Erina calmed down Tanya, who had been crying for a while, and then had a maid outside prepare tea and seated her.

Sitting across from her, Tanya, seemingly embarrassed, kept pressing her already puffy face, making it even puffier.

“I’m sorry, Lady Countess.”

“We agreed not to apologize anymore, young lady.”

Erina leaned back in her chair and replied with a hint of amusement.

Meanwhile, a maid knocked and entered the reception room, set up tea on the table where the two were seated, and quietly left.

“I prepared it at a lukewarm temperature so you can drink it right away.”

“Thank you so much, Lady Countess.”

As Tanya was about to well up again at the kind response, she hurriedly gulped down the tea in the pretty teacup.

“Ah, this is…”

“It’s Rovelli, the blended tea from Murica Company that was showcased at the tea party. I prepared it because it’s fine to drink even at night.”

Tanya looked at the herbs, flowers, and medicinal plants floating prettily in the teacup and smiled bitterly.

In fact, she had wanted to take home the Rovelli that Erina had prepared as a return gift that day.

She liked the fragrant aroma and sweet taste, and as someone who usually enjoyed tea, it was something she really wanted to have.

Although she couldn’t take it because she rushed out, unable to control her emotions.

Erina, reading Tanya’s regretful expression, smiled and said,

“I actually set aside what Lady Papia didn’t take.”

“Really?”

Tanya’s eyes widened involuntarily in delight, then she blushed, seemingly embarrassed.

“Originally, return gifts are sometimes sent to those who couldn’t take them for unavoidable reasons.”

As Tanya couldn’t hide her liking for the tea and kept sipping it, Erina suddenly remembered Belodi, who used to go around with Rose and Tanya.

At parties, the three of them always gathered as if it were predetermined.

Tanya might also be close to Belodi.

Suddenly, Erina’s mind started racing.

She had failed in her attempt to drive a wedge between Rose and Belodi by delivering fake Mwangcho.

She had also tried to prevent the completion of the deadly poison, but she had heard that Belodi had already received the Tetenia herb.

Cony had said that just one leaf of the Tetenia herb was enough to complete the deadly poison, so there was a high probability that it had already been made.

In the brief moment of looking at Tanya, Erina had to make a choice.

Whether to publicize that Rose had tried to make a deadly poison, or to handle it quietly without anyone knowing.

Then suddenly, she questioned herself.

Why was she contemplating this?

She couldn’t understand why she was still considering Rose’s feelings even at this moment.

She had decided to become the villainess of the century to Rose, tearing and breaking everything, yet here she was, contemplating whether to hide her wicked actions or not.

It wouldn’t make much difference whether she revealed it secretly or someone else discovered it.

“Hah.”

As she let out a sigh, finding herself ridiculous, Tanya glanced at Erina.

“Lady Papia.”

“Yes, Lady Countess!”

Tanya put down the teacup she was holding and answered, neatly placing both hands on her knees.

She looked like a student waiting for a teacher’s response.

“Do you often meet with Lady Belodi Anzle?”

“Ah, yes. Our families are close, and we’ve been together since childhood.”

Tanya didn’t continue, but smiled, yet it was clear how close the two were without hearing more.

If so, she was very suitable to use.

Erina planned to secretly spread rumors that Rose was holding a deadly poison, isolating her from everyone.

As long as Rose had the poison, the ending that each of them envisioned was not far off.

“I heard that Lady Asila met Lady Anzle today.”

Tanya nodded.

The place she had gone to meet Rose was in front of the Anzle Count’s mansion.

She had heard that Belodi was going to meet Rose during the time of the tea party.

So Tanya had headed there, thinking Rose might be staying at the Anzle Count’s mansion.

Luckily, Tanya had been able to hear the truth from Rose just before she left and escape.

“Do you know why Lady Asila met with Lady Anzle, Lady Papia?”

“No. I haven’t been able to have proper conversations with Belodi lately because I’ve been distracted.”

Tanya scratched her face and smiled bitterly.

“Lady Asila probably gave Lady Anzle some Mwangcho.”

“The Mwangcho that came out at the auction, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I found out by chance…”

Erina deliberately prolonged her words, pretending to carefully share a secret.

Tanya’s eyes widened as she leaned close to the table, focusing on Erina’s words.

“I heard that Rose gave it as a gift to Lady Anzle to obtain the Tetenia herb.”

“The Tetenia herb? Ah, the limited sale period must have ended.”

“Yes, but the use of the Tetenia herb is a bit…”

“Why? Don’t tell me she’s using it to make poison?”

When Erina deliberately made a troubled expression and averted her gaze, Tanya took a breath with a shocked face.

