71.

Rosetta Toulon’s primary domain had been the Villbron Strait, but riding the currents, she often ventured as far as the Yezelben Islands or Tilsen on the southern continent. In the process, she had encountered numerous tribes unknown to ordinary people. Lady Audrey’s demeanor sharply stirred memories from that era—particularly the time she had been held captive by the Rimrock Tribe.

Forced to drink water inducing hallucinations, exposed to strange incense, and made to hear the same sounds repeated over and over… It was just like when a tribal shaman cast a group hypnosis.

The moment she realized it, the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Startled, Rosetta lifted her gaze and immediately met Lady Audrey’s piercing yellow eyes, which seemed to have been watching her all along. Rosetta suppressed the urge to bolt from the spot right then. The hands resting on her knees clenched tightly, yet her face merely showed languid blinking.

“It’s Diego.”

After a prolonged silence, Lady Audrey slowly resumed speaking. All the while, her lips and fingertips continued rubbing together. The sound was quite irritating, but oddly, her mind remained astonishingly clear—far from hypnotized. Whether the dose she had ingested was insufficient, or some other reason was at play, she couldn’t tell.

“Your Highness… what did you say?”

Rosetta dragged the end of her sentence slightly, speaking languidly. Lady Audrey seemed convinced that Rosetta was already somewhat under the drug’s influence. Her face, now stripped of all previous caution, was brimming with smugness.

“You seem drowsy. Why don’t you drink a little more tea?”

She coaxed gently, her tone twice as sweet.

“It’ll surely help you stay awake.”

She was fine now—but there was no guarantee the next sip wouldn’t change that. Yet flatly refusing might invite unnecessary suspicion. While Rosetta hesitated, Lady Audrey herself placed the teacup into her hands.

“Drink it all. Down in one go.”

…Damn it. With things having gone this far, she had no choice. Rosetta took the cup and, on the first sip, swallowed a mouthful heavily mixed with saliva. Then, as if her grip had suddenly gone slack, she let the cup slip from her hand. It fell to the floor with a clatter, splashing liquid in all directions. Lady Audrey, seated opposite, dodged the spill and muttered a curse under her breath.

“Bloody… filthy little wretch…”

Her voice was nearly a mumble, but Rosetta heard it clearly. At Lady Audrey’s gesture, a trembling maid quickly rushed over and cleared away the fallen cup. Rosetta subtly pressed the hem of her dress firmly against the carpet before the tea could fully soak in. Lady Audrey, irritably brushing her hair back several times, snapped sharply.

“Lady Viscountess? Answer me. How are you feeling?”

“My head… it’s a bit…”

Rosetta half-lowered her eyes and let her lips go slack. Then, as one naturally would when dizzy, she pressed a hand to her forehead—feigning disorientation, whether from hypnosis, drugs, or sudden illness. Since she didn’t know what the liquid was, nor Lady Audrey’s true intentions, the safest course was to feign uncertainty—whether the drug had taken effect or an old illness had flared.

She could see Lady Audrey’s eyes narrow with suspicion.

“If you can hear me, nod your head.”

Rosetta obediently nodded. Lady Audrey narrowed her gaze dubiously, then waved her hand back and forth right in front of Rosetta’s nose. She snapped her thumb and forefinger together sharply. The sudden movement required no acting—Rosetta naturally looked dazed. She glanced around, pretending to be startled.

“I… must’ve blanked out for a moment again.”

“…Again?”

“It happens often lately. Can you tell me what happened just now?”

“You suddenly didn’t feel well and spilled the tea while drinking.”

“I see. Did I do anything improper?”

Rosetta felt Lady Audrey studying her with an odd look. Audrey’s lips twitched as if about to speak, then she simply nodded.

“Nothing at all.”

“We were talking about the Crown Prince, weren’t we?”

“Oh.”

Lady Audrey stared at her with a sour expression and replied coldly.

“It was about the invitation.”

A complete reversal from the last time, when she had feigned ignorance.

