“Ha. Are you threatening me with your pitiful life now? Your life already belongs to me. I can end it with a single finger at any time.”

“Then kill me now.”

Unlike before, Cordelia brought her body closer to Anton. In response, Anton frowned and pulled his face back.

“Not even worth talking to.”

“I don’t know what you plan to do with me, but keeping me alive would be more advantageous for negotiations. Bringing my corpse to my master won’t get you what you want.”

He kept his mouth shut, and she could tell that it somewhat matched her expectations.

“If you kill them, I’ll find a way to die too. There are countless methods, so no need to waste your breath.”

“You’d throw away your life for mere knights?”

“I’d rather die for the knights who protected me than be used by Embly. Either way, I’m going to die, so what difference does it make if it’s sooner?”

Anton fell into thought for a moment. Whether Cordelia would actually throw away her life like chaff was uncertain, but it would certainly be troublesome if she died prematurely. Moreover, it would be better to have another weakness to constrain her actions besides the poison.

“Fine. I’ll keep them both alive. Now drink this.”

Anton held out the vial, pretending to be merciful. With her arms still restrained, all she could do was open her mouth. The liquid that touched her tongue was extremely bitter and painful. Cordelia gulped it down in one go.

“I hope Embly values honor and promises. The Vasquez family sold everything for the price of alcohol.”

“That wench!”

Pablo’s angry roar struck her ears but soon faded. What soon dominated her was not such a trivial sound. Pain that felt like it was tearing her insides apart controlled her entire body. Cordelia gritted her teeth, unable even to scream.

The trajectory of pain was different from when she had performed magic to interfere with the demon’s descent. A powerful pain that seemed to choke off her breath struck the back of her head.

As if her body sensed it too, the connection between pain and flesh loosened, and she soon lost consciousness.

* * *

Like someone who seemed to have dreamed many dreams but feels empty upon waking, remembering nothing, Cordelia stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time after opening her eyes.

It took quite a while to realize she was in an unfamiliar place. The sensation in her fingers returned slowly, making Cordelia unsure whether this was reality or a dream.

“Oh my.”

At that moment, a woman in maid’s attire opened the door and entered, making eye contact with Cordelia.

“You’re awake? The master came to check on you several times because you didn’t wake up for so long.”

“Wh-ahem, who?”

Having not used her voice for a long time, she cleared her throat to barely awaken her voice. The maid with brown hair and a gentle impression bowed slightly and greeted her.

“I’m Chelsea. I’ve been assigned to attend to you during your stay here.”

“Where is this?”

“Hasimus.”

“Hasimus? Embly’s territory?”

“Yes. A place where May roses are exceptionally beautiful.”

Cordelia found this casual conversation difficult to understand. She had naturally expected to be dragged like a prisoner and thrown into some underground dungeon, but to be given such a luxurious guest room with a maid assigned, it was unexpected.

“Just a moment. The master instructed me to inform him as soon as you woke up.”

Chelsea politely bowed before leaving the room.

Cordelia sat up. Just that much effort left her whole body weak, making her head spin. As if she had been running at full speed, she was out of breath, and her limbs were terribly numb.

She struggled to get out of bed, groaning. But strangely, she couldn’t muster any strength in her body.

“What you consumed is an extreme poison called Tharsia.”

As she finally managed to stand up, gripping the bedpost, a heavy male voice was heard. Cordelia raised her head, breathing heavily. Anton and Chelsea were standing at the doorway.

“You shouldn’t be moving already, miss.”

Chelsea approached Cordelia with a gentle smile and supported her. Supported by Chelsea, Cordelia asked Anton.

“Tharsia?”

“A poison that dissolves your internal organs, killing you if you don’t take the antidote once every ten days.”

The idea of dying as internal organs dissolve seemed so unreal that it didn’t quite register. Cordelia blankly looked down at her own body. Then she looked back at Anton.

“What about Beluce and Gasil?”

“You’re not going to ask more about the poison you consumed?”

“You’ve explained enough, I think. The antidote is probably only in the possession of the Grand Duke, and even if I run away, I’ll die anyway, so instead of a underground prison, you’ve provided this luxurious room.”

Anton pursed his lips. He had thought she was extraordinary from the first time he saw her, but to not change expression even after learning she had consumed an extreme poison, should he call it bold? It was hard to believe she was the offspring of Pablo Vasquez, who had unhesitatingly sold his daughter’s life for a mere hundred thousand linkit.

“Those two are alright, aren’t they?”

“Mervan escaped midway. We didn’t catch him, so he probably returned to his master on his own. As for Beluce Ingrion, he kept breaking out of every prison we put him in, so we’ve attached iron balls to his legs.”

“Seems he’s still hanging in there.”

Hearing news of Beluce, Cordelia smiled faintly. She felt relieved that both were safe.

