“Someone has poisoned the Empress’s tea!”
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]The Empress was taken back to her room for treatment.
Those left in the banquet hall were rooted to the spot.
Because of my announcement about the poison.
“The silver cup has turned black!”
“Are you saying it was really poison?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The tea was poisoned. To be exact, it was a type of poisonous herb that discolours silver but isn’t highly toxic, only causing pain. However, only Serdis, who had added the herb, knew this fact, and so couldn’t refute the claim that it was poison.
“Her Majesty also drank the same tea but shows no symptoms. The teacup is shattered so we can’t even test it further…”
It was a good thing that I broke the cup intentionally.
My tea would certainly have tested positive for the poison too.
“The poison must have been applied to the teacup. This way, you could give it to the intended victim only.”
“How can you be so certain it was poison?”
The Emperor’s gaze turned towards me.
“Right after the Empress collapsed, I saw this same scene. The entire palace was turned upside down in the search for the culprit.”
I relayed the response I had already thought of.
“Anette, what are you saying you saw just now?”
Serdis, unaware of my previous encounter with the Emperor, asked.
“The future.”
“The future…?”
I responded calmly.
“I often see the future. The Emperor and the Duke already know.”
His face turned pale. If I say that the poison came from the prince’s palace, he would immediately become a suspect.
“The Empress will recover swiftly with no lingering effects.”
“Did you see who the culprit is?”
“That…”
My voice trailed off as I turned my gaze towards Serdis. When our eyes met, he looked away.
“I didn’t see. But it’s definitely someone living in this palace.”
I didn’t specifically point at Serdis.
He was aiming for me, and his intention wasn’t to kill me with poison.
This threat should be enough.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]Only when it was evening were we able to leave the palace.
“Serdis is the one who put the medicine in the tea.”
Inside the carriage, I grabbed Hertian and vented.
“It’s really bad luck, isn’t it? He was trying to show off that strange ability to me by making me ingest that medicine!”
I finally understood why Serdis had offered me the tea.
He certainly intended to manipulate me with his paralysis ability.
“I knew it was strange. Suddenly celebrating something, acting entirely different from usual.”
“… I thought so. He probably intended to give it to you originally.”
Hertian’s response, which had been silent until now, surprised me.
“How did you know?”
“I knew when I saw you sniffing at the cup. You have a habit of sniffing your drinks when you drink medicinal water. I anticipated there was something else in it.”
Hertian spoke casually. As if he was someone who knew me well.
“How do you know that?”
“Ah.”
He rolled his eyes, and I gripped him tighter, pressing him for an answer.
“So, did you know that I would drink the tea and be fine?”
“Yes, I did.”
It was a brazen reply.
“Did you investigate me?”
“I told you in the hospital room that I would do my best to help you recover. So, I asked the Count about your condition, even the small details.”
There was nothing to say even if he had investigated.
I knew about Hertian’s troubles, and he had the right to know about me.
“I’m sorry, I was sensitive.”
At my quick apology, his head slightly dipped. In his usually composed black eyes, my reflection was trapped.
“I should apologize for today’s incident.”
He spoke in his heavy voice.
“Why should Hertian apologize?”
“I acted disgracefully in front of you.”
It was a selfreproachful statement, unlike Hertian.
“If you call that disgrace, our family wouldn’t be able to show our faces from shame.”
I said nonchalantly.
“Every family has different circumstances and accepts them differently. Whether the Emperor or the Empress behaves in any way, it doesn’t matter to me as long as Hertian is there.”
Even if it was a messedup family, as long as Hertian was there, nothing else mattered.
“You’re remarkable.”
Finally, he seemed a little relieved and let out a small laugh.
“Right? I think I’m cool, too. I didn’t know the Empress would roll around on the floor. You should take this to heart! It’s your punishment for speaking ill of Hertian.”
“I wouldn’t mind hearing scoldings a few times if I’m with you.”
“But I don’t like you being scolded.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
His soft laughter filled the carriage.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]Hertian waved goodbye to Anette, who was cheerfully waving at the mansion door, and gave a gentle smile.
As soon as she disappeared, his expression faded. One of the knights approached him.
“The Emperor has ordered to escort you to the palace.”
“Let’s go.”
He promptly mounted his horse.
The palace was eerily silent.
It was bearable when Anette was there, but without her, he wanted to leave as soon as possible.
“You said you were late due to some work, but it was because you were rummaging through my father’s study.”
The Emperor spoke as if he had been waiting as soon as Hertian entered.
“It was an important matter.”
“Whether it’s this or that…”
The Emperor massaged his temples, looking annoyed.
“What did you steal by secretly rummaging through things you could have just asked for?”
“I can tell you, but I can’t return it.”
The Emperor was flabbergasted at his son’s audacious response.
“Did you steal land documents?”
“It’s an ancient document tangled in a Marca tree.”
He encountered interesting stories about the Marca tree while finding a cure for Anette. He thought it was worth investigating, so he searched through the Emperor’s study.
“Marca? Do you want to reenroll in the academy before you were even sent off to war?”
“Think of it that way.”
He answered vaguely and turned away.
When he did, the Emperor, recalling the earlier incident, spoke.
“Once you return as Duke, hell will unfold.”
“My life has already been hell.”
“It will be a deeper hell. A territory without Calix is like a territory without a shield, like the current empire.”
There was bitterness in his worried words. But to him, who had grown up without the shadow called father, it sounded too obvious.
“I’m not incompetent like someone else. I’ll protect both Anette and the territory.”
“If you’re going to protect it, protect it firmly. Make sure Serdis doesn’t mess around like today.”
When Hertian turned his head, he met the Emperor’s cold eyes. The Emperor already knew who was responsible for today’s incident and why he did it. Yet, he did nothing, as he had always done.
“Family games end today. Please do not bother in the future as you did today. I will take care of it myself.”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
