Chapter 46
“My reaction?”
Kylus’s eyebrow arched.
“Yes. If you only said thank you after she conveyed such crucial news… I think your seemingly indifferent attitude towards such a serious matter might have hurt the Young Mistress’s feelings.”
“…”
He wanted to argue ‘Why?’, but it was quite a reasonable point.
Thinking back, Alice’s expression had hardened after he said thank you.
Even when telling him about Madam Quillian’s poisoning plot, she had lowered her voice as if revealing a highly important secret.
In truth, Kylus already knew all about Madam Quillian’s poisoning plot.
That’s why he hadn’t reacted much.
He had set the stage for her to act that way.
Having made thorough preparations for it, he had no reason to think deeply about the matter.
But Alice… wasn’t like that.
The reason was simpler than he thought, but it was quite difficult and unfamiliar for Kylus.
Considering others’ feelings.
That wasn’t his forte.
He was more used to giving orders than being considerate.
“Hmm.”
It’s not that he didn’t take her words seriously, though.
Kylus pondered for a moment on how to clear up this misunderstanding.
Usually, he would have ignored the other party regardless, but he couldn’t ignore Alice.
He somehow disliked the idea of becoming uncomfortable with her.
Kylus immediately got up and looked for a quill pen.
He chose the cleanest paper and wrote a brief apology.
After putting the letter in an envelope and sealing it tightly, he handed it to the butler.
“Deliver this along with the Duchess’s favorite dessert.”
The butler hesitated as he looked at the neat envelope.
Though Kylus seemed completely unaware, the butler was quite flustered by this pristine white envelope.
He had clearly said he didn’t have special feelings for the Young Mistress, yet he was writing an apology letter himself.
It was bizarre behavior he had never seen in the ten years of serving Kylus.
If the chief aide and the knight commander saw this, they would be too shocked to close their mouths.
“What are you doing? Take it.”
The butler carefully took the letter, hiding his confusion.
“Ah, my apologies. I’ll deliver it as you said, Your Grace.”
Even if Kylus hadn’t realized it, the butler couldn’t speak out of turn.
He simply accepted the letter politely and changed the subject.
“Your Grace, did your visit to the imperial palace go well?”
“No. Helkin said there’s no hope for the First Prince.”
“Can we trust Doctor Helkin’s words? Perhaps it would be better to seek another doctor…”
“Helkin immediately identified the poison the First Prince ingested. There was no lie in his eyes.”
“So the doctor truly has outstanding abilities.”
“Yes. So I’m thinking of keeping him working for the duchy.”
Extensive knowledge of poisons.
Even if he couldn’t save the First Prince, it was an ability that could greatly benefit the Dearrut duchy.
Especially for the monster subjugation business.
It was thanks to the monster subjugation business that he had been able to quickly raise the duchy.
Monster subjugation was quite dangerous, but it could generate enormous profits.
Monster hides, teeth, and the magic stones inside them all sold for high prices, with nothing going to waste.
So after returning from the battlefield, Kylus regularly sent trained knights for monster subjugation.
But unlike humans, monsters could appear unpredictably, so there were always more injuries than in regular battles.
To reduce injuries, they used paralyzing poison on their swords, but the effects of currently available paralyzing poisons were quite weak and didn’t last long.
However, creating new poisons wasn’t easy. There weren’t many scholars in the empire well-versed in poisons.
In this situation, Helkin had shown remarkable ability in the field of poisons. So Kylus planned to put him in charge of researching monster paralyzing poisons.
He should be able to develop powerful new poisons.
If a successful new paralyzing poison was produced, not only would the success rate of monster subjugation increase, but casualties among the knights would also decrease exponentially.
And the duchy’s profits would naturally grow larger.
“Adolf, once that woman is dealt with, make sure Helkin has all the resources he needs to properly conduct his research.”
“Yes. But if he identified the poison, couldn’t the First Prince also…”
“No, there’s no hope for His Highness the First Prince.”
Seeing Kylus shake his head firmly, the butler nodded with a heavy expression.
“I see. That’s truly unfortunate. Was there anything else of note?”
It had been his first meeting with the Emperor after lying unconscious for over half a year.
And the butler knew better than anyone how the imperial family had thoroughly neglected the Dearrut duchy during that time.
Though he knew the Emperor couldn’t openly touch the Dearrut duchy, the butler was still worried, just in case.
“Anything else…”
As he was about to answer nonchalantly, he paused, remembering one person.
The Empress he had encountered while leaving the First Prince’s palace.
He briefly recalled the conversation he had with her, then shook his head.
That wasn’t the important matter right now.
