Chapter 81

Agnita returned from meeting the physician and relayed his words to Diana.

“He asked you to come personally. He says he can’t go around because of his disfigured face.”

“Alright. Help me prepare to go out.”

“Yes, Lady Diana.”

Diana imagined tearing Meia to pieces and destroying her. Just thinking about it was thrilling and refreshing.

‘If only I had the Grand Duke’s child.’

Diana clenched her fists, fully believing that the time would come for her to take revenge on Meia.

She entertained dangerous thoughts, imagining giving Theodore the love potion, followed by their union.

‘After having a child, I’ll kill Grand Duke Theodore and take all the Grand Duke’s wealth.’

Her mother, brother, and father would all live under her gaze.

There would be no need to study hard to become the Grand Duchess. Once she had a child, everything would be hers.

Diana smiled and indulged in thoughts of a rosy future while riding in the rattling carriage.

“I heard you are skilled.”

The physician Agnita brought was hunched over, wearing an old black robe. He spoke with his hood pulled low.

“A noble person has come. I apologize for not being able to show my face due to severe burns.”

Diana nodded. When the physician showed the unsightly burn scars on his hand, she frowned and asked,

“Is there a love potion that works on men?”

The physician hid his burned, wrinkled hands and spoke in a rough voice.

“There are love potions for both men and women. However, they are very expensive, noble lady.”

“I’ll pay whatever it takes. And is there a potion to aid fertility?”

“There is. But they are all illegal. If caught, I might be a dead man, cough.”

A rough cough came from his phlegm-filled throat. Diana grimaced and said,

“I’ll pay whatever you ask.”

The coughing physician composed himself and spoke to Diana.

“I apologize for coughing so badly in front of a noble lady. Please give me 100,000 gold.”

It wasn’t a small amount, but it was worth investing to acquire the Grand Duke’s house.

“Alright. Can I take the potion right away?”

The physician packed three potions and explained how to use them.

“When you’re alone with him, apply it to your lips and forcibly kiss the man’s lips. The effect will be immediate. He will lose his reason and pursue only pleasure. There are some side effects, but it’s a very effective potion for causing incidents.”

“And the love potion for women?”

“Make her drink it. However, the side effects are severe. She may lose consciousness or become a vegetable.”

Diana did not hide her gleaming desire but rather felt grateful.

“The money?”

“I’ll send it through Agnita.”

The physician nodded.

Diana felt extremely pleased at the thought of giving Meia the love potion and then throwing her into a homeless den.

*

‘Foolish Diana.’

Meia sipped her strawberry tea as she listened to Juan’s report.

“My lady, she acted as expected.”

Diana must have felt urgent due to her inability to obtain the love potion used on slaves by Baron Lakia and Theodore’s words telling her to return home.

People often become greedy for what they can’t have and find ways to obtain it.

So, upon hearing the words ‘medicine and physician’ from Agnita, she would be delighted to purchase the love potion that Baron Lakia wouldn’t give.

The sweeter and more enjoyable the dream, the more devastating it is when it shatters.

‘I’ll let her enjoy her imagination for now. That way, the shock will be greater when she wakes from her dream.’

Sometimes, giving up on what you can’t have is the only way to protect yourself and your family.

“She purchased not only the love potion for men but also the one for women.”

“She’s acting exactly as expected.”

If Lady Nordic had listened to Theodore’s words to return home without complaint, she might have survived, understanding it as a reflection. But they ultimately missed their chance.

Embezzlement is an ‘easy crime to commit,’ ‘a crime committed out of greed for money.’

It’s just a matter of whether you can resist the temptation of money or not.

Lady Nordic couldn’t resist the temptation of money and eventually committed the crime of embezzlement.

Embezzlement can be forgiven and doesn’t lead to execution.

But feeding potions to Grand Duke Florence and a foreign lady like herself is a completely different issue.

This could become an inter-empire issue.

And she came to the Grand Duke’s house as a mage from the Mage Tower, at the request of the Grand Duke.

Feeding a potion to a Mage Tower mage? This is turning the Mage Tower into an enemy.

It’s something only someone insane would do. No, even with a little thought, it’s a ‘crime’ that shouldn’t be committed.

If Diana’s head wasn’t just for decoration, she would think.

Just to show off…

Meia placed her teacup down and gently clenched her white, slender hand.

“I really wanted to forgive them, but I can’t help it.”

“My lady, you are too merciful.”

“If things had gone differently.”

Meia picked up her teacup again and smiled.