“Oh my goodness.”

“I think she started making it because of me.”

Seeing Erina’s bitter face, Tanya could finally make a definite conclusion about the relationship between Erina and Rose.

Erina, who was the main wife of the Iolls Count family, and Rose, the mistress who fearlessly entered the mansion coveting her position.

Rose, who constantly disapproved of Erina, who owned the magic stone mine, and Erina, who willingly embraced even Tanya, who had been used by Rose.

“I was really foolish not to know anything.”

“Actually, I want to tell Lady Anzle, but I’ve been hesitating a lot because I don’t have a close relationship with her and it feels inappropriate for me to bring up such a matter.”

Tanya understood Erina.

Even she had been so enchanted by Rose that she had endlessly hated Erina.

What if Erina had said this to her now, if she hadn’t escaped from Rose’s cunning lies?

It was clear that she wouldn’t have believed Erina’s words about Rose making poison to kill her.

Far from believing, she might have been busy spreading rumors about Erina, accusing her of slandering innocent people.

“I’m worried that Lady Anzle might feel guilty later if she finds out that the Tetenia herb she unknowingly provided is being used for such purposes.”

“I will tell Belodi directly and inform her.”

Tanya choked up once again at the sight of Erina, who was worried even about Belodi, with whom she had no close relationship, being used by Rose.

She had failed to properly see such a kind and considerate person, blinded by jealousy.

As Tanya’s face contorted with self-loathing, Erina quietly picked up her teacup and observed her while drinking.

Judging from Tanya’s expression, it seemed she would definitely relay the message to Belodi.

Although the fake Mwangcho hadn’t succeeded, it seemed she had succeeded in making those around Rose turn their backs on her.

She planned to do exactly as Rose had done to her before the regression, making everyone hate her.

Making her isolated from people, hearing whispers at her every action, having unnecessary meanings attached to her every word.

Just like herself back then, when gossip and finger-pointing were a daily occurrence.

Erina felt a burning sensation in her stomach as she recalled her painful life that she had repeatedly seen in her dreams.

Erina downed the already cold tea and gazed sharply at Tanya, who was still struggling with self-loathing.

[This is the timeline separator]

Peiron, having finished his imperial duties, entered to check the safe where the family heirlooms were stored, trying to somehow solve the serious financial crisis.

While thoroughly searching the safe to find items that could be passed on, Peiron discovered a very old book.

“This is…”

[ Fairies, the Risky Family and the Iolls Family. ]

The book, with its title written in blood-red letters on a pitch-black leather cover, was bound with thin black stems.

Peiron examined every corner of the unfamiliar book, turning it around.

There was nothing special about it, but the fact that it was bound with solid stems was puzzling.

A book bound with black stems instead of strings.

Peiron looked at the cover again as he examined the book.

“The Risky family?”

Peiron thought for a long time about the name of the family he had never heard of before.

It was a name that didn’t exist among the currently existing families.

But it was strange that it was associated with the Iolls family in the book.

Peiron began to untangle the stems that had come down from both sides and top and bottom, tangled heavily in the middle, as if enchanted.

He slowly untangled the stems that were intertwined like tangled vines.

Although he needed to move quickly to gather items that could be sold to deal with the overdue payments for people coming tomorrow, Peiron found himself captivated by the book.

Strangely, Peiron felt as if the book was calling to him, and his hands became more urgent in untying the book.

When all the tangled stems were untangled, they mysteriously disappeared like dust, leaving only the book behind.

Surprised, Peiron almost dropped the book.

Peiron looked at it quietly and carefully dusted off the dust that had settled on the book.

Then the red letters on the black cover shimmered silver for a moment before disappearing.

At this magical series of events, Peiron swallowed and opened the cover of the book.

The first page contained only a simple sentence.

[ The primordial fairies, the Risky family who inherited the blood of fairies, the Iolls who were one of the knight families protecting them. And the curse that remains on the Risky and Iolls. ]

“Curse…?”

Surprised by the word curse, Peiron hastily turned the page.

The book began with the story of fairies coming down to the continent in the beginning.

What the fairies intended to do, the fairies being punished by the child of god, the Risky family continuing the will of the fairies, the four families protecting the Risky.

[ Trumto, Tula, Smale, and Iolls. ]

Peiron read aloud the somewhat familiar names.

“Trumto, Tula, Smale. Ah, the Small Kingdom Alliance.”

They were the names of the kingdoms in the Small Kingdom Alliance.

But he wondered why Iolls was mixed in among the Small Kingdom Alliance.

Peiron hurriedly turned the pages out of curiosity.

And he was greatly shocked by the content that followed.