The only thing she could remember was a dazzlingly bright halo of light that seemed about to shatter.

But even that quickly crumbled and scattered like sea foam.

She furrowed her brow and tried to recall the elusive memory, but nothing was clear.

All that remained was a vague sense of unease.

As soon as she sighed and touched her forehead, a quest window popped up before her eyes.

[Sudden Quest Completed!]
‘Drink from the cup meant for the Emperor!’
Cleared!
[??? has been provided as a reward for clearing the Sudden Quest.]

‘Three question marks…?’

Until now, everything provided in this manner had been passive skills. However, when she opened the passive skill list to check, nothing new had been added.

Does that mean the content of the dream she just had was the reward?

But despite being called a reward, she couldn’t remember anything about the dream. As is typical with most dreams.

What had been vague when she first woke up became hazier and hazier as time passed. All that remained now was the feeling that it was a memory that made her chest feel tight somehow.

When Lysith sighed twice in succession, she heard a maid entering through a small side door.

Slowly turning her gaze while lying down, she met eyes with the maid who bowed politely.

“I greet Lady Gronevelt.”

“Ugh, ahem!”

“Let me assist you.”

The maid hurriedly approached and helped Lysith, who was coughing, sit up against the headboard. Then, with a calm and composed attitude, she poured warm water and handed it to her.

Only after receiving the cup with trembling hands and taking a few sips did Lysith feel a bit more alive.

“How much time has passed?”

“Two days have passed since you collapsed, my lady. Although you were given the antidote immediately, they say there might still be some aftereffects.”

“I see…”

Life was spectacular. From transmigrating into an adult-rated reverse harem game to now drinking poison. If she ever returned to reality, she wanted to tell her friends what it feels like to drink poison.

Of course, they would all just laugh it off, telling her to stop lying.

As she stared into space with her mind still groggy from sleep, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

‘Was this Emperor planning to drink this himself…?’

She wondered if he was in his right mind. Having tasted it herself, it didn’t seem to be such a weak poison, yet he had intended to drink it himself. He must have quite the strong constitution.

‘No, come to think of it, I’m pretty tough too.’

To swallow poison outright, believing the system’s assurance that she wouldn’t die. It was the height of recklessness.

It was true that the system was being a bit annoying, but she knew it was looking out for her, so she could attempt it.

Due to her overall poor physical condition, her voice wasn’t coming out as it used to. Her body also wasn’t responding well.

Thinking this, she waved her hands up and down and repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fists. Meanwhile, the maid, who had briefly gone somewhere, took Lysith’s empty cup and relayed some news.

“His Majesty instructed us to inform him immediately when you awoke. So… I’ve been told he will arrive shortly.”

“His Majesty?”

“Yes.”

The maid’s poker face was remarkable. Expressionless, with nothing readable in her eyes. Lysith gave up trying to read anything and asked with a smile.

“Shouldn’t I prepare?”

“He said there’s no need to prepare. He’s not so heartless as to demand formalities from a patient.”

Her first thought was ‘That’s unlike him….’

With such an arrogant personality, it would be typical of him to act like a tyrant. Of course, this man wasn’t a tyrant, but he wasn’t a benevolent ruler either.

For now, since she hadn’t spent much time close to him yet, there were limits to what she could understand about him. Still, her instincts whispered that he was definitely not ordinary.

The maid had already tidily arranged the surroundings and neatly adjusted Lysith’s disheveled clothes. Although he said there was no need to prepare, it seemed to be somewhat of a courtesy.

How much time had passed after that? Just as her tired body was about to slide down, succumbing to gravity and sinking into the bed…

Knock, knock, a light knocking sound was heard, and the door opened.

It was an elegant and handsome face she was seeing after two days. The maid standing by the bed left the room through a small side door at his gesture. As the door closed behind the Emperor, only Lysith and Verheigen remained in the room.

“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”

When Lysith spoke and tried to get up, Verheigen raised his left hand to stop her movement.

“Stop. No need to get up. How could we trouble a patient like that?”

At his words, Lysith settled back into her place, leaning against the soft pillow.

As she raised her gaze, the Emperor’s face came directly into view. Like she initially thought when she saw him under the chandelier, he was a man with an exceptionally handsome face.

