Lucas also did not know how to handle this situation where he had exposed his true nature.

If only he could deliver a blow that would shut Floyd up and return gracefully to his seat. He didn’t know what kind of attack would work against Floyd, who shamelessly blurted out his lack of education without any sense of embarrassment for his rudeness.

“Please sit down, Crown Prince. The atmosphere has become too heated. We gathered here to celebrate each other, so let’s set aside past grievances for now.”

Christine calmly instructed. Lucas quietly sat down, and Floyd and Roxiana also returned to their seats. Elise, who had secretly hoped Floyd and Roxiana would leave first, inwardly swallowed a sigh.

Her body was already heavy and it was difficult to stay in her seat, but Lucas kept making foolish mistakes, causing her embarrassment and fatigue to pile up.

She thought about leaving, saying she wasn’t feeling well, but she couldn’t do that either, not knowing what conversations might take place in her absence.

‘How can she act so nonchalant?’

Even though Floyd had defended her, Roxiana had been severely slandered by Lucas. It would be natural to look flustered or angry even for a moment, but Roxiana seemed unbothered.

From the moment she entered this garden until now, the smile never left Roxiana’s lips.

Every time their eyes met, Elise felt like the noose around her neck was tightening.

Roxiana, who had been living in a distant land, couldn’t possibly know about her actions, and Roxiana, who arrived in Gania yesterday, couldn’t know the rumors surrounding the Crown Princess. Even if she did know, she would have no way to verify whether it was true or not.

But those green eyes seemed to know everything, making it hard to breathe.

“By the way…”

After some time had passed and the atmosphere had calmed down, Roxiana spoke up.

“It’s the social season, but it’s quiet. I suppose Gania isn’t holding royal parties this year?”

Christine, who had been focusing only on Floyd, snapped to attention as if struck by an arrow.

‘That woman!’

Everyone present knew that this short, gentle question was loaded with countless meanings.

Normally, in April and May, countless nobles would gather in Gania’s capital, Atanta City. It was to enjoy the social season and attend royal parties.

But this year, the social season had been cancelled.

All because of the Franche royal family.

At this time when the fervor over the tragedy of the Franche royal family had not subsided at all, if the Pelur royal family, who had caused that tragedy, were to enjoy the social season, they would undoubtedly face even harsher criticism than now.

Therefore, an official notice had been sent that this year would be spent without a social season as a sign of reflection and mourning.

Roxiana must know this fact well, yet she deliberately brought it up to remind everyone of the painful betrayal and devastating tragedy she had suffered.

People who had forgotten what she had to endure due to Floyd and Roxiana’s confident attitudes now remembered once again what their Crown Prince had done to Roxiana.

Feeling the atmosphere change strangely, Christine tried to smile gracefully as she picked up her teaspoon.

“We decided to spend this year quietly. The Crown Princess is pregnant and not feeling well, and I’m not in good health either…”

As if to prove her words, Christine dropped the not-so-heavy teaspoon on the floor. A maid standing at a distance quietly left her spot and returned.

While the maid brought a new teaspoon and placed it on the table, Christine gazed steadily at Roxiana and said,

“How about you host parties in my place to entertain people while you’re staying here, Grand Duchess?”

It was meant to sting Roxiana, who shouldn’t be in the mood for parties after losing her family, but Roxiana smiled brightly as if it was an excellent idea.

“Oh my, would that be alright? I was worried it might not be appropriate since the capital’s atmosphere is so gloomy. If that’s the Queen’s wish, I’ll host lavish parties on your behalf.”

At the implication that she would become the protagonist of the social season instead of this country’s queen and crown princess, Christine and Elise’s expressions darkened simultaneously. As Roxiana smiled gracefully at the two women, the water spirit whispered.

−The queen’s maid has poisoned the teapot. That brown-haired maid bringing the teapot now is an assassin. She’ll pour tea into the Crown Princess’s cup and flee immediately.

Roxiana glanced at the maid, then whispered “Poison” quietly into Floyd’s ear. The maid who had approached silently poured tea into Elise’s cup as naturally as flowing water.

Floyd picked up the teacup, drained it in one gulp, and shook the empty cup.

“Pour some here too.”

The maid’s eyes wavered for a moment. Christine looked behind Floyd and said,

“The Grand Duke’s cup is empty.”

The servant who had been filling the teacup on the table behind Floyd responded, “Yes, Your Majesty,” approached, and filled Floyd’s cup. Meanwhile, the brown-haired maid left the scene inconspicuously.

Roxiana instructed the water spirits to follow the maid, then focused her attention on Elise’s teacup.

After a few exchanges of ordinary conversation, Elise, who had been watching Roxiana’s reactions, picked up her teacup.

