Tamia put down the letter from her aunt, who was far away, and sighed softly.

Tamia already knew what kind of flower it was.

That’s why she could make a neutralizer with the materials she had.

But what she had were only temporary measures.

To make it properly, she needed other ingredients.

Luckily, her aunt had sent plenty of the materials she couldn’t get herself.

‘I was running out of leaves, so this is perfect timing.’

Tamia sighed in relief, but her face darkened at the thought of the antidote she hadn’t found yet.

She needed to hurry. There was no time.

She had barely suppressed the symptoms, but they could flare up at any moment.

If they did, the young lady would suffer again.

Tamia clenched her fists as she recalled ‘that day.’

‘…Do you really trust me, Miss?’

‘Tamia, you have never lied to me. Not even on the day you left.’

‘……’

‘I’m sorry for burdening you, Tamia. And thank you.’

Lumiere’s face, smiling apologetically, lingered in her mind.

When she first saw Lumiere, she thought there couldn’t be a more beautiful girl in the world, and even after ten years, the lady was still lovely and beautiful.

‘Karma.’

When Tamia met Miss Lumiere in the capital city she happened to visit, she realized she was facing her karma.

That’s why she could decide to stop all her travels and stay by Lumiere’s side.

‘Maybe it’s fate sending me to repay that debt.’

Tamia fiddled with the back of her neck, where a black line, hidden by her collar, encircled her neck like a necklace.

“…I need to find a solution quickly.”

Tamia glanced out the window at the black carriage.

She had heard about Karl Winger, but his obsession with the lady was stronger than she had imagined.

Whether that would be poison or medicine, time would tell…

‘Still, that man needs to know. What Tartien did to the lady, why those things happened, and where those truths connect…’

Tamia had deliberately given Karl a hint.

In fact, Tamia already knew who the traitor was.

She hadn’t expected them to attempt arson, though.

“Karl Winger.”

How much have you figured out by now?

The truth is far bigger and more extensive than you think…

Tamia habitually touched the back of her neck again.

The truth hidden in her throat itched as if urging her to set them free immediately.

* * *

Lumiere, who had fallen asleep at dawn, woke up briefly that night.

But she really just woke up and soon fell asleep again.

She had always been a heavy sleeper.

It wasn’t that she was physically weak, but she tended to resolve mental and physical fatigue through sleep.

So this time, too, she slept for over 22 hours.

Since Cindy, Tamia, and even Karl, who had known her since childhood, were aware of her tendency, no one woke her up.

Thanks to that, Lumiere slept soundly but oddly woke up with a headache instead of feeling refreshed.

“It’s because you went through a big ordeal. It’s okay, Miss. You’re just startled.”

Tamia gently reassured Lumiere, offering her headache medicine and tea.

“Yes, that must be it. I slept so well, but why does my head hurt so much?”

Lumiere gulped down the headache medicine Tamia handed her and took a sip of water.

Tamia’s medicine was effective.

Tamia’s family originally dealt with medicinal herbs.

Even distant relatives had been in similar businesses for a long time, but their family fell apart due to involvement in some bad events, scattering the family members.

Anyway, Tamia had grown up seeing the family business, so she was quite knowledgeable about medicine and herbs.

Lumiere, who had often received help from Tamia since childhood, trusted the medicine Tamia gave her.

“My throat is dry, and my body aches a bit. Is it a cold?”

“……”

“Oh! And the wound on my thigh is itching again. Can you give me some medicine?”

Lumiere lifted her skirt slightly to show her thigh.

A messy scar marred her pure white thigh.

“What kind of wound is this?”

It wasn’t a cut from a knife, nor a tear from something sharp.

It wasn’t a burn or a bruise either.

The wounds were torn in several directions as if bitten by something.

“Let me see, Miss. I need to check if the wound is infected.”

“Tamia, you said you didn’t know what caused this wound, right?”

“…Yes, I’m not sure.”

“Well, you haven’t been here long either.”

Tamia carefully examined the wound on Lumiere’s thigh, then ran to her room to fetch a salve.

“Carry this with you and apply it frequently. It will soothe the itching.”

Tamia gently spread a translucent salve, hardened like oil, on the wound with her fingers.

The wound felt cool as the medicine touched it.

“Thanks. It feels much better.”

“Keep it with you and apply it whenever it itches or hurts.”

“Okay, I will.”

Tamia helped Lumiere finish her preparations for going out, tidying her hair when Cindy arrived.

“Miss, you’re going to the opera house? You should have told me first!”

Cindy, out of breath from running, took the comb from Tamia.

“I’ll make you look the prettiest!”

“No, you don’t have to…”

“What are you talking about! We can’t let those vixens look down on you!”

Cindy, full of enthusiasm, began styling Lumiere’s hair. The actresses at the opera house often picked on Lumiere.

Previously, she dressed plainly to avoid the advances of male actors, but now she dressed up to counter the attacks of the actresses.

Of course, it wasn’t Lumiere’s idea; it was due to Cindy’s strong insistence after witnessing some actresses bullying her.

‘I’m just stopping by for a moment. Why go to such lengths…’

Cindy even brought a new outfit, and Lumiere ended up being an hour later than she had planned.

Fortunately, she wasn’t going out with an appointment.

After finishing her preparations, Lumiere selected a few pieces of work from her third-floor studio and went outside to wait for the carriage Jeffrey would bring.

A black carriage stopped in front of her.

“Get in.”

Karl opened the carriage door and called her.

Startled, Lumiere took a step back instinctively.

He was a dazzlingly handsome man, even in the sunlight. But what startled her was not his handsome face, which was nothing new.

‘How embarrassing.’

It was because of what had happened that morning.

‘…Don’t cross the pillow. Absolutely!’

It was Lumiere who had issued this warning before falling asleep. And it was Lumiere who had completely ignored her own warning.

‘I can’t believe my sleeping habits are that bad.’

When she woke up, she found herself rolling across the wide bed and snuggling into his arms.

Lumiere had been sleeping on the right edge, and Karl on the left edge…

Why were they both clinging to the left edge?

There was plenty of space…

The pillow placed in the middle as a boundary had been kicked to the floor.

Of course, the culprit was Lumiere.

“Are you getting in or not?”

“…Do you know where I’m going?”

“The opera house.”

Correct.

“Since I’m heading that way, let’s go together. I have something to say.”

“Why are you going there?”

“What’s wrong with the owner going to his building?”

Oh, right. He was the owner.

Since he was already going, and the door was open, it was awkward to refuse to go with him.

“Why do we have to share this cramped carriage…”

Karl, who had been watching her hesitate, added with a smirk.

“We shared a bed smaller than this. Are you afraid of the carriage? Do you think I’ll lock you in and eat you?”

“…Do you eat people?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to find out. So stop being stubborn and get in.”

Karl extended his hand to her, urging her. His long, white hand waited for her.

Lumiere, hesitating, finally took his hand in resignation.

The touch of his hand, warm and gentle, enveloped her small hand. Karl, pulling her closer, whispered in her ear.

“…And shouldn’t I be the one worried about being devoured, not you?”

The tip of the prey’s ear, accused of being a predator, turned red.