Chapter 157: Decision
“Mother, the flower I asked you about last time—isn’t it forbidden to cultivate it?” Aria inquired, thinking insidiously. She needed to uncover the source of the flowers to exploit the nobles’ weaknesses. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Aria’s mother, the queen, responded firmly, “No, it’s not.”
Aria was perplexed. “Yes? But didn’t you say it was a drug? You mentioned it was dangerous if burned…”
Aria had never studied plants extensively. She had simply absorbed her mother’s knowledge, which was evidently more profound than that of others.
“The plant is a bit unusual. Specifically, it is only dangerous to certain people. The harmful effect is more like oppression.”
“Oppression?”
“Yes, that plant only affects mages. It poses little harm to ordinary people. However, in the past, the imperial palace mages discovered this fact and destroyed all of these flowers, banning them because of their effects.” Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Ah…”
“That’s why most people are unaware of that flower. Its existence has been passed down through word of mouth since the imperial palace mages despised it and eliminated it. However, whether it is officially forbidden or not… well, I’m not sure. It is true, though, that it is a very rare flower, as the seeds themselves are precious and difficult to cultivate.”
It was only then that Aria realized her letter to Fiona had been lacking. It turned out that it was the flower that only Lady Fiona needed to be cautious about.
‘Should I tell her now?’ If she received a bouquet of those flowers, the sender must have intended to convey something. ‘Let’s inform Brother Sigren first.’
There had been strange rumors about him lately, but Aria didn’t believe them. She had lived in the palace since she was born and had learned how to judge people. If she had to choose an ally between the empress and Brother Sigren, she would always side with the latter. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Aria visited the imperial palace and looked for Sigren.
Sigren’s face hardened when he heard his half-sister’s words.
“Where are you going?”
“To look for Lady Fiona.”
Aria was taken aback by his quick reaction.
“Do you know where she is?”
Sigren replied briefly, “I know.”
The songstress had already left the room, likely sensing something unusual in the atmosphere.
Aria frowned as she saw the songstress following Sigren, wondering why that woman was trailing him.
The songstress, Carli, said to Sigren in a low voice, “I guess I should just kill the flies with a fly swatter instead of driving them out.”
“Right.”
“It’s my fault. I should have gathered more information when I was still with the empress.”
“No, it’s also my fault.” The nervous Sigren could only respond briefly. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
***
Abel, who was in the ballroom, sensed something strange. His precious adopted daughter was nowhere to be found. Fiona was no child; she was a well-mannered young lady. Yet, he couldn’t shake off his worry for her.
‘Why is he here?’
Abel felt a surge of displeasure as his eyes landed on his disciple in the ballroom. He wasn’t sure what his disciple had been up to lately, but it annoyed him nonetheless.
Sigren approached Abel and asked, “Where is Lady Fiona, Duke?”
“I don’t know, Your Highness.”
The lady who usually accompanied Fiona was also absent from the ball, indicating that even she had nowhere to go. Sigren’s unusual expression made Abel’s concern deepen.
“What’s wrong?”
Sigren quickly explained the situation.
Abel’s expression hardened as he listened.
“Fiona, if she can’t use her power….”
It was like a knight who had lost his arms.
Both men felt a growing unease. Although it was unlikely that anything would happen in the short time she had been gone, they couldn’t take any chances. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Let’s find her quickly.”
They asked the servants, maids, and other attendees and learned that Fiona had gone to the lounge with a nobleman.
The two men stood in front of the lounge door. Abel turned the doorknob.
Cheeky bastard. It was locked.
“Fiona?”
“….”
There was no response.
Without hesitation, the two men decided to take action.
“Smash it.”
“Yeah, smash it.”
Bang!
The thick wooden door flew open as if it were made of cardboard. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
***
Right, I underestimated my opponent too much.
Let’s think calmly. It was clear that magic wouldn’t work once you smelled the incense from this flower.
“You’ve been too arrogant all this time, young lady. If you can’t use magic, you’re just an ordinary, lowly girl.”
Paul smiled and continued, “You should have knelt down to Her Majesty from the beginning. See? Without magic, you’re just a normal, vulgar girl.”
I laughed. “It seems Her Majesty doesn’t know the meaning of experience.”
They shouldn’t underestimate the years of experience gained on the battlefield.
I threw the vase on the table at the closed window.
Clang!
The window shattered.
I needed to ventilate this room first; the scent should dissipate quickly.
Meanwhile, Paul pulled a short dagger from his bosom. Damn, he really dared to bring something like that. It seemed Paul was more aligned with those who had sworn allegiance to the empress than with the usual supporters of her court.
If it came to close combat, I would be at a disadvantage. It was already hard to beat a man in a physical fight, and now he had a weapon. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“If you kill me on the spot, your life will be over.”
“I don’t have to kill you. A good story would suffice.”
Paul laughed bitterly.
“Lady Heilon, shocked by the prince’s affair, ends up having an affair with another man…”
Ah, so he intended to use his weapon to make me obedient and then spin a story like that? Attaching a woman to Sigren and a man to me—what a meticulous plan he had.
“No one will ever come, though?”
“It doesn’t matter. The rumors will be more credible if there are eyewitnesses who see you willingly come here with me.”
“….”
Sometimes, there were people like this: blindly loyal and indifferent to the damage they caused themselves.
It couldn’t be helped. I saw Paul approaching quickly while holding the dagger. The only good thing was that it was better than dealing with monsters. All I could rely on now was my combat instinct.
Bang!
I kicked the table that was directly in front of me. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
***
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