The Villainous Family is Against Independence - 't want you to die

Both I and the Duchess immediately returned to the Perdia Capital Mansion.

And what greeted us was-.

“Ugh… cough, ack…!”

It was Carlot, groaning and writhing in pain. He had been tied to the bedpost, his limbs bound and chained.

In his bedroom were the Duke of Perdia, Jansi, a doctor, and Timotheo, Perdia’s chamberlain.

“What happened?”

It was Timotheo who answered the Duchess’s question.

“He was struck down by a large monster. A species not recorded in the monster Book.”

The Duchess looked at Carlot with cold eyes and asked again.

“You must have been looking for me because his injuries are not physical. Is it poison?”

“……Yes. That’s correct.”

Timotheo answered with a composed expression. He explained that the creature they had encountered suddenly emitted poison as they were about to defeat it.

As a result, both Carlot, who was leading the charge, and two knights from Perdia who was nearby fell victim to the poison.

The doctor spoke gravely.

“The seizures are severe, so we had to restrain him. The toxin spreads quickly, so we need to act promptly. He’s trying his best to remain lucid, but we don’t know when his abilities might go wild.”

Carlot’s condition appeared serious as I listened to the doctor’s words.

“It’s dangerous to get too close.”

If he were to lose control and use his powers, he could wreak havoc. If Carlot with his ability of ground collapse goes out of control, it’s only a matter of time before this mansion crumbles.

The Duke of Perdia, who had remained silent, spoke up.

“Even if it’s Carlot, who’s trained to be immune to poisons, can’t he detoxify herself?”

“No, Your Grace. This is an entirely unknown poison, so Young Master doesn’t have any immunity to it.”

Narrowing his brow, the Duke of Perdia looked back at his wife.

“Themis, is detoxification impossible?”

“I am a poisoner, Your Grace, not a pharmacist. And no matter what pharmacist you bring in, it is not easy to create an antidote for a poison you have never encountered before. It will take at least a month.”

“Themis, I thought you said the pharmacist you recently hired was competent.”

“…….”

The Duchess pursed her lips and turned her head.

“Even if they’re talented, it’s impossible to create an antidote in such a short time.”

Even with the ‘ pharmacist ‘ standing right next to her, the Duchess didn’t address me.

Not only that, but the entire time, the Duchess never once looked in my direction. It was as if she was trying to exclude me from the situation.

‘Could it be that she’s worried I’ll feel burdened?’

……Maybe she’s afraid I’ll step in unwillingly?

Why, when she, more than anyone else, would want to ask me to decipher it?

At that moment, the doctor declared with a serious tone.

“Your Grace, you must make a decision.”

“…….”

The doctor’s decision. It was an exceptionally cruel choice to make.

If Carlot, who was poisoned, couldn’t regain control, he would undoubtedly go on a rampage. It was the family head´s duty to prevent that.

To get rid of it, before it got out of control…….

The atmosphere in the room became heavy.

“Ugh! Cough… Ack…!”

Carlot writhed in pain, letting out agonizing cries. Even in the midst of his pain, he must have been clenching his fists so tightly that blood was dripping from his palms.

‘……Carl.’

Carlot Perdia.

He was my younger brother, but until recently, Carlot had been an unpleasant presence, seemingly hating me, and we had both treated each other with disdain.

Although he had been overly kind to me recently, that short period of time couldn’t undo the long-standing negative feelings between us.

However, despite the resentment I held towards him, I didn’t wish for him to be dead.

After all, I thought we were family at one point.

Even if Carlot didn’t see me as family.

‘Yes, I don’t wish for your death, Carlot.’

The situation was clear now.

Since the decision had been made, there was no need to hesitate. I took a deep breath and stepped forward toward Carlot.

“I will try to detoxify him.”

“……!”

All the people in the room turned their gaze toward me.

Four pairs of eyes that couldn’t believe it, and one pair of eyes that showed surprise.

I might be found out. That I’m not of Perdia’s blood.

Claiming purification as a detoxification was a flimsy excuse.

But if I don’t step forward, Carlot will die.

“Lili? You’re going to detoxify him? What are you talking about?”

Jansi asked me with a serious expression, but instead of answering, I turned to Timotheo.

“Timotheo. I assume you brought the venom of the beast with you?”

“Yes, to make an antidote, we would need the poison…”

Even amidst everything, it was somewhat suspicious that he brought blood along.

I extended my hand towards Timotheo.

“Give it to me.”

As if possessed, Timotheo handed me the vial with the poison.

“What are you going to do with poison-.”

Before Jansi could ask, my actions were faster. I swallowed the beast’s poison without hesitation.

“Elodie!”

The duke tried to stop me, calling my name, but it was already too late.

“Gah…!”

I quickly covered my mouth. It felt like my whole body was on fire, and my legs involuntarily gave in, causing me to collapse to the ground.

‘I never thought it would hurt this much…….’

The pain from the beast’s poison, unlike any human-made toxin I had consumed before, engulfed me like an avalanche of agony.

Cough.

Something inside me throbbed, and when I pulled my hand away, there was blood. My whole body shook like crazy, and a cold sweat broke out in an instant.

“Lili, what the hell are you doing……!”

“Elodie.”

As Jansi and Duke Perdia quickly approached me, I raised one hand to stop them.

“Don´t, come closer.”

Cough. The taste of blood filled my mouth.

They froze on the spot as I spoke.

I looked at Carlot, who was suffering in agony.

‘Right now, if I feed Carlot with my blood, I might be able to save him, but two knights were also poisoned.’

To save them too, I needed a substantial amount of antidote.

For that, I needed water, the medium for channeling my power.

Turning my head to look at the table where the water should be, someone stood in front of me.

“…You’ve become stupidly kind.”

Saying that, the Duchess placed a pitcher of water in front of me.

Trembling, I placed my shaking hand on the pitcher.

I immediately felt the energy within me draining away.

The Duchess would know what to do; I had done my part.

“Others, the knights too… detoxification…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. I was completely unable to endure the pain, and my consciousness slipped away as I lost my willpower.

“……Miss!”

With a distant voice, I heard someone calling my name, but I couldn’t respond.

***

Sylvester caught Elodie as she collapsed to the ground.

“Elodie.”

“…….”

“Elodie Perdia!”

His large hand slapped Elodie’s cheek, but her eyelids remained tightly shut. Sitting next to her, Jansi nervously chewed on his lip and suggested a solution.

“Father, maybe we should try to force her to vomit.”

While Jansi desperately tried to remain composed, Sylvester continued to gaze intently at Elodie’s face.

Then, Sylvester spoke up.

“Wait a moment.”

“What?”

“Elodie’s symptoms seem to be different from Carlot’s.”

As they carefully observed Elodie’s condition, Themis made a move to save Carlot.

“Doctor. Feed Carl the water from the pitcher.”

“Huh?”

“Hurry.”

“Yes, yes!”

Without knowing why, the doctor poured water from the pitcher into Carlot’s mouth.

Due to the convulsions and trembling, most of it spilled out, but he must have swallowed some of it.

Then something astonishing happened. Carlot, who was previously writhing in pain and seemingly on the verge of going berserk, began to calm down gradually.

And that wasn’t all.

“Your Grace, Carlot’s breathing is returning to normal.”

“What?”

“His body temperature and pulse are also back to normal.”

As Sylvester handed Elodie to Jansi and approached Carlot to assess his condition, it was as the doctor said.

Everything in his body had returned to normal after suffering a seizure that had threatened to overwhelm him at any moment.

“Right now, master Carlot… seems to be asleep.”

The doctor said with a pause, as if he couldn’t believe it himself.

Sylvester’s gaze drifted to the kettle on the table. It was the kettle Elodie had reached for just before she collapsed.

Sylvester’s eyes narrowed.

“Father, shouldn’t Lili drink that water as well?”

Themis answered Jansi’s question for him.

“There’s no point in feeding it to Elodie. She’s not poisoned.”

Sylvester looked back at Themis.

“……..Then?”

“It’s her ability.”

“Ability?”

Sylvester’s gaze landed on Elodie’s face. Even in her unconscious state, her expression was twisted with pain.

“Elodie said it’s an ability that destroys toxins. She said she can make an antidote for any poison using that ability.”

“So, the newest pharmacist in the household is Elodie?”

“It would be best to ask her directly when she wakes up.”

While the ability was revealed by itself, Themis had made a promise to Elodie to not reveal her identity as the apothecary, so Themis intended to keep that promise, even though it might be meaningless.

While calmly trying to handle the situation, Themis’s mind remained uneasy.

‘I don’t have a hobby of poisoning my children. ‘

‘Elodie, please refrain from using your power in the future. ‘

‘If you drink poison again, I will tell your father everything. ‘

Elodie couldn’t stop herself from drinking the poison after that declaration.

No, did she really not stop it, or rather, did she not ‘want’ to stop it?

Themis couldn’t be sure of the answer to her own question. Even though she turned away from Elodie, she couldn’t deny that she hoped for Carlot’s rescue.

……How hypocritical and wicked of an adult.

Even though it may be too late to say so now, she wanted to be a proper parent to a child who thought it was abandoned.

Themis smiled awkwardly and handed the pitcher with the antidote to Timotheo.

“Timotheo, take this and let the other poisoned knights drink it.”

“Yes, madam.”

“As for this matter, handle it discreetly.”

“Yes, understood.”

Timotheo took the pitcher and left. The crisis with the venomous beast was resolved for now, but there was a strange tension among the members of the Perdia family.

Jansi looked down at the unconscious Elodie in his arms.

Did he feel a sense of calm when in contact with Elodie due to her ability? However, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

An ability that destroys toxins?

‘No.’

It was similar but different. That warm feeling that one gets when skin touches skin did not fit the description of a “destructive” ability.

While Jansi was lost in thought, Sylvester approached and picked Elodie up.

“I can-.”

“I take her.”

He pushed past Jansi and left Carlot’s bedroom.

‘Ability…….’

Silvester looked down at Elodie as she broke out in a cold sweat.

The baby who couldn’t even speak was now on the verge of adulthood. It felt both new and bittersweet.

‘An ability that destroys toxins, huh? Quite convincing.’

The purifying powers of the House of Severes have been disguised as the destructive powers of Perdia.

If he hadn’t known the truth, he might have been fooled as well.

Really, she’s quite a mischievous little girl.

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