Chapter 71

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

“Huh?”

Surprised by the unexpected request, Brooks looked up.

Normally, there was little connection between Alec and Brooks. Brooks seemed startled by the sudden proposal but quickly agreed.

“Oh, if it’s important, I’m happy to oblige.”

“Thank you.”

Alec glanced briefly toward the inner rooms before speaking again.

“Shall we?”

“Yes,” Brooks responded, following Alec.

Alec’s heart was racing. He had to ensure Louise was safe.

Meanwhile, Julia had risen from the sofa.

“Soon, you’ll be found dead here, alone. No one will know I was ever with you. Not with Marcel around to control your movements,” Julia sneered.

“…”

“I’ll carve this lesson into your body for daring to look down on me. The alcohol coursing through your veins right now—”

“…”

“You should have been more careful about what you drink.”

“Did you poison it?” Louise asked calmly, her expression unchanged.

Julia nodded smugly.

“Yes. It should have tasted fine, though. I had one of the maids try it beforehand, and she said the taste was normal.”

“You even had someone taste-test the poison? How thorough.”

“What’s going on here?”

A sudden voice interrupted them, and Julia whipped her head around.

The door had opened without anyone noticing, and Brooks stood there, looking utterly dumbfounded.

“Louise!”

Poison? In Louise’s drink?

Alec quickly approached Louise.

The tension between her and Julia had been unsettling, but the revelation that the alcohol was poisoned shocked him.

“Alec!” Louise exclaimed, standing up from the sofa as soon as she saw him.

How much had she drunk? Thankfully, Alec had a natural recovery skill that could help.

But his heart pounded wildly with fear that he might be too late to save her.

Julia took a step back, startled to see Brooks there.

Brooks, still in shock, looked back and forth between the glass and Julia.

“Are you out of your mind? Did you really put poison in her drink?”

Julia, momentarily flustered, quickly regained her composure, her eyes flashing with venom.

“Marquis Brooks, stay out of this. How dare you interfere!”

“You’re out of your mind. Absolutely insane!”

“Hah…”

At that moment, Louise swayed slightly and collapsed into Alec’s arms.

“Louise!”

[Passive Skill: Natural Recovery]

[Mana is being consumed.]

As soon as Alec caught Louise, he activated his skill.

“Hold on, Louise…”

No matter how much poison she had consumed, it should be cleansed completely—

[Passive Skill: Natural Recovery cannot be applied.]

[No recoverable damage detected.]

“…”

No damage? Alec’s brow furrowed in confusion. Had she not consumed the poison?

As he wondered, Brooks suddenly grabbed the poisoned glass and rushed toward a nearby plant, shouting in disbelief.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you taking the patient out of here already?!”

In an instant, the plant’s petals shriveled as if its life had been drained, and Brooks’ eyes widened in shock.

“Julia Howard, Marchioness! Attempted murder? You must be out of your mind! His Majesty won’t let this slide!”

“What… what is going on?” Julia stammered as the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, followed by the hushed murmurs of startled noblewomen.

It had only been twenty minutes since the incident began.

Louise, still clinging to Alec’s waist, subtly lifted her eyelids.

The twisted expression on Julia’s face, reflected in the dark window, was worth seeing.

Did Julia really believe they would share the poisoned drink amicably?

‘Julia, Julia… Did you think I didn’t know you wanted to kill me?’

—

‘A Few Moments Later…’

“Open this door! Let me out right now! I’m Julia Garcia! I’m a relative of Her Majesty the Empress! Do you not know who I am?!”

Julia furiously pounded on the thick iron bars of the prison cell.

Though the pain in her hands felt as if her bones were breaking, it didn’t matter. What she couldn’t believe was that she, Julia Garcia, had actually been imprisoned.

“Let me out! Release me!”

Her voice grew more and more hoarse, but she didn’t even notice.

How could the world be so cruel to her?

Was it really just because she gave Louise a drink laced with poison that she had to be locked up like this?

Louise was nothing—a woman with no standing. Her husband and her once-prominent family had long since fallen from grace.

Louise was the wife of a man who had been utterly disfavored by the emperor.

Compared to her, Julia was one of the most powerful and influential women in the empire, enjoying immeasurable wealth and status.

No one had ever questioned Julia’s actions before.

Why was this time any different?

“Open the door!” Julia’s sharp screams reverberated through the prison walls when she heard a soft, familiar voice.

“…I’m truly disappointed in you, Julia.”

Turning her head, she saw the Empress, Olivia, quietly approaching, her head hidden beneath a hooded cloak.

“Your Majesty!” Julia cried.

“…”

“Please, save me. Get me out of here. I can’t bear to be in this place for even a second longer.”

“…”

Standing before Julia, Olivia let out a soft, weary sigh, her face gaunt.

“The best option you have now isn’t that.”

“…What?”

Julia’s eyes shook violently. This was not the reaction she expected. Had Olivia just expressed disappointment?

With a sorrowful expression, Olivia spoke again, her voice tinged with quiet frustration.

“To fail to kill her and get caught… truly, I am disappointed.”

Olivia, who had granted Julia so much power to manipulate high society, was now tired of her. Julia had served her well until now, but it seemed this puppet’s usefulness had come to an end.

