‘……A daughter.’

Naturally, they would speak this way in front of those outside the family, but it surprised them so much that their heart seemed to drop.

It was clearly not a sincere comment, but their heart was pounding just from hearing the word daughter.

‘I must not be mistaken.’

Elodie caught the gaze of the Angelos mother and daughter looking at her and quickly managed her expression.

She smiled brightly as if they were truly affectionate.

In contrast to the rumors, the sight of Elodie made Dolsinia’s mouth twitch slightly.

‘Ha. It’s always the same, anyway.’

Seeing the outwardly affectionate mother and daughter, Temis and Elodie, Dolsinia no longer wanted to be there.

She had come this far because of her daughter Dorothea, but in the end, she had gained nothing. Far from insulting them, she had only made herself feel worse.

Dolsinia helped Dorothea up and said goodbye to them.

“I have received your apology, so I must go. See you again, Temis. And Miss Elodie.”

“It was a delightful tea time, Lady Ferdia. Take care, ……Miss Elodie.”

“Yes, both of you be careful on your way.”

Temis bid farewell to the two of them while sitting.

The Angelos mother and daughter started to walk away with awkward faces.

“That direction is…….”

Elodie unintentionally started to get up, but Temis stopped her.

“Leave them be.”

“Yes.”

The direction the Angelos mother and daughter were heading towards was where a poisonous plant that caused allergies was located.

If they took a deep breath, they would suffer from skin problems for a while.

They had been guided by a servant when they entered the greenhouse, but there was no one to guide them on the way out.

‘As expected of my lady. A brilliant finish to the very end.’

Elodie admired Temis’s neat disposal of the unwelcome guests and made a mental note.

‘I must learn!’

Her admiration grew tremendously. The way she could smile and dismiss any words was impressive.

Then, suddenly, Elodie offered an apology to Temis.

“I’m sorry for today, ma’am.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Because my improper conduct brought Miss Dorothea here.”

It wasn’t intentional, but she had inadvertently provided a reason.

Strictly speaking, it was Reyan who had provoked Dorothea Angelos, but not stopping him was her judgment.

However, Temis shook her head firmly.

“It was boring anyway, and it was fun for the first time in a while. Isn’t it funny that they came in arrogantly, thinking they had a powerful weapon, and then ran away without saying much?”

“Ahaha…….”

Elodie laughed awkwardly.

The fact that she had fun hosting these visitors who deliberately came to pick a fight was indeed extraordinary for Temis.

Then Temis took out a bottle from her bosom and handed it over.

“Here, drink this.”

“What is this?”

“It’s an antidote. You drank the tea earlier, didn’t you?”

“……!”

Elodie was at a loss for words.

My goodness.

‘Was there really poison in it?!’

She had arrived late and had only sipped a bit, so the effects of the poison hadn’t been noticeable.

“You put poison in it?”

“Yes. Although it’s a minor symptom, poison is still poison. Those two won’t be seen for a while.”

Ho ho ho. Temis let out a chilling laugh as she imagined the scene.

It was frightening to ask what the symptoms were. Elodie silently gulped down the antidote in one go.

It was bitter. Drinking the antidote might not help, but she had no choice if she didn’t want to arouse suspicion.

The poison she had earlier was so weak in toxicity that it didn’t seem like it would leave any aftereffects as usual.
“The thought crossed my mind that the Angelos mother and daughter might cause a fuss if they were poisoned, so I asked cautiously.

“Is there any chance of an antidote being needed?”

“What do you take me for?”

At Themis’s confident assurance, Elodie smiled a capitalist smile, raising both thumbs.

“Of course, you’re the continent’s best poison master!”

Tinkle tinkle.

Endless tinkling towards the person in power.

Themis chuckled at Elodie’s transparent flattery, looking at her.

“Are you sincere?”

“Of course.”

Since it was certain that Themis Ferdia was the best poison master on the continent, Elodie’s answer was unhesitating.

That attitude was rather fresh to Themis.

She was not from one of the four great families, but coming from an ancient family, Themis had encountered many who would flatter the Emperor.

But they had tried to win his favor by hiding their intentions, pretending otherwise.

To see such blatant flattery was rather….

‘Cute.’

Had she ever been so frank and cute?

Ever since Elodie and the other woman arrived at the mansion, Themis had maintained an indifferent attitude towards them.

Even as Elodie grew, she kept her distance, fearing that she might feel uncomfortable knowing that she was an illegitimate child.

As expected, every time Elodie saw Themis, she tensed up, trembling like a puppy.

What had she done?

Apparently, the role Elodie wanted from her was like that of the wife of a father who hated her, so she treated her as she wished.