“For the flowers, please use this one, and for the tea set, that one.”

“Yes, Countess.”

Erina was busy preparing for the tea party every single day.

She compared and selected even the smallest items from the catalog Bertrel handed her dozens of times.

When the preparations were somewhat complete, Terik came to the office with a box in hand.

“Countess.”

Erina, seeing the wooden box in Terik’s hand, signaled to Bertrel with her eyes.

“I will finish up the rest of the minor details.”

As Bertrel tactfully disappeared with all the catalogs, Terik placed the box on Erina’s desk.

“Is it completed?”

“Yes. It has been made perfectly enough to deceive herbalists.”

“Will there be any mishaps where our side can’t distinguish it?”

“We’ve put in a device to recognize it. You don’t need to worry about that.”

At Terik’s words, Erina opened the box.

A herb with five round leaves gathered like a flower on a single stem was beautifully placed on black velvet.

When Erina put her nose to the herb and smelled the fragrance, a mysterious scent mixed with orange and cinnamon truly emanated.

“What about the perfumer who handled the scent?”

“Viscount Kerenik introduced them, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

Erina was reassured by Terik’s words.

Sandes was perfect in his work, so it seemed she didn’t need to worry.

“Has there been any contact from the Jabel family?”

“Just in time, the Countess of Jabel has succeeded in perfectly approaching Liski. She says she will make contact with the Anzle family tomorrow.”

“How will we deliver the muang herb to Connie?”

“The Jabel family seems to have difficulty approaching due to too many eyes from the Trumt Kingdom. So we plan to send it to a maid infiltrating the Asila family in advance and switch it right before making contact with the Anzle family.”

Erina gently stroked the box containing the fake muang herb and spoke.

“It must proceed without any issues.”

“I will make sure to emphasize it.”

Erina closed the box and handed it back to Terik.

“It will mark a splendid finale. Please pay attention until the very end.”

Rose had completed the poison, wanting to kill herself with it.

If the poison was revealed to be fake and Rose was exposed as the worst adulteress, not only stealing her position but also attempting to poison her to seize the mana stone mine.

It would make it difficult for her to set foot in the empire again.

Even if she was a descendant of fairies, it would be challenging for her to make a comeback in the empire after destroying everything she had planned for her end and pushing her into the abyss.

“I will keep that in mind.”

As Terik left with the box, Erina was engulfed in a strange feeling.

She felt as if she had run all the way here in an instant, yet her heart was still heavy with the remaining tasks.

The fact that Rose, whom she only knew as her husband Peiron’s mistress, was the one who killed her before the regression.

The reality that the woman she thought was just desperate to steal her position was actually a descendant of fairies dreaming of the world’s destruction.

It all felt so distant.

Erina leaned back in her chair and raised her arm to look at her wrist.

On her wrist was a flowing platinum bracelet decorated with an aquamarine in the shape of a flower.

It was the accessory Sandes had given Erina on the day he applied to be her partner.

She tried to refuse it since she had rejected his partner application, but Heila had naturally put it on for her, insisting on leaving it.

She just wanted to love him unconditionally and live peacefully.

All she wanted was to be happy, ignoring everything that hindered her future.

Why was that one thing so difficult?

Erina gently stroked the aquamarine that reminded her of Sandes’ eyes to soothe her heavy heart.

Erina closed her eyes, opened them, and let out a sigh, dispersing her weakened heart.

With the sigh, the fragile and soft emotions disappeared, and solid thorns filled the space between them once again.

Erina’s golden eyes, which had closed and opened, glinted dangerously.

Inside the Asila family’s residence.

The neat and spacious Asila family mansion was composed of two floors.

The first floor mainly had the Count of Asila’s bedroom, office, and reception room, while the second floor had the late Countess’ room and Rose’s room.

After Rose returned, keeping her distance from Peiron, the second floor became a place where not just anyone could enter.

Only the servants Rose permitted could visit, and the number of servants who came and went was few.

Ollie, the maid who infiltrated the Asila family on Erina’s orders, was also not allowed on the second floor.

However, today was an exception as she was specially receiving an item from outside.

Rose had instructed all the servants to bring the item to the second floor immediately upon receiving it if it arrived from the Jabel family.

Ollie, who had heard from Terik in advance about the item’s arrival time, moved according to the schedule.

As a maid specialized in infiltration, Ollie was able to receive the item first without anyone noticing.

