It felt as if my entire body was being torn apart.

With each breath I took, a sharp, prickling pain passed through me like a blade.

“Ughhh……”

My head throbbed, and the sensation of gravity weighing down on my body as if multiplied by ten was familiar.

The symptoms after using my ability were more severe than usual, but they were similar.

‘I seem to be able to purify even the venom of a venomous beast. If only I could exclude the more difficult parts.’

The price was quite harsh, but I welcomed the expansion of my ability’s range.

I raised my upper body, deciding that it would be a beneficial power, and without thinking, I turned my head to face something terrifying.

“Elodie.”

“……Eek!”

Startled, I quickly covered my mouth with both hands.

‘No. Don’t scream!’

Beside the bed, Duke Perdia sat with his legs crossed on a chair, staring at me.

Not only that, but there was a fidgety Martha and the doctor, as well as Jansi and the Duchess.

I had no idea why they were all here, except for the patient, Carlot.

‘Wait a minute. This isn’t my bedroom……?’

For a moment, I thought it was my bedroom because it was similar to my bedroom in the annex.

Then, Duke Perdia, with his arms crossed and his head slightly tilted, asked me outright.

“How’s your body?”

“I-I’m fine.”

“You’re not very good at lying.”

The duke raised his head slightly, and the doctor, who had been waiting, hurriedly came over to examine me.

“Hmm…”

“How is she?”

“Fortunately, there are no signs of poisoning, but she seems to be in a lot of pain as her powers try to destroy the poison in her body. Given how sensitive and fragile she is, I think she should be resting for the time being.”

His diagnosis was long-winded, but in the end, it meant that there was nothing wrong. The advice to rest was something doctors often said.

But even with that diagnosis, the faces of the Perdia member became more serious.

“Pain…….”

The stern gaze of Duke Perdia turned towards me. I awkwardly smiled and quickly explained.

“I’m really okay! I’m just a little more tired than usual.”

I forced a cheerful smile, afraid that things might escalate unnecessarily.

Having already experienced the awkwardness of getting caught by the Duchess once, I hoped this commotion would pass quickly.

But wishes don’t always come true.

There was more to come.

The Duke of Perdia began to question me in earnest.

“When did your powers manifest?”

“Mmm, in the summer.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner.”

“I didn’t want to disturb Father with the engagement issue, and I thought it would be better to keep it to myself……I was going to tell you later.”

It was a lie. If I hadn’t been caught, I wouldn’t have disclosed it at all.

Feeling a pang of guilt, I looked at the Duchess, who seemed to be at ease as she shrugged her shoulders. It seemed she hadn’t told anyone about our deal.

But even so, given the situation, they might have already figured out a lot.

“Elodie, are you the new pharmacist of Perdia?”

-Just like that.

There was no use denying it, so I nodded my head obediently.

“You purify toxins within the body and create antidotes?”

Nod.

“The price of your ability is progressive pain corresponding to the toxicity.”

“……!”

How did he even guess that?

Though I didn’t say anything and just widened my eyes in surprise, the duke seemed to understand and looked away.

“Elodie, you’d better not use your ability.”

“Yes…….”

It didn’t matter much since I had already been forbidden to use my ability by the Duchess. It only meant that I had to use it secretly even more.

To make the emperor’s antidote, I had to use my powers anyway.

After being quiet for a while, Jansi turned to the duchess.

“You already knew, Mother.”

“It just happened to be that way.”

“…….”

Jansi seemed to be lost in thought, and I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Among the most terrifying moments in the world, one of them is when the villain character goes silent.

It’s like the calm before the storm.

‘What on earth is he thinking?’

I looked around, trying to contain my anxiety, and locked eyes with Martha.

I felt sorry for her as she sulked under the weight of the energy of the Perdia’s.

I couldn’t wait to get back to the annex and prove to Martha that I was okay.

Feeling a little nervous, I pulled back the covers and asked the duke.

“By the way, where is this?”

“This is your bedroom.”

“What?”

“It’s the bedroom in the main mansion.”

Where?

Because I had suddenly collapsed, I saw a room that looked like it had been redecorated.

So, it was a room that had been prepared in advance.

Even before I finished dealing with the situation, Duke Perdia spoke up.

“You will stay here for the time being, Elodie, as we need to keep an eye on your condition. If you need anything, just let the servants know, and they’ll bring it to you.”

“Oh, no. I should be in the annex…….!”

“Rest.”

As soon as the duke finished speaking, he briskly left the room. I extended my hand as if to stop him, but it was futile.

Letting out a deep sigh, I turned to the Duchess and Jansi and asked.

“How’s Carl? Have the knights been detoxified?”

“Yes, thanks to your antidote, Carl has shown signs of improvement.”

That was a relief.

At least I had done something, even if it was giving away my secret.

‘Right. Carlot Perdia isn’t one to die easily.’

Maybe it wasn’t my powers that kept him alive.

I let out a sigh of relief involuntarily when I heard that he hadn’t died because I had grown fond of him recently.

Jansi, with a kind smile on his face, added an explanation.

“Carl woke up briefly and then fell asleep again, Lili. He’ll probably run straight here once he wakes up.”

“Haha…….”

That sounded really bothersome. It would have been better if Carl just slept soundly.

In truth, after ingesting the poison and fainting, my body was in the worst condition now.

As soon as I got up, I had to talk to many people, and my headache worsened.

Although I tried my best not to show it, the Duchess, who was observing me closely, spoke to Jansi.

” Jansi, it’s better for you to go upstairs and keep an eye on Carl’s condition.”

“……..Yes, Mother.”

Jansi glanced at me for a moment and then left the room. Eventually, the Duchess asked Martha and the doctor to leave as well.

The only ones left in the room were the Duchess and me.

“Elodie.”

“Yes, madam.”

“Will you forgive me?”

“……Huh?”

The Duchess’s sudden words caught me off guard. As she approached the bed, she looked down at me with a serious expression.

“I didn’t stop you even though I knew that using your ability would come at a cost.”

The remorseful look on the Duchess’s face was genuine.

But I couldn’t understand why she was apologizing to me.

“What I did was something I wanted to do. There’s no need for you to apologize.”

“Even though I pretended to be oblivious to your pain to save Carl’s life?”

“That’s……!”

There was a contradiction in the Duchess’s words. From the moment she knew that Carlot had been poisoned, she purposely avoided my gaze.

As if she didn’t want me to get involved.

Yet I was the one who went ahead and drank the poison. There was no one to stop me.

If she truly wanted to save her son using my ability, she would have asked for an antidote from the moment she knew it was due to poison.

However, the Duchess did not react that way.

Would I have been able to do that if I had been in her position?

‘……No.’

Instead, I should be grateful that she was willing to keep my secret until the end.

“Even if it were not Carlot Perdia, I would have saved anyone. So, you don’t need to apologize.”

I hoped she wouldn’t feel guilty.

I was truly fine.

If anything, I felt weird that she hadn’t just thought about saving her biological son, Carlot, but also me.

As I was trying to hide my embarrassment by lowering my head, a gentle hand gently touched my cheek.

“You’re such a kind child. Thank you for understanding.”

The Duchess, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, looked up at me, smiling sweetly.

I rarely had such close encounters with the Duchess, so I couldn’t help but feel awkward in this situation.

“You don’t look well, Elodie.”

“As you know, I’ll be fine once I rest.”

I tried to put on a good smile, but as if reading my mind, the duchess gave me a sympathetic look.

“If you’re in pain, don’t hesitate to say so. It’s alright.”

Her words almost made me answer in an uncharacteristic manner.

‘Don’t be mistaken, Elodie. You’re just a stranger in Perdia. I can’t be part of it.’

One day I would have to drop the surname Perdia and disappear from this place.

So, no matter how warmly the Duchess treated me, I couldn’t accept her feelings.

Seeing me remain silent, the Duchess touched my forehead with the back of her hand.

“You have a fever. Since the antidote won’t work, medicine won’t be of any use either.”

“…….Yes.”

“Lie down again and rest comfortably. I’ll give you some space.”

With that, I lay back down and pulled the quilt up to my neck. The Duchess, who had tenderly smoothed my bangs, smiled faintly and rose from the bed.

“I’ll see you later, then, Lili.”

‘……Lili?’

My eyes widened in surprise, but the Duchess left the room without saying anything more.

I never expected that the Duchess, who had always called me by my name, would use a nickname for me.

“Have we grown closer…?”

In any case, I was finally alone.

My bedroom in the main house was decorated similarly to the one in the annex, so I didn’t feel too unfamiliar. Maybe because of that, my tension was instantly relieved.

But there was something important that I felt I had forgotten…….

It just wouldn’t come to my mind no matter how much I tried to think.

Anyway, I should probably get back to the annex as soon as possible.

‘They said for the time being, so it’ll be fine…’

After all, it seemed that I had successfully overcome the crisis of using my ability. I was relieved.

***

Oh, how wrong I was to think that the past me had safely overcome it.

Because of my complacency in the past, my present self was suffering from tremendous pain.

“Lili, ah ~  can you do it?”

“I have hands, brother.”

“The doctor said not to push yourself. I’ll help you.”

What on earth is this new form of t*rture?

I looked at Jansi, who was holding a spoon, with disgust.

‘Please save me!’

But no one came to my rescue.

And what’s with the menu?

‘Leeks here, leeks there…….’

There were leeks everywhere. The only thing on the menu that didn’t have leeks was water.

It wasn’t hard to figure out why.

“Leeks are good for you! I love leeks, so I ordered them again, so what?”

“……Elodie, do you really like leeks?”

“Yes!”

I remembered the conversation I’d had with the Duke of Perdia, when I’d told him about my love of leeks at Urania’s house on a previous outing.

‘No, no! I don’t like leeks! They are just one of the ingredients!’

Sniff.

But I guess it’s my own fault for causing such a misunderstanding.

I can eat leeks and anything else, but please let me eat them with my own hands.

“Lili, ~ ah .”

Whoever it is, please knock out that Jansi Perdia who smiles sweetly and offers me a spoon.

[sc name=”add_image” image_url=” https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc_7Ek7sh9xHXhbxsTM_bXEIOh_y_A7lx_2DBEgc4Sue1pFo2_13MYulLl3haEzO5KwYW_SO6PSjAPnyEQ6FcsPyO-81K0IPKRDlD_73oKbZiwl7wGM=w2400″][/sc]

Did my desperate wish reach someone?

Someone knocked on the door, and suddenly something popped in through the slightly open gap.

“Miyok!”