“It would have been nice. What a pity.”

“You don’t need to feel pity.”

“It’s not pity, Juan.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m just disappointed that they’re like puppets moving exactly as expected.”

‘There’s a limit to stupidity.’

Meia finished her strawberry tea and thought.

Should I go to Diana’s mansion now, find the hidden potion, and corner her?

Or should I wait until Diana tries to use the love potion on me and Theodore?

Or should I just kill her immediately?

Various plans flashed through Meia’s mind.

Diana only purchased the potion but hadn’t used it.

Of course, just having the potion is enough to corner her.

There are many options, but it’s best to go by the book.

Meia went straight to Theodore and told him that Diana had obtained the love potion.

“Agnita placed the cheese on the mousetrap well.”

What Agnita did was take Diana to the physician and incite her to purchase the love potion.

“Let’s proceed by the book, Your Grace.”

“Understood, Venable.”

“Yes.”

“Summon Versha immediately.”

“Understood.”

*

The Grand Duke’s knights arrived in the back alley. The flag they carried bore the emblem of the Grand Duke Florence, an elm tree, and a wolf. People whispered curiously, wondering what was happening, and watched the knights with interest.

Versha Isaac, the commander of the First Knights, spoke.

“Bring out the criminal at once!”

The knights dismounted and followed the command of Commander Versha.

People, curious about which criminal they were here to catch, began to whisper excitedly when they learned who had been captured.

“My goodness, they’ve caught the old medicine peddler who was selling poison.”

“He wasn’t even a physician, but he pretended to be one, selling medicine and drugs.”

“Oh my, really?”

“How terrible. So the knights came to catch that peddler.”

“That’s what they say.”

“Who was he trying to poison?”

“I heard there’s already someone dead!”

“How dreadful.”

It was a major incident for the peaceful people of Florence, apart from the pirates.

The knights entered the back alley and dragged out a person wearing a tightly pulled black robe.

As the wind blew and the robe on his head came off, the criminal’s hideous face was revealed.

His nose, shriveled from burns, was nearly gone. As soon as the robe was removed, he fell to his knees and shouted.

“Please, cover me with the robe! Cough, cough, please!”

He covered his face with his burned, hideous hands and trembled in fear.

The townspeople couldn’t stop whispering as they watched the captured criminal.

The knights, unfazed, placed the resisting man in a black carriage and left.

After watching the knights depart, people gathered in groups and began to chatter.

As soon as Theodore received the report that the criminal had been captured, he confirmed the criminal’s face once before going straight to Meia.

“The criminal is in solitary confinement in the underground prison.”

Meia smiled and said,

“Please treat the criminal, or rather, the one playing the criminal, Quini, well.”

“Don’t worry. We plan to reward Quini separately after this is over. Seeing him in person, the burns were very realistic. No one suspects he’s Quini. They think he’s a medicine peddler pretending to be a physician.”

The person who sold the potion to Diana was the artist Quini, who had altered his appearance with a magical artifact to look severely burned. And it was Agnita who took Diana to Quini.

They did their jobs well. Truly like family.

“We’ve also checked all of Baron Lakia’s wine shops. We’ve put tails on all suspicious individuals.”

Stella, the secret informant of Florence, continued to tail and eavesdrop on Baron Lakia at Theodore’s command. There were shops he visited every time he went out to obtain the love potion for Meia.

And Stella marked all the places he visited.

“We could just capture Young Lady Nordic and thoroughly investigate her, but it might be better to say that Young Lady Nordic, jealous of me, Lady Hatzbellua, the Grand Duke’s lover, and tried to poison me. What do you think, Theo?”

At Meia’s calm and composed words, Theodore, seemingly displeased, said,

“I don’t want you to be in danger, Mei.”

“I’m the one who prepared that potion. It’s not a dangerous potion, so there’s no risk. It just slightly raises body temperature.”

Theodore approached Meia, who was sitting in a chair. He knelt and looked up at her.

“I’m worried, Mei.”

“I won’t cause you any worry.”

Theodore gazed into Meia’s blue eyes and said,

“Thank you for helping with the Grand Ducal affairs.”

Meia leaned forward and stroked his head, speaking.

“Thank you for trusting and following my words.”

Even the best plans are nothing without someone to trust and carry them out. But he listened to her and followed without question.

Thanks to that, they achieved good results.

“For your words, Mei, anything.”

Aside from her parents, she found someone who believed in her just because she was ‘Meia.’

Blind faith. It made her feel loved.