“It seems you don’t believe in my abilities. Let me show you my skills.”

I interlaced my fingers and made a cracking sound.

I also loosened my neck a couple of times.

Next? It was time to expose the identity of that old man called the court physician.

“Doctor. Is there really nothing special wrong with His Highness?”

“That’s right. As his court physician, I know best. Hehe.”

You think I’ll fall for that?

I glared at the court physician with cold sarcasm.

“You’re not even a court physician, let alone a qualified doctor. You’re a quack.”

“What did you say?”

“Or you’re a world-class liar.”

“This is outrageous slander!”

The court physician’s face turned bright red.

Regardless, Nikolai’s gaze was fixed on the monocle I was wearing.

“Elizabeth. When did you steal that divine object?”

“I just borrowed it for a moment.”

“Did you boast about your theft skills to show off?”

“You’ll soon be calling me a benefactor, just wait and see.”

I scanned Franz through Morathynthia’s eyes.

White light swirled around, starting to show his body transparently.

‘As I thought, there is a problem. Red spots are scattered like paint inside his body? Though very faint…!’

Without Morathynthia’s eyes, I wouldn’t have known what it was.

And that if left alone, it would cause a big problem.

“The Crown Prince has been poisoned.”

“Poisoned?!”

A chilling murderous intent shot out from Nikolai’s eyes.

I took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as possible.

“Small amounts of poison are continuously accumulating in his body. It’s not critical yet, but an antidote must be used immediately.”

“Are you saying someone is trying to assassinate the Crown Prince?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Elizabeth. Can you take responsibility for those words? This is a major incident that could shake the empire.”

Nikolai pressed with an ominous aura.

On the other hand, Franz was hanging his head low.

“Ask His Highness the Crown Prince. I think he’s been aware of it.”

“Poison? That’s absurd!”

The court physician, who had turned deathly pale, raised his voice.

“I am a descendant of a renowned medical family that has served the imperial family for generations! How could I not know if His Highness was poisoned!”

“Who said you didn’t know? You knew and hid it. You might have even mixed the poison into the decoction yourself.”

“This is slander, Your Majesty! This woman is framing me!”

“Your Majesty. Please call for a poison expert. The truth will soon be revealed.”

“Don’t listen to the whispers of this wicked woman!”

“It would be better to invite someone from outside the palace. As Your Majesty knows.”

My gaze intertwined hotly with Nikolai’s in mid-air.

He remained silent as if not wanting to judge hastily.

He seemed calm at first glance, but he wasn’t.

I didn’t miss the fact that Nikolai’s fingers were trembling ever so slightly.

It was pitiful to see him desperately trying to hide his agitation.

On the other hand, I was relieved.

‘The idea that he was indifferent to his son was a misunderstanding. Maybe he’s a better person than I thought.’

Why do I keep thinking this way even though I’m disappointed every time?

Could it be that I want to believe Nikolai is a good person?

[This is the timeline separator]

The capital’s poison experts were all mobilized.

The Crown Prince’s palace was packed with detoxification specialists, pharmacists, and herbalists.

They all said the same thing.

“He has definitely been poisoned, though mildly. How did you discover it when there were no serious symptoms yet?”

“That doesn’t matter. Spend as much as necessary to detoxify the Crown Prince. As quickly as possible. Completely and perfectly.”

“We receive the Emperor’s command!”

After the experts withdrew, Nikolai summoned the Imperial Guard.

“Arrest all the court physician’s apprentices, family, and servants. Investigate everyone who has entered and left the Crown Prince’s palace without exception!”

“Yes, sir!”

“However, I will not tolerate confessions obtained through torture. Take special care not to frighten the young servants and women. Do you understand?”

“We obey your command!”

Nikolai had such a subtle side?

He seemed different now that I saw him being considerate of children and women.

‘For a tyrant, it wouldn’t be strange to just capture and kill everyone, but he’s calm and systematic? He knows what needs to be done first. Thanks to that, there won’t be much chaos.’

Instead of getting excited, Nikolai quickly resolved the situation.

He didn’t blame or corner Franz either.

Unlike in the original work, he seemed like an emotionally and technically competent emperor.

“I am innocent!”

“Please spare me, Your Majesty!”

Some resisted violently, but most followed the knights obediently.

I watched the arrest process with interest.

It would have been more enjoyable if I had popcorn and cola.

‘I hope the culprit is caught soon. Whoever used poison on a child deserves to die!’

I was as passionate about justice prevailing as I was about monogamy.

It should be natural for good people to succeed and bad ones to fail, but reality was different.

The more evil and vicious ones lived shamelessly well.

But this time was different. A persistent man like Nikolai wouldn’t let the culprit escape.

It felt rewarding to have done something righteous.

Nikolai grabbed my wrist.

“You have somewhere to go with me.”

It was pressure I couldn’t escape from, but it wasn’t painful.

I decided to forget about the separation of men and women for a moment.

Because I just realized that men with large hands were my type.

[This is the timeline separator]

The place Nikolai took me was the back garden of the Crown Prince’s palace.

Various flowering trees emitted bright and sweet fragrances.

The pergola surrounded by flowering trees was comfortably furnished with luxury furniture and silk cushions.

I couldn’t help but smile at the scene reminiscent of a fairy tale.

Servants brought tea.

Nikolai leaned towards me as if telling me to reveal everything.

Beyond his interlaced fingers, mysterious green eyes shone sharply.

“How did you know the court physician’s words were lies?”