Her smile doesn’t match the situation. Anton took a step closer to her, filled with curiosity.

“How old are you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You don’t act your age.”

“What does age matter? Anyone would grow up like me under a father who sold his daughter three times.”

Cordelia retorted somewhat indifferently. Anton thought of Rosalyn. Unlike his daughter who seemed as fragile as a glass flower that might shatter at the slightest touch, Cordelia was like a wildflower that had bloomed on its own without anyone’s care.

At that moment, Cordelia’s knees half-buckled, and her body swayed. Anton instinctively reached out to help her but stopped. How hypocritical to extend a hand after poisoning her.

“Please lie down quickly. You’ve only had porridge while you were lying down, which won’t be enough. I’ll tell the kitchen to make some soup.”

Chelsea guided Cordelia to the bed. Cordelia obediently lay down as the maid said. Even taking one step was difficult, so recovering her body was the priority now.

Anton lingered around Cordelia with a somewhat lukewarm gaze. Cordelia spoke as if annoyed.

“What is it?”

“…What?”

“Why are you still standing there instead of leaving? Do you have something to say?”

“…”

It felt as if the positions of host and guest had been reversed. Anton found this situation both familiar and unfamiliar.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I poisoned you?”

“You’re probably planning to use my life to demand something from my master. I don’t know what it is, though.”

Rather than getting angry at her excessively indifferent tone, Anton was simply curious. If anyone else had behaved so impertinently, he would have immediately dragged them out and given a cold order not to give them even a drop of water, but seeing a girl around Rosalyn’s age unable to gather strength due to illness gave him a sense of déjà vu, as if he had returned to the past.

“I’m tired, how long do you plan to stand there? Surely you’re not going to keep standing there and watching?”

“Ah, right. Rest. No, don’t think about escaping.”

Anton found himself swept up in her flow before coming to his senses and leaving an awkward warning. But even to his own ears, it didn’t sound intimidating at all.

Cordelia didn’t even bother to respond and just waved her hand. Anton looked at Cordelia with a strange gaze before finally leaving.

* * *

Surprisingly, life in Embly Castle wasn’t so bad. Perhaps due to the poison’s effect, her movements were extremely unstable compared to before, requiring much assistance from the surrounding servants, but the attendants considered this very natural. Rather, if she tried to do something on her own, they would become restless, not knowing what to do, as if they were watching a five-year-old child.

Sometimes, Cordelia even dined together with Anton.

One day, when a dessert sprinkled with peanuts was served, Cordelia said,

‘I can’t eat this because I’m allergic to peanuts.’

and pushed away the dish. Anton stared at Cordelia for a while, his lips twitching. His gaze was quite blatant, so she had to ask.

‘What is it?’

‘Rosie, my daughter, couldn’t eat any nuts either. They couldn’t touch shellfish or peaches either.’

‘I see.’

Cordelia answered very perfunctorily. But whatever emotional change had occurred in that brief conversation, Anton’s attitude became much more favorable.

By this point, it seemed more like entertaining a guest rather than holding a hostage.

“You want to go out to the garden?”

“Yes. It’s stifling being in the room all day.”

“But the sun is still at its peak. How about going out after it sets a bit?”

Despite Chelsea’s dissuasion, Cordelia didn’t change her mind. The maid reluctantly helped Cordelia prepare for her outing. The dresses they offered were all extremely small, requiring several alterations to fit Cordelia’s body.

Only after preparing gloves and a parasol could she leave the room.

The rose garden they had boasted about had already lost all its flowers, so there was nothing to see, but befitting one of the sacred eight families, it was a garden that exuded a long history and tradition.

“There’s a patio just ahead. Where the young lady always rested, ah.”

“Then let’s go there.”

Chelsea stopped mid-sentence and hurriedly closed her mouth. Cordelia pretended not to notice and quickened her steps. The maid followed behind Cordelia, taking small steps while holding the parasol.

A cool breeze brushed past her cheeks. As Chelsea had said, after walking a bit, a daintily decorated patio came into view. Cordelia sat down there.

“It’s hot today. Shall we go back in?”

“The heat is just right. Ah, I’d like to drink some cool tea. With ice in it.”

Cordelia said, giving a slight hint. Chelsea, as if it were natural, placed the parasol aside and turned her body the other way.

“I’ll be right back. Please wait a moment.”

“Alright.”

With the watcher gone, she had a moment of respite.

When she relaxed for a moment, thoughts of Leonard came to mind. By now, he must know that she had been captured by Embly. She could vividly imagine how worried he must be without even seeing him.

“I miss you, master…”

Cordelia spoke unconsciously and then, surprised at herself, covered her mouth. But once that sentence was uttered, all the longing she had been suppressing rushed in at once.