“It seems we’ll be leaving Cyclide after today. Diego is soon to host a hunting festival at the imperial hunting grounds. He specifically asked me to invite you, saying there’s something he’d like to ask you in person.”

“I’ll come.”

“You may leave now.”

Rosetta calmly rose from her seat. As the parlor door opened, merchants immediately surged toward Lady Audrey like a tide. Without looking back, Rosetta exited through the hotel lobby. At first, she walked briskly, as if conscious of others’ eyes, but by the time she reached the stairs, she was nearly running down. The coachman recognized her and opened the carriage door.

“Where to?”

“Fourth Avenue. Immediately.”

Seeing Rosetta’s deathly pale face, the coachman sensed something was wrong and quickly pulled the reins. Only after closing the carriage door did Rosetta realize she was trembling violently. She clenched her fists tightly, trying to stop the shaking.

When Lady Audrey waved her hand in front of Rosetta’s eyes, a gap in her clothing had clearly revealed it—wounds rotting a sickly green, like decaying corpses.

Damn… She had considered the possibility of having seen wrong, but that faint, foul odor had been real. One thing was certain, whether she liked it or not: that woman’s body was not that of a living human.

* * *

Rosetta bit her lip. The longer time passed, the more she began to doubt whether what she had seen was real or merely a side effect of the tea. Even though she had witnessed it with her own eyes and smelled that wretched stench. It defied all reason. Could someone truly speak and move so calmly while parts of their body were rotting away? If that were possible, the world would long ago have been overrun with walking corpses.

“What are you doing here again? Without even sending word.”

Rosetta barely surfaced from her deep thoughts. It had been thirty minutes since she barged into Turner’s office, and only now did the owner finally appear. He looked like he’d just woken from a nap—his cheek bore deep crease marks, and his brown hair stuck out in all directions.

“I have a few more requests.”

“What kind… Wait, first, where the hell have you been? Look at the state of your clothes.”

“Oh, this.”

Rosetta casually looked down at herself. Thanks to deliberately tipping the tea toward her, the hem of her skirt bore a large stain. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and placed it on the desk.

“Can you analyze the substance on my clothes?”

“Hmm… Not sure. I’d have to test it to know for certain.”

Turner scratched his head vigorously and yawned widely. Then he grabbed one of the haphazardly scattered contracts on the desk and handed it to Rosetta.

“Whatever it is, as long as you’ve got money, it won’t be a problem.”

“Now that you mention money… Just how much have you squeezed out of my husband?”

Rosetta, signing the document from top to bottom with a fountain pen, narrowed her eyes and confronted Turner.

“Squeezed out?!”

He jumped as if deeply insulted.

“They didn’t pay me a single copper! All I received was the lesson fee from the noble lady!”

“…”

“I’m serious! A merchant’s virtue is credibility. Do you really think I’d make such an easily exposed lie?”

“Fine. I know someone skilled with potions. If you can’t figure this out, go to him.”

“Who is he?”

Rosetta bit her lip.

“His name is Calypso.”

“That name sounds familiar…”

“Do you know him?”

“No. But why does it feel so familiar? Where have I heard it before…”

Turner tilted his head, then shrugged.

“Well, it’ll come to me eventually. Just give me a generous advance. And send your clothes over with a maid.”

Rosetta stood up. She spoke fiercely, as if ready to strip off her clothes at any moment.

“I’ll give them to you now.”

At that, Turner nearly jumped in place.

“What? Are you insane? You want someone dead?”

“Don’t you know this kind of evidence needs to be preserved quickly to avoid contamination? If it gets ruined in someone else’s hands, will you take responsibility?”

“Well… yes, of course, but…”

“Enough. If you’re just going to stand there gawking, help me with this instead.”

Damn it. Even as a man, there’s a limit to how much nonsense I’ll tolerate… Turner protested with a look of utter disbelief. But as Rosetta began untying the ribbons cinching her waist one by one, he panicked and covered his eyes with both hands.

“W-wait a second!”