“This is the item that arrived from the Jabel family. The recipient is Lady Rose Asila.”

“Thank you.”

Ollie gently replied to the deliverer and received the box, then moved.

Ollie carried the box and headed to her own quarters instead of the second floor.

After making sure no one was around, she moved in a hurry.

Upon returning to her quarters, Ollie carefully switched the box she received from Terik with the one in her hand.

She hid the box from the Jabel family deep under the bed and left the room with an identical box she had received from Terik.

Although Ollie was specialized in infiltration, she was so tense from switching the boxes that she failed to notice the presence of her roommate, who was secretly observing from the corner and even holding her breath.

Moreover, the roommate had lived in prison, holding her breath, so she could avoid Ollie’s senses.

The roommate held her breath until Ollie disappeared from the room, then quietly exhaled and slowly took out the box hidden deep under the bed.

The roommate, after checking the contents inside the box, shone her eyes brightly and took the box.

Meanwhile, Ollie carefully headed to the second floor with the switched box.

Then, a maid standing at the entrance of the second floor at the end of the corridor looked at Ollie coming up.

Seeing the box nestled in Ollie’s arms, the maid held out her hand to Ollie.

Ollie swallowed her breath to appear nonchalant and handed the box to the maid.

After receiving the box, the maid gestured with her chin for Ollie to go back down, and Ollie turned around without hesitation.

As she was descending the stairs, Ollie saw in the distance her roommate, Leni, running with an identical box to the one she had delivered.

“Darn it.”

Ollie didn’t hide her curse and quickly approached Leni to take the box away.

Fortunately, Leni’s tongue was cut and her vocal cords were damaged, so she couldn’t make a sound.

However, Leni noticed Ollie’s actions and pushed over a piece of pottery with her body, shattering it.

Crash!

The attention of the servants in the first-floor corridor and the maid about to enter the second floor with the box was drawn to the sound.

The maid holding the box made eye contact with Leni, who was holding an identical box and had broken the pottery.

Leni, trying to make a sound somehow, groaned and pointed at Ollie while lifting the box toward the maid.

Ollie realized things had gone wrong and quickly fled from the scene.

The maid, sensing something strange, shouted.

“Catch that maid!”

The maid pointed at Ollie and shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.

Ollie ran recklessly toward the entrance to escape from the mansion.

She ran without looking back, biting the necklace hidden in her maid’s uniform and quietly spoke.

“Exposed, Leni, failed to retrieve.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ollie threw the shattered remains of the necklace on the floor and kept running.

As she was specialized in infiltration, her running speed was exceptional, so she could quickly outrun those chasing her.

Seeing this, the maid on the second floor hurriedly approached Leni.

“What’s going on! If you don’t tell me properly, you’ll be fired!”

At that, Leni opened her mouth to make a sound.

Leni tried to speak with force on her face, but seeing no sound coming out, the maid finally realized that Leni couldn’t speak.

“Follow me for now.”

The maid realized this matter couldn’t be handled at her level and took Leni up to the second floor.

The maid took a deep breath in front of Rose’s door, then carefully knocked and entered the room, gesturing for Leni to come in.

“My lady, there was an issue with the item sent from the Jabel family.”

“What?”

“Another maid brought up the box sent from the Jabel family, but this maid was holding an identical box. I didn’t think it was something I could handle, so I brought everything.”

As the maid stepped aside in front of Rose, Leni made eye contact with Rose.

“You’re… Leni?”

Leni looked at Rose with joyful eyes for recognizing her.

“Ah, yes. The Leni who ran away from the Iolls mansion, went to find Viscount Kerenik, and had her tongue cut and vocal cords damaged, right?”

Although her tone seemed to be spoken without ulterior motives, the corners of Rose’s mouth were twisted viciously.

Leni couldn’t help but know that Rose was mocking her.

Because everything Rose said was true.

When Leni’s parents died and she realized Mirea could no longer give her money, she immediately went to find Viscount Kerenik.

She found Viscount Kerenik and told him everything he was curious about regarding his sister.

She asked to be rewarded for telling the truth, but far from being rewarded, she was cruelly abandoned.

With her tongue cut and vocal cords damaged like this.

She thought she would die like this under his cruel hands, but Viscount Kerenik kicked her out while keeping her alive.

He sent her off, hoping she would die on the streets like his sister, but Leni managed to survive and came to find Rose.