If Ash*tes was beautiful, this one was handsome. Even though they both had blonde hair, there were subtle differences. Penchev was, if anything, an aloof handsome man. Like a haughty cat. The Emperor also seemed aloof, but rather than a cat, he was more like…

“Your complexion is pale. Are you particularly susceptible to poison?”

A predator.

‘…Is it because he can’t be romanced?’

“That’s something I… This is the first time I’ve ever ingested poison.”

“Well, of course. There’s no reason for the precious daughter of a ducal family to have tasted poison before.”

Despite knowing full well that she wasn’t treated as precious, his insistence on calling her a precious daughter was puzzling. Surely he wasn’t being sarcastic?

It was absurd even though she had drunk the poison in his stead. Of course, if his initial plan was for him to drink it himself, she was sorry for ruining it.

“Um, the Count…”

“He’s been detained. Thanks to you, shall we say?”

He said ‘thanks,’ but his expression was sour. If things had gone as he wanted, he could at least show some gratitude. As Lysith’s expression soured in response, Verheigen, seeing this, let out a small laugh as he sat in the chair next to the bed.

“You’ve changed a lot, lady.”

“Ye… Yes?”

“It seems you used to avoid me quite a bit in the past.”

Was that so? In her memories, she had no experience of facing the Emperor directly. Was it possible that was because she had been avoiding the Emperor? Cold sweat ran down her back from nervousness.

“Did it seem that way to you?”

“That’s how it appeared to my eyes. I don’t know how you actually were, of course. Well, did you avoid me?”

“I’ve never avoided you. How could I…”

“I see.”

Before the cold sweat that had just formed could dry, she felt like she might sweat again. What was this question? It felt as if he was distinguishing between the ‘previous Lysith’ and the ‘current Lysith’.

No, surely not. It must be her imagination. She must have become too sensitive.

No sooner had she swallowed once than the next question flew at her.

“The reason I came as soon as you woke up…”

“……”

“As you might have guessed, I have something to ask.”

It was a question he could naturally ask.

She anticipated that he would at least ask why she had intervened there. She wasn’t too nervous because she had prepared an answer by racking her brains.

But the first question he asked was different from what she expected.

“Why did you drink that?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m asking why you drank that.”

The reason Lysith drank it was, of course, because of the quest. But could she tell the Emperor that she had to drink it because of a quest?

In a situation where simply ordering an inspection would have sufficed, there was no proper excuse for the fact that someone had been led to drink it.

She felt that the other party noticed that she had to drink it.

When Lysith couldn’t answer and only bit her lip, Verheigen spoke again.

Although it was a completely different question from the one he had just asked, ultimately, it was the same in that it aimed to uncover her secret.

“I knew that Count Hanel hadn’t put anything in it.”

Is he really saying this so openly? No sooner had the surprised Lysith widened her eyes than the next words followed.

“And it seems you had figured it out too. Isn’t that right?”

His words were filled with certainty. There was no use in denying it, nor any meaning to do so.

She finally gave an affirmative answer with a sigh.

“…Yes. I also knew that Count Hanel hadn’t put anything in it.”

“Then?”

“I…”

How did her life become a series of gambles?

Lysith pressed her fingernails into her palm. She needed to stay sharp. Unless she wanted her neck torn out by the predator before her.

“I guessed that Your Majesty had put it in.”

For a moment, it felt as though the air had been sharpened.

“…Why did you think that?”

The man whose eyes met hers at that moment was so serious it made her knees weak. It was as if all the attitudes he had shown until now were just light jokes.

The face of a ruler was fully apparent.

Clearly, she was the one sitting in a comfortable position, yet it felt as if the Emperor was sitting on the throne, and she was kneeling below it.

Due to that tension, she had pressed her nails into her palm so much that it was now numb.

…She needed to choose her words carefully. What she had just said was already a great insult to him, the Emperor.

After taking a few small deep breaths, she managed to recite a few sentences.

“I thought that as a count, he had no reason to do such a thing in that particular place. Not just him, but anyone else… At Your Majesty’s birthday celebration, no one would be foolish enough to poison the drink that Your Majesty would consume.”