Christine glanced at Elise’s hand, Lucas was glaring only at Floyd, and Joseph V was contemplating ways to escape this hellish tea party.

And Roxiana lightly kicked Floyd’s foot under the table, then sent a gust of wind towards Elise’s hand holding the teacup.

“Ah!”

Feeling pain as if her fingers were being cut, Elise dropped the teacup. Riding the wind, the cup missed the table and fell onto the grass.

Christine and the maid’s faces contorted, and Elise, rubbing her fingers, unconsciously looked down at the fallen teacup on the ground and let out a small scream.

“Eek!”

“What’s wrong?”

Instead of Lucas, who asked gruffly, Floyd stood up and approached Elise.

“It seems the Crown Princess has hurt her hand…”

Floyd, who had been muttering, suddenly stopped, then moved his hand to the sword at his waist and shouted,

“Nobody move!”

“Floyd, what on earth are you doing?”

At this point, Joseph V could no longer hold back. How dare he reach for his sword in front of the king? For a foreign monarch to act like this meant he was willing to risk war.

“What am I doing? Are you blind? Can’t you see this?”

Floyd drew his sword. As people screamed and jumped to their feet, Floyd pointed the tip of his sword at the grass.

“It’s poison!”

Poison?

At this sudden statement, people who were preparing to flee became bewildered and looked at Floyd. Christine, feeling devastated, gripped the armrests of her chair tightly before slowly turning her head. Then, pretending to be greatly surprised, she stood up abruptly.

“The grass…!”

Only then did Lucas and Joseph V check the grass where Elise’s teacup had fallen. Other nobles also approached nervously.

The grass under the teacup was dead, as if it had been burned black.

‘Why…?’

Christine was confused.

The poison used on Elise shouldn’t have killed the grass. It was a poison that only affected living creatures.

‘Could it be…!’

The burned state of the grass.

Perhaps Floyd had noticed the presence of poison beforehand and burned the grass where the teacup fell.

‘But how?’

Only the maid and the assassin knew about Christine’s intention to use poison. Moreover, even if this plan had somehow reached Floyd’s ears, who could have known that Elise would drop the teacup onto the grass at the right moment?

While Christine was lost in confusion, unable to understand what had happened, Elise staggered, shocked by the realization that there had been poison in her teacup. Lucas hurriedly supported Elise.

“Elin, are you alright?”

“Your, Your Majesty. Poison… Someone tried to kill me…”

“Well, Crown Princess.”

Floyd interrupted Elise’s words with a growl.

“How do you know if that poison was meant for you, or if it could have been for anyone here? We must find the culprit and make them confess the truth.”

Floyd added, looking around at everyone,

“Anyone who tries to escape from here will be considered the culprit, caught, and have their wrists cut off.”

“Grand Duke.”

Christine, who had finally regained her composure, called out to Floyd calmly but firmly.

“This happened in our palace, so we will find the culprit ourselves. Miss Franche must be very shocked, so why don’t you take her back for now?”

“I don’t like that.”

“What…?”

“I said, I don’t like the Queen’s idea.”

At his disrespectful tone, Christine was dumbfounded and her lips quivered. Floyd’s sword slowly moved towards Christine.

“My fiancée might have drunk poison, and you’re telling me to tuck my tail and run? That’s really not to my liking.”

“Grand Duke! This is the royal palace of the Kingdom of Gania. Isn’t this going too far? Even if you have old grievances against us, you shouldn’t disrespect us like this. If you’ve come to this country, you should show proper etiquette!”

“Enough of that.”

Floyd tapped the fallen teacup on the ground with the tip of his sword, then let out a long whistle. There was a commotion outside the garden that soon stopped, and the knights led by Kirshan rushed in.

The nobles drew in their breath at the sight of these well-known figures.

“Shan. There was poison in that teacup.”

Adrian, quick to catch on, frowned and exclaimed,

“Oh my. What about our Grand Duchess’s cup? Is our Grand Duchess safe? Is she alright?”

“Well. That poison could have been in another cup. I can’t help but think someone tried to kill my fiancée…”

Arsen nodded.

“Ah, the Queen of Gania seems to dislike our lord very, very much.”

“For heaven’s sake!”

Christine’s voice rose and then lowered again.

“What nonsense are you spouting, Floyd? Miss Franche is fine, and the poison was in our Crown Princess’s cup, wasn’t it? This is a matter for our royal family. You shouldn’t interfere. As a ruler of a country, don’t you know that your actions reflect on your nation?”

“I don’t care about that.”

Floyd grinned and thrust his face towards Christine.

“You’re acting far too suspiciously, Queen.”