Thanks to that, although a bit tired, I could make more antidotes than before.

Rumor has it that along with the antidotes, my poison is enjoying popularity in the black market.

‘Hehe.’

Thanks to that, my independence fund was gradually getting fatter.

Having made plenty of antidotes, I sent them to the Duchess through Masa, and she immediately contacted me to meet.

Thinking it might be about an additional request, I headed straight to the greenhouse garden.

But the reaction of the Duchess when she saw my face was strange.

“……Hmm?”

With her eyes narrowed, she just stared at me without saying a word.

I dodged the overwhelming gaze, sweating nervously.

“You’ve lost some weight.”

“It must be because of the heat.”

“Are you not eating properly? I heard that the chef went to the annex, is there any problem?”

Gasp. I suddenly thought that the innocent chef might be fired.

He’s already a poor chef, left in the annex, not abandoned!

“No, ma’am! The chef’s cooking is so delicious! It’s just that I’m a picky eater.”

“I see. Elodie, you’ve always been weak and sensitive… Make sure not to skip meals from now on.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ll give you a cup of tea that’s good for immunity, drink it before you go. You look very pale.”

“Thank you, I will drink it.”

I drank the tea that the lady poured. Having often had tea time with her, such silence was not entirely awkward.

But it was not a comfortable seat either.

The lady who took a sip of tea opened her mouth first.

“Thanks to you, Elodie, recent research is progressing smoothly. I’m interested in killing people, not really in reviving them.”

The Duchess smiled haughtily and spat out the harsh words today as well.

I made an ambiguous expression as I didn’t know if it was a joke or a serious comment and struggled to manage my expression.

“I’m glad I could help.”

“So if there’s anything you need, just say it. I’ll help you with anything if I can. Don’t overdo it.”

“Yes, I will.”

It must have been empty words, but I was pleased with the lady’s offer to help with anything.

‘I’ve become a useful partner?’

As I was fanning the flames of determination to use my powers even more diligently, the lady asked me.

“But lately, it’s hard to see your face? Even when I call you, I hear you’re always in the annex.”

There were several times when I returned late at night and heard from Masa that the Duke and Duchess were looking for me, but it was too late to visit.
Duke Ferdia or Yansi, Carlote, it was a secret, but the Duchess was the only person who knew that I was making an antidote, so there was no reason to hide it.

“That’s because my escort, Ian, gave me a room in the mercenary group, and I’m making an antidote there. If I’m in the annex, Carl and Yansi Oraberni keep coming.”

“Those guys too, seriously. If it’s Yansi, he would understand, but Carl has a personality that unhesitatingly goes straight to whatever he gets into. Whether it’s swordsmanship, or you, Elodie.”

I could only smile at the Duchess’s words.

‘I, I’d like to refuse that kind of straightforwardness.’

(This is a time separator.)

Adenmir walked down the long, silent corridor.

Many soldiers lined up on both sides, but no one made a sound.

So it felt like he was alone among so many people.

Thick curtains were drawn on the windows of the corridor, so it was so dim that it needed a lamp even though it was daytime. It felt like standing in the middle of a funeral.

At the end of the corridor, Adenmir eventually stopped in front of the Emperor’s bedroom.

“Report to His Majesty.”

At Adenmir’s words, the servant guarding the entrance bowed his head.

“Emperor Your Majesty, Prince Adenmir wishes to see you.”

The answer came after a long while.

“……Enter, do it…….”

It was a feeble voice that seemed to cut off at any moment.

It was the familiar voice of Adenmir’s father.

As Adenmir stepped into the Emperor’s bedroom, the first thing that greeted him was a sharp, piercing smell of herbs.

“Have you come…….?”

“Did the doctor come and go?”

“Yes…….”

Cough, cough!

The Emperor, lying on the bed, coughed violently, shaking his body.

Just five years ago, the Emperor had been healthy, but at some point, his health rapidly deteriorated, and he couldn’t leave his bed.

It was nothing short of a disaster for Adenmir.

Adenmir, the son of the Empress, and Beltran, the son of the Queen.

Since the Empress had died early, Adenmir’s support base was inevitably weaker than Beltran’s.

From the beginning, the Empress’s family was not a power family.

In contrast, Queen Salvatrice, a lady of Sedoga, had risen to the position of Queen with the active support of her subjects, who insisted she shouldn’t leave the Empress’s seat vacant.

The Emperor, who loved the deceased Empress, could not but accept the subjects’ demands on the condition of welcoming a Queen without leaving the Empress’s position vacant.

So, for Adenmir to become the Crown Prince, the active support of the Emperor was essential.

However, the Emperor fell ill, having favored Adenmir, the eldest son, with the Crown Prince’s appointment just around the corner.

Naturally, Queen Salvatrice quickly took control of the palace.

Without a chance to resist.

“Don’t you feel stuffy with the window closed like this?”

“The sound of the wind is, noisy…….”

As his illness worsened, the Emperor’s nerves became sharper and more sensitive.

Even the breath of others irritated him, so the soldiers outside the door had no choice but to stifle their breaths.

Adenmir stood by his father’s side with a troubled heart.

Cough, cough……! The Emperor, who was repeatedly coughing, opened his lips with difficulty.

“Son, I have, something, to tell you…… for a long time.”

“Please speak, Father Emperor.”

Adenmir’s face hardened at the Emperor’s subsequent words.

“Elodie, break off…… the engagement with Ferdia.”