Knock knock. There was a knock.
"Your Highness."
"Come in."
Ron came into the office and bowed. Jeremiah put down the paperwork he was reading and looked up.
"The Grand Duchess?"
"She is currently meeting and talking with those who were taken hostage in the northern city."
"How is the escort situation?"
"An entire building in the city has been emptied, and the exterior of the building, the street corner, and the surrounding area are guarded like iron by knights. No one suspicious of the Grand Duchess is allowed to approach."
"What's inside the building?"
"The interior is uncomfortable for the Grand Duchess, so she asked that all the knights be handed over."
"I see."
Jeremiah's face remained expressionless as if he had expected this to happen.
"Don't worry, we've emptied the interior so only those whose identities have been thoroughly verified are allowed inside."
"Yeah. Did you find out about the poison?"
Jeremiah asked about the next report.
"Yes, I found a poison with similar conditions to what the maid said."
Ron handed Jeremiah the report containing the findings of his investigation.
"It's a poison called 'Croana.' It's said. to be a poison that has been secretly distributed in the capital city for the past few years."
"It really was poison circulating in the capital, just as the Grand Duchess said."
"Yes"
Jeremiah's eyes sank deeply. He became convinced that there was something about Karina that he did not know.
"From this time on, keep a close eye on the Grand Duchess and her surroundings."
"What was your intention behind saying that..."
Ron asked cautiously.
"The Grand Duchess is hiding something. We must find out what it is."
"It is true that there have been more than one or two strange things happening around the Grand Duchess recently..."
Ron, whose words had been trailing off, continued speaking.
"Do you by any chance suspect the Grand Duchess?"
"Phew."
Instead of an answer, a deep sigh escaped Jeremiah's mouth. Jeremiah felt that he did not know how he felt about Karina. Whenever he thought of Karina, his feelings were complicated. While Karina was lying sick, he felt like he was going crazy when he saw her not waking up. When he saw her sick, he felt anxious, and when he saw her sleeping, his lips became dry and he felt nervous. When he saw her stuck with her escort magician after she woke up, he felt unpleasant and angry, but when he saw her not, he felt nervous. When he saw her angry, he felt embarrassed, but he also felt a strong sense of satisfaction when she was looking straight at him.
Whenever he had a chance to catch his breath, Karina came to mind and he wondered where she was and what she was doing. Jeremiah was so frustrated that he didn't know why she was so noticeable and bothered him. No. In fact, he had a vague idea of why.
"Phew."
Jeremiah's sigh deepened. Jeremiah wiped his face with his hand and washed his face dry. He wanted to know what Karina was thinking. He needed to know what Karina was seeing and doing. He needed to know what she was thinking and doing.
"You'll find out if you investigate."
Jeremiah muttered quietly.
"Considering that she wants to continue reinvestigating the maid's death, it seems that she is not in league with those who poisoned her."
Ron spoke nonsense without thinking. Jeremiah hardened his expression and gave him a sharp glare.
"Sorry."
Ron nodded and continued his report, reciting information about Croana. Jeremiah, who was listening to the report, asked.
"Where is the distributor?"
"This is Countess Vestianne."
The Vestianne family was a noble family that had a medical practice based in the capital. They operated a free medical center for poor patients who had no money, invested in making medicine to cure incurable diseases, and visited patients with poor health to serve them. They were a family with a good image. On the surface, they were like that.
"Countess Vestianne."
There was a note of displeasure in Jeremiah's voice.
"Have you found the distribution route through which the poison entered the north from the capital?"
"It appears to have come in through the Hesna top that the Unio maker has."
The House of Unio was a vassal of the House of Lamberda.
"Is it you?"
A cold aura rose from Jeremiah. He had already figured out that the Lamberda family was intent on establishing connections with the nobles of the capital.
"It's probably not something that was done solely by the Unio family."
Ron nodded, as if agreeing with Jeremiah's words, and added.
"We will investigate all the families involved."
"Keep a closer eye on my Sister and Lamberda. If you find out anything else, report it to me immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness."
***
The atmosphere in the room where Karina, Mikhail, and Selena were was heavy. Karina began to persuade Selena by pointing out the clear reality.
"I don't know what you're planning to do, but even if their evil deeds are revealed to the world and they are punished, can you be sure that no other forces will emerge to exploit Croana?"
"..."
"If you do that, you will die without any meaning. Dying like that is just for your own self-satisfaction."
"But that doesn't matter. Now that I've seen with my own eyes that Croana is being used to kill people, I can't just sit back and watch."
Selena was adamant. That made it even more frustrating.
"I don't care if you point your finger and say it's stupid."
It seemed that no matter what was said, Selena's decision would not change.
"Ha."
Karina let out a long sigh that came from deep within her.
"I can't do it."
"Karina?"
Mikhail's eyebrows furrowed fiercely.
"This is not a matter to be accepted with sympathy."
Mikhail spoke so coldly that it felt like he was being buried.
"If you're not careful, Karina's safety could be in danger! There's no need to get involved in something that doesn't concern you and take risks!"
Karina cut Mikhail off with a look telling him to stop.
"Selena..."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"I won't grant your request."
"...!"
Selena's expression contorted and a gasp escaped her lips. Karina opened her mouth again in a determined voice.
"Selena. You said at the beginning that revenge wasn't your goal, right?"
"Yes."
"Yes, I promise."
Karina said in a powerful voice.
"I will make Croana's antidote and distribute it widely so that anyone can obtain it, and I will also reveal the recipe for the antidote to everyone."
'The Crown Prince, not me.'
I only said that to myself.
"Then the cases of Croana being abused will gradually disappear. Right?"
"... Yes?"
Selena, hearing Karina's words, made a blank expression as if she hadn't thought that far.
"Can you tell everyone the recipe for the antidote...?"
After a moment of silence, Selena covered her mouth with both hands and trembled.
"I was foolish... Your Highness the Grand Duchess saw further ahead than I did."
Selena said in an impressed voice.
'No. It was the Crown Prince who did it.'
As Karina was thinking that, Selena got down from her chair and knelt in front of Karina.
"Selena?"
A surprised Karina tried to wake Selena up, but Selena did not move and spoke in a firm voice.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
"I'm not saying I'll do it right now."
Karina said in confusion.
"It takes time."
It would be several years before the Crown Prince could eradicate Croana's power.
"It might take years. Can you wait?"
"Of course!"
Selena looked at Karina with a determined expression.
"Your Highness, thank you very much."
"Keep that greeting in place for now."
'Because it's not my turn to receive it'
Karina sighed and spoke to herself again. Mikhail watched her silently from the side.
"By the way."
As soon as Selena sat back down, Karina quickly changed the subject.
"Have you noticed any strange movements or suspicious signs in Lamberda recently?"
Karina asked Selena. She wondered if Revels had been doing anything stupid while she was lying unconscious after being caught up in a big incident called a hostage crisis. She had told Selena to keep an eye on him in advance, so she asked to confirm. Selena, who quickly got her emotions under control, opened her mouth calmly.
"There's no particularly noticeable movement, but there's something suspicious that concerns me."
"What is that?"
"The way they feed street children has changed recently. Instead of handing out bread on the street, they now take the children directly to the suburban mansion owned by the Lamberda family."
Karina frowned.
"Could this be human trafficking or slavery?"
Selena shook her head.
"At first, I suspected the same thing, but I don't think so. They send the kids back in the evening. I tried to investigate what they were doing inside, but the mansion is too guarded."
"Why don't you just ask the kids who've been to the mansion?"
Mikhail asked.
"I already asked. But contrary to my expectations, all the children answered that they stayed warm in the mansion, played, ate, and slept to their heart's content. Every single one of them gave good answers."
"Is it possible that the children were threatened into giving only good answers?"
"It didn't look like that."
"..."
The three were troubled by something they didn't understand. It was difficult to get all those children to tell the same lie.
'Then it's true.'
She was curious as to what on earth Revels was up to.
"I think we'll have to wait and see for now."
As Selena said, there was no choice but to wait for now.
***
"Be careful not to get lost. Don't follow strange people. Got it?"
Aiden repeated his request over and over again.
"Yes. How many times has this happened already?"
Dino answered with a blank expression. Philip nodded, observing the situation.
"Then I'll go and come back."
Dino and Philip went out to run