Even mercy had its limits.

“I had no choice! Marquis Brooks and her husband barged in suddenly, and—”

“Excuses won’t work, Julia. Consider yourself lucky if you can live out your days in this prison.”

“…What? Why? It was you who commanded me!” Julia protested.

“If you utter those words again, you won’t live even here,” Olivia warned coldly.

“This is… unbelievable…” Julia’s heart sank as Olivia’s chilling voice reached the bottom of the prison.

“My father won’t stand for this!”

Olivia took a deep breath before continuing.

“Your father has saved you countless times. From when the maid at Brent’s estate died, to all the other atrocities you’ve committed, he turned a blind eye.”

“Atrocities? Are you calling them atrocities?”

“This is not the first time. No one, not even your father, has a reason to save you anymore. I don’t, either.”

“…”

“You shouldn’t have tried to kill both of them at once.”

“…”

Julia was at a loss for words. She wanted to scream, but it felt like her mind was collapsing in on itself, leaving her lips trembling silently.

“Stay quiet and still.”

The Empress stared at Julia with a piercing gaze before turning and swiftly walking away, as though she would never return.

“Your Majesty! Olivia!”

Bang! Bang!

Julia pounded on the bars, shouting after the Empress. She felt as though her entire body was being crushed under the weight of utter despair.

“No, no… Marcel will come. Marcel will save me. He wouldn’t leave me here,” she muttered, trying to regain her composure as she paced around the dark cell.

Her husband had always adored her. While her other lovers had cared for her as well, in this moment, their existence felt insignificant, like fleeting shadows. Marcel was the only one who could save her now.

“Marcel… What are you doing? Come save me…”

“Julia.”

A low voice pierced through the silence, and Julia looked up, startled.

“Garrison?”

“Julia.”

Garrison approached the bars, and Julia hurried to meet him.

“Garrison! Where have you been? Get me out of here!”

“I can’t. I came to see you one last time.”

“What?”

“…It seems everyone has abandoned you. They say you don’t mess with the Empress’s toy.”

“If you’re here just to say that, then leave!”

“I didn’t abandon you. I still love you, Julia.”

“Get lost!”

“What do we have here?”

“…!”

Suddenly, Marcel’s harsh voice echoed through the prison.

“Who loves whom?”

Julia jumped back from the bars, horrified, unable to believe what was happening. She shook her head in denial, as if trying to push the reality away.

“It’s not what you think, Marcel! Garrison just… he loves me on his own, not me…”

“M-Marcel…”

Even Garrison seemed startled, stepping back slightly in panic.

Julia clutched her head, gripping her hair tightly.

*This is a nightmare. It must be…*

Her hands shook violently as they tightened around her head.

“I had my suspicions. Drag him out of here.”

“No, it’s a misunderstanding! Marcel!”

Marcel’s and Garrison’s shouts rang out one after another, but Julia couldn’t comprehend any of it. She wanted to reject this entire situation, deny the nightmare unfolding around her.

Left alone in the cell with Marcel, he gritted his teeth, clutching the bars tightly.

“Julia, do you have any idea how betrayed I feel?”

“…Save me.”

“No. Stay here forever and remember me. Pay the price for betraying me!”

“If that’s what you want, then you should suffer too!”

No, no…

‘The children.’

Julia suddenly remembered the children she had left with the nannies, children she hadn’t seen in so long. Panic surged through her, and she rushed toward Marcel.

“What about our children? They’ll want to see me! Please, get me out of here!”

“Don’t make me laugh. Who was it that never even visited them enough for them to forget who their mother is?”

“…”

“My everlasting forget-me-not, Julia. Stay here and reflect for the rest of your life. I’d much rather you be locked up than running around meeting other men.”

“You bastard! Get out! All of you, get out!”

Hurling insults, Julia turned and curled up in the corner of her cell.

This situation was beyond belief. No one was coming to save her.

How did it come to this?

‘This is all that wretched Louise’s fault…’

Julia’s eyes burned with a vengeful glare, a glare so intense it seemed like it might consume even her.

‘How could I have lost to someone like her?’

Tears streamed down her face as she stared at nothing, her gaze fixed in hatred on an empty point in space.

But then, something began to materialize in her vision.

“…?”

A transparent figure, with silvery hair and icy blue eyes, slowly took shape.

The sight was so chilling that Julia froze, paralyzed with terror.

With a gasp, she backed up against the wall, too stunned to scream or even blink.

She didn’t know what floor she was on, but no human could pass through walls like that.

‘A ghost?!’

[Marchioness Julia Howard.]

“…!”

A voice, cold and reverberating, filled the air, and Julia pressed her back harder against the wall. But there was nowhere to run in the tiny cell.

Her breathing became erratic, and she felt as though her heart might stop. Eyes wide with terror, she finally forced words out of her mouth.

“Go… go away…”

[Pay the price for killing Cathy.]

“Aaah!”

“Stay away! Don’t come near me!”

[I will watch over your penance to the end.]

“Ahhh!”

In the cold, empty prison, Julia screamed and thrashed in terror.

The once-queen of high society had completely crumbled.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories