“Yes. I trust you.”

Ankedo narrowed his eyes and looked down at Ollentia. Even though she only met his gaze for a moment, she shivered and averted her eyes. It was difficult to act nonchalantly when she knew his true identity.

Moreover, Ollentia couldn’t help but feel that Ankedo was casting suspicious glances at her. Despite wearing a dress that tightly covered her entire body, she felt extremely uncomfortable.

Passing the golden tiger statue, Ollentia forced a smile and asked, “Where will the contract be prepared?”

She was curious about the room that was meant to receive guests. The room with the mirror in the prophecy. According to Morin, next to the meeting place, there was hidden money that had been embezzled.

Fortunately, Ankedo led her to the meeting place without suspecting her. While the building outside sparkled in the white sunlight, the inside was dark because all the curtains were drawn. The bluish-green carpet looked luxurious but gave off an eerie vibe.

Ankedo, who had been walking along the long corridor, finally stopped.

“This is it.”

When Ankedo opened the door, Ollentia found herself in the room of mirrors. She saw countless mirrors inside, and shivers ran down her spine. It felt like her toes were tingling.

“I’ve always wanted to ask at least once.”

Ollentia asked him in a puzzled voice as naturally as possible, “Why are there so many mirrors here?”

Ankedo answered with a smile, “Is it to monitor whether customers are up to mischief?”

‘It was used for that purpose?’

Surprised, Ollentia widened her eyes, and Ankedo sat down and said, “Just kidding. I just like it. To be honest, I like looking at my own face in the mirror.”

He smiled gently as he looked at the mirror placed on the table.

‘What? Does he think he’s handsome? That’s ridiculous.’

Ollentia cleared her throat and quickly got to the point.

“I’d like to see the item before I give you the money.”

She wanted to handle the business according to her plan and leave this eerie place. However, Ankedo acted strangely for some reason.

“You should have tea first. I have a lot to discuss with Lady. You like tea, don’t you?”

“Oh, how did you know I like tea?”

“I also hear news from the capital. I heard that the heiress of Armenia rejected both the proposal of the Viscount and the proposal of the Marquis.”

It seemed even such trivial matters were the subject of gossip.

Ollentia looked puzzled at the maids who brought in the trolley. On the silver trolley were luxurious teapots and teacups, as well as a teapot warmer.

It seemed like he was determined to enjoy tea time properly.

‘I really don’t like this. Does he have some other intention?’

She had felt uneasy since the moment she was gazing at her suspiciously, so she wanted to avoid him as much as possible.

Ollentia cautiously examined the room’s layout to be prepared to escape at any moment. There were no obstacles in front of the door, and there were no knights guarding the door either.

However, the external security must be strict. How can I escape this?

Inside the room, there was a long purple cloth, and there was probably a side door as Morin had mentioned. If she opened the side door and entered, she would find the room where the embezzled money was hidden.

She couldn’t go to the next room right now and find the embezzled money, so it was best to complete the transaction and leave. The mercenaries should have memorized the location of this place well.

Of course, if she could take the embezzled money with her, that would be great. Unless the money was laundered, it would have the issue date, place of issuance, and a unique serial number stamped on it. If she took it and told Archbishop Werbu, he would surely believe her.
However, even the act of debating whether to drink the tea placed in front of her was stressful. It was a light yellow tea with the scent of camellia. There was no doubt that it was chamomile tea, which she drank like water. Nevertheless, she refrained from touching the teacup, wondering if Ankedo had done something strange.

Then Ankedo urged her to drink the tea.

“If you like tea, why aren’t you touching it? Don’t you trust me?”

He had expected her to say that.

Ollentia hesitated greatly for a moment. To complete the transaction safely and to leave, she had to drink the tea. But if she broke off the negotiation, she couldn’t predict how Ankedo would react.

Ollentia was determined to resolve the situation properly.

‘No… It can’t be.’

Ollentia pretended to sip the tea casually, with a smile and even a relaxed posture, and didn’t think that something was wrong even as her body started to feel numb.

But then Ollentia collapsed.

Thump!

Seeing Ollentia fall under the chair, Ankedo immediately stood up. He crouched in front of Ollentia and tightly grabbed her platinum hair.

“I thought I wouldn’t know your intentions? Cunning!”