“There wasn’t. More importantly, tell Sienna. The operation is set for the day after tomorrow, so prepare without fail.”
Madam Quillian’s last banquet.
Kylus’s black eyes glinted as he imagined the spectacular end to the banquet she had prepared.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
* * *
“Edellm, your face has become half its size since I last saw you. The chef has prepared a special meal, so eat up quickly.”
“Mother, your face looks quite worn. It’s good to care for my brother, but you should look after your own health too. If you fall ill, who will take responsibility for this duchy?”
A mother and son’s conversation filled with affection for each other flowed across the dining table.
If one only listened to their words, it would seem an infinitely warm atmosphere, but besides the obliviously happy mother and son, three more people were seated at the banquet table.
Kylus, Alice, and Lady Meltain.
Among the three, Alice in particular couldn’t hide her sour expression as the affectionate conversation between Madam Quillian and Edellm continued.
Why am I even here?
No, how did this banquet end up happening after all?
Alice couldn’t believe the current situation, with Madam Quillian and Edellm’s laughter ringing out.
Just two days ago, she had thought this banquet wouldn’t take place.
She had clearly informed Kylus about the poisoning plot Madam Quillian was scheming.
Although his reaction had been quite lukewarm, leading to a minor argument – quite one-sided – Kylus had sent her a letter that day apologizing.
Saying he absolutely didn’t take her words lightly.
Seeing that letter, she had thought, ah, it will be resolved soon, and let her guard down.
But nothing happened at the mansion that day, or the next.
Just in case, she had peeked into Helkin’s office, but Helkin was going about his daily routine as if nothing was wrong.
He hadn’t conducted any investigation into Madam Quillian’s poisoning plan.
So she had thought, surely not, but…
Today, Edellm had returned to the duchy after all.
And he was welcomed with a grand reception, mobilizing Madam Quillian and all the duchy’s servants.
They looked ready to roll out a red carpet from the entrance if they had one.
Thus, not only Edellm but all members of the duchy had gathered in the banquet hall.
Am I the only one who finds this situation unbelievable?
Alice glanced at Edellm, who had a long chin unlike Kylus at all, looking like a donkey, then turned her head towards Kylus.
Just then, Kylus, who had been elegantly cutting his meat, raised his gaze.
The corners of his mouth smoothly turned up as his eyes met hers.
You’re smiling? You can smile at a time like this?
The poison to kill you will arrive soon, won’t it?
Perhaps the poison has already been mixed into the food.
It was absurd to see him smiling as if he had completely forgotten what she had told him, but even in this situation, Kylus’s smile was as fresh as a blooming flower.
Especially with Edellm sitting next to him, looking like a donkey frolicking in a meadow, the contrast was even more stark.
They share the same father’s blood, yet how can he look so different from Kylus?
In fact, he didn’t resemble Madam Quillian much either.
The only similarity was perhaps their eye color.
If Madam Quillian hadn’t been fussing over her son, one might have thought a bandit was sitting there.
But the important thing now wasn’t Edellm’s bandit-like face.
The problem was Kylus enjoying the banquet as if nothing was wrong.
Did he really forget?
Could he have developed amnesia as an after-effect of the poison?
Alice drank water in frustration, ignoring Kylus’s smile.
She couldn’t bring herself to touch the food, not knowing what might be in it.
Just then, Edellm, who had been constantly conversing with Madam Quillian, turned to Kylus.
“By the way, Brother, I’m truly glad you’ve recovered so healthily. Seeing you in such good health again overwhelms me with emotion.”
“I had no idea you thought of me that way. I was under the impression you hadn’t visited the mansion even once after I collapsed.”
Kylus spoke without even looking at Edellm.
Though his voice sounded gentle, the words it carried were quite sharp.
Edellm’s face flushed red, clearly understanding the rebuke.
“Ah, that’s because I was too busy studying at the academy…”
Ignoring Edellm’s flustered state, Kylus elegantly ate a piece of meat and continued nonchalantly.
“Ah yes, I heard. You’re achieving quite excellent grades at the academy.”
“Yes. I received the highest honors in this semester’s exams as well.”
“Kylus, since you didn’t attend the academy, you might not know, but maintaining top grades at the academy is no easy feat. He couldn’t come to the duchy even when he heard you had collapsed because he was studying day and night, unable to spare the time.”
Madam Quillian interjected, adding her thoughts.
It seemed oddly like she was putting Kylus down.
As if confirming Alice’s feeling, Madam Quillian gazed at Edellm with a very satisfied smile.
And at that moment, a clear sneer flowed from Kylus’s lips.
