Chapter 84

“Ash, brother!”

Diana ran to Ash, tears streaming down her face.

“Diana?”

Ash was startled by the sight of Diana crying.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mother… Mother has been taken to prison!”

That very morning, their mother had been brimming with confidence, certain she could reclaim control of the household as she headed to the office. But now she was suddenly imprisoned.

‘Could it be… the embezzlement?’

“That lady must have done something!”

“Lady Meia?”

“She met with Lady Meia and was dragged to prison afterward. It must be a trap!”

“Diana, it’s possible that the embezzlement was discovered.”

This was the last thing Diana wanted to hear.

She bit her lip hard, tears continuing to fall. If the embezzlement had been discovered, then prison was inevitable.

“But there’s no evidence.”

To punish or imprison a noble, there must be evidence.

If the embezzlement was indeed discovered, it meant Meia had perfectly analyzed the ledgers and presented undeniable proof. Diana knew Meia was smart, but how could she have uncovered everything so quickly after taking over the household affairs?

“Diana, stop crying. We know nothing about the embezzlement, remember? We agreed to feign ignorance in case something like this happened, didn’t we?”

“I know… but, Ash…”

“Your job is to seduce the Grand Duke.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

‘I’ll have to use the aphrodisiac on him soon.’

Diana looked up at Ash with an even more distressed and sorrowful expression.

“The ledgers Mother created are perfect. There’s no way they’d catch her. But if, by some chance, they did, we need to leave for home as soon as possible.”

“I’ll go wash my face and be back.”

Diana returned to her room, grabbed the aphrodisiac she had hidden, and gulped down the fertility potion she had prepared.

There was no time to waste.

Diana pulled out a pen and paper and began writing.

[I have something urgent to discuss about my mother. I request a private meeting. It’s a matter of great importance.]

“Agnita! Please deliver this note to His Grace, the Grand Duke.”

“Yes, my lady. Please wait just a moment.”

Agnita, humming a cheerful tune, took the note Diana handed her—not to Theodore, but to Meia instead.

When Meia unfolded the note, her brow furrowed deeply.

Theodore was her lover.

What was Diana planning to do by drugging her obedient and loving Theodore? What vile scheme was she plotting?

Meia felt nothing but disgust at Diana’s filthy thoughts and actions.

“Absolutely revolting.”

“Indeed, my lady!”

“Agnita, you’ve done well. You’ve placed the cheese perfectly on the mousetrap.”

“I’m glad I was able to help you, my lady.”

“You’re always a great help to me, Agnita.”

Meia smiled warmly at Agnita, who blushed and grinned bashfully. Meia gently tucked Agnita’s hair behind her ear and patted her head.

***

At that moment, Diana’s eyes glared at Meia as though she wanted to tear her apart. She couldn’t understand why Meia was here instead of Theodore. Agnita had delivered the note, and Agnita had even returned with a response saying Theodore would meet her in the drawing room.

But now…

“His Grace is currently interrogating your mother, Lady Nordic, so he couldn’t come. I’ve come in his place.”

As soon as Meia sat down, Agnita brought out tea and refreshments.

Despite Diana’s fierce glare, Meia smiled calmly and continued speaking as though it were nothing.

“An illegal peddler who sold drugs and poisons in the village has been caught. He claimed to be a physician and had severe burn scars.”

Diana’s face stiffened.

‘A physician with severe burn scars…’

She immediately thought of the man who had sold her the potions. Meia said leisurely while drinking tea.

“So?”

“Are you carrying the poison you purchased, Young Lady Nordic?”

Diana clamped her mouth shut at the blunt question.

The sound of Meia placing her teacup back on its saucer echoed loudly in Diana’s ears.

Meia sipped her tea with a serene expression, exuding an air of complete composure.

“A woman scorned may harbor resentment, but trying to kill me with poison? That was a mistake.”

Meeting Meia’s piercing blue eyes, Diana began trembling as if her body were a leaf in the wind.

There was an unexplainable pressure that seemed to bind her, throw her to the ground, and crush her, making it hard to breathe.

“W-What are you talking about? I…”

Clink.

“I was planning to spare you if you told the truth, but it seems you have no intention of doing so. Agnita, bring it.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Agnita retrieved several vials from her pocket and displayed them.

“These were found in your room. If you wanted to hide them, you should’ve done a better job.”

Diana shook her head and hands in denial, staring at Agnita.

“The scarred physician confessed that you purchased them, Young Lady Nordic.”

“That’s impossible! Agnita, say something!”

But Agnita merely stared coldly at Diana.

“You told the physician you wanted poison to kill me.”

At Meia’s words, Diana screamed in protest, her voice tinged with desperation.

“I didn’t buy poison! I only bought an aphrodisiac… Ah!”

She clapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late—Meia had already heard everything.

“Only an aphrodisiac, you say…”

Meia responded in a cold, refined tone.

“I know you also bought a fertility potion. After drinking that, what were you planning to do to my man with the aphrodisiac?”

Diana couldn’t help but react to Meia’s words. She sat frozen in place, fists clenched tightly, trembling.

“And you expect us to believe that someone who bought an aphrodisiac didn’t also buy poison?”

Diana’s anxious and guilty demeanor brought a faint smile to Meia’s lips.

“Agnita, bring the master here.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Diana watched helplessly as Agnita left the drawing room.

Shortly after, Puring entered the room and began examining Meia’s teacup. He pulled out an artifact from his magical subspace and placed it over the teacup. The rim of the cup glowed brightly before turning black.

“It’s poison.”

“What do you mean? Poison?!”

Diana screamed in denial. While she had purchased the aphrodisiac, she had never bought poison. She couldn’t believe that poison had been found in Meia’s teacup.

“I didn’t put poison in it! She was drinking it just fine a moment ago!”

Diana protested vehemently. She had bought an aphrodisiac, but not poison.

“Is this how you falsely accused my mother as well?”

From the moment the poison was discovered, Diana, despite being a noblewoman, was subjected to a body search.

Hannah, upon hearing that Meia had nearly been poisoned, stormed in with a fierce glare and personally searched Diana’s dress, pulling out the vials she had hidden.

“Here are the vials!”

“They’re aphrodisiacs!”

Whether they contained poison or aphrodisiacs, the fact that Diana had these vials enraged Venable, the attendants, and the maids.

Puring used his artifact to examine the vials Diana had carried.

“It’s the same poison as the one found in Lady Meia’s teacup. If Lady Meia had sipped from the right side of the cup, it could’ve been fatal.”

“No! This is an aphrodisiac! I was going to use it on His Grace… Ah!”

Diana’s panicked words were heard by everyone present.

Tears streaming down her face, Agnita began to speak.

“Lady Meia assigned me to serve you and take care of you, and this is how you repay her kindness?”

No one stopped Agnita as she cried and scolded Diana.

“Agnita! You were there when I bought the potion, and you’re the one who introduced me to that physician! How dare you, a mere servant, speak down to me?”

Diana claimed Agnita had helped her purchase the potion, but no one believed her, knowing how deeply loyal Agnita was to Meia.

“It’s true! Agnita helped me! Why won’t anyone believe me?!”

Diana kept shouting, but no one listened to her.

Agnita wept bitterly, and everyone comforted her while glaring at Diana for her lies.

The door to the drawing room burst open, and Theodore entered with his knights, unable to hide his fury.

His jaw clenched tightly, trembling with anger.

“Arrest Young Lady Nordic and place her in solitary confinement.”

“Your Grace! This is a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding? Even with all this evidence?”

Theodore’s words made Diana realize she had been thoroughly deceived by Agnita.

But it was too late. She should never have bought the aphrodisiac.

At Theodore’s command, the knights grabbed Diana’s wrists and arms, bound her, and dragged her away as she stumbled backward. Theodore turned to Meia.

“Are you all right, Lady Meia?”

His tone was soft and sweet, a stark contrast to how he had spoken to Diana.

“I’m fine.”

Theodore leaned forward and gently touched her cheek.

“I was worried.”

“There was no need to worry.”

When Meia ran her fingers through his hair, Theodore shivered slightly and blushed.

Watching this, Venable, Hannah, and the maids exchanged glances before dragging a frozen Agnita out of the room and quietly closing the door.

“Even if there was no need to worry, you could at least acknowledge how I felt when I heard about the poison.”

He took her hand, pulling her forward slightly and wrapping his arms around her in a light embrace.

Theodore whispered softly.

“When I heard you might have been poisoned, I couldn’t think of anything else. I was terrified.”

Like a large, adorable black retriever seeking comfort, he held her tightly.

“Lady Meia.”

“Yes?”

“Meia.”

“Yes.”

“Mei.”

Theodore gazed at her intently.

“I love you.”

Without hesitation, he confessed. As his fingers brushed her lips, Meia’s heart began pounding like a drum.

His right hand cradled the back of her head, while his left tilted her chin upward.

‘Such a cunning black retriever.’

His face drew closer, and their lips met. As their parted lips exchanged warmth, their tongues intertwined passionately.

With his large hands supporting the back of her head, he pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist, bringing their bodies even tighter together.