”

The Emperor’s brow furrowed slightly. To others, it might have seemed like he was genuinely contemplating the possibility, but to Lysith, it read as irritation at the situation not going as planned.

Even if they investigated here, the situation would only drag on. Since the Emperor was the one who had poisoned it, if it wasn’t resolved here, it would continue beyond the banquet, and he couldn’t control the entire situation alone. Though with his abilities, it wouldn’t be entirely impossible…

A thought flashed through her mind like lightning: this irritation shouldn’t be directed at her.

Then…

“The Count insists it’s not poisoned, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then, is there a need to go as far as an investigation?”

After taking a moment to breathe, Lysith voiced her thoughts.

“Why not just drink it?”

The air between them fell silent at Lysith’s words.

Count Hanel, knowing she was right, hesitated, perhaps realizing now that this situation was a trap, or maybe he was just reluctant to drink it himself.