How did I know? Morathynthia’s eyes showed it clearly, and he kept insisting it wasn’t true, so I knew.

But it was too early to reveal everything.

“It was a bit strange that His Highness strongly refused treatment.”

“Is that all?”

“Have you heard that His Highness stripped the servants’ clothes and put a silver spoon in the former education officer’s mouth?”

“I don’t know.”

“Everyone said it was because of His Highness’s eccentric personality.”

“Pinch is not that kind of child!”

Nikolai spoke in an urgent tone.

He was clearly worried that I might misunderstand Franz.

Even a hedgehog finds its own child cute.

I laughed at the emperor’s human side.

“I know. The His Highness I saw was more mature than his peers.”

“You have an eye for people.”

“As they say, blood will tell. Though his speech habits are bad… if His Highness did something, there must have been a reason.”

“Are you saying Franz tried to find the culprit alone?”

“His Highness didn’t eat dishes served on golden plates, but he ate well from silver plates. What do you think that means?”

“That he couldn’t trust the people in the Crown Prince’s palace?”

“He advised me to be careful too.”

“Franz said such things?”

“Could the reason he drove away the education officers be for their sake? Worried they might get poisoned because of him.”

For a week, I racked my brains trying to persuade Franz.

But I failed every time.

I couldn’t use magic either.

So I changed my approach.

‘Understanding Franz comes before persuasion. What would Franz think? What would he fear most? There must be clues in Franz’s actions.’

I slowly recalled what Franz had said.

“Tell them to run away immediately if they want to live.”

“Because it’s not safe even when surrounded by knights.”

“I know my body best!”

The truth seemed to be dimly revealed.

But that wasn’t enough.

I gathered information about Franz through the palace servants.

Everyone was afraid to open their mouths, but no one could resist magic and bribes until the end.

“His Highness became extremely sharp about a year ago, as far as I know.”

“They say puberty came early.”

“That could be, but something might have changed greatly at that point.”

“What could it be?”

“We need to find out from now on. We need to find the culprit behind the poisoning and open His Highness’s heart, right?”

“Why didn’t Pinch tell me and try to solve it alone…”

Nikolai muttered as if he couldn’t help feeling sorry.

He seemed to feel heartache imagining his young son struggling alone.

“Elizabeth. Do you have any guesses?”

“Roughly.”

“Tell me immediately. I’ll give you a reward befitting your merit.”

Nikolai brightened up.

I stared at him for a moment and shook my head.

“It’s useless to open a lock with someone else’s key. Because a new lock will be created again.”

“Isn’t time of the essence?”

“There’s also a saying that the more urgent, the more you should take a roundabout way.”

“…”

“To win someone’s heart, understanding comes first. It’s a step you shouldn’t skip carelessly. Think about it a lot.”

“Is this that special training you mentioned?”

Nikolai frowned as he sank into the backrest.

“It’s a special training method that I don’t reveal to just anyone.”

I tried to act nonchalant, but it was useless.

Nikolai wanted more truth.

“I see you’re smarter than I thought.”

“Should I be grateful?”

“Your observation, logic, and action are not bad.”

“They say people die when they do things they’re not used to.”

“That alone doesn’t explain it. How were you sure Franz was poisoned? Do you have some kind of superpower?”

He was a man who wouldn’t back down unless he understood.

I brought the teacup to my lips.

After moistening my dry lips, I gave the answer I had prepared.

“Do you know that I was very sick before coming to the palace?”

“I also know that you repented after suffering from a fever.”

“Since then, I can see something whitish.”

“?”

“Sometimes that something speaks to me. Then, as if possessed by a healer, I find people’s illnesses and…”

“Are you saying you’ve become a medium or something?”

Nikolai asked back as if dubious.

“That’s right! As expected, you’re quick-witted.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“I can’t believe it either. I don’t want to believe it either.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m busy enough living my own life, why should I know where others are sick? I’m going crazy because I keep seeing things I don’t want to see, you know?”

It was mostly true, though mixed with a little lie.

Nikolai was wondering whether to believe my words or not.

Not missing that gap, I held out Morathynthia’s eyes.

“I’ll return the divine object. I only borrowed it for your son’s sake.”

“Why did you need the divine object?”

“When I have this, my spiritual energy becomes stronger. Thanks to this divine object, I was able to clearly identify the poisoning.”

There were several reasons why I didn’t reveal everything about Morathynthia’s eyes.

1. Because they wouldn’t believe me even if I told them.

2. Because I don’t know much about it myself.

3. Because I could be exploited or become a subject of experimentation.

4. Because I don’t want unnecessary attention.

Given that even saying I became a medium was met with doubt, the chances of them believing me were low if I said more.

I don’t know much about it myself either…

Above all, I wanted to avoid getting unnecessary attention and becoming troublesome.

Until medical technology advanced, shamans, witches, and religious figures were treated as healers.

People believed illness was God’s wrath.

They also relied on dangerous and unsanitary superstitions and magical practices.

The healers in this world didn’t have a very high level of medical knowledge.

At most, the concept of cleanliness was gradually taking root?

Even now, commoners didn’t seek expensive healers but rushed to temples to offer prayers.

If it became known that the goddess of healing’s divine object had appeared and that I was its user, it was obvious that troublesome things would happen.

I might even be exploited or become a subject of experimentation.

‘He still seems to be doubting. How should I get past this?’

I carefully observed Nikolai’s reactions.

But there was no need for that at all.

His interest was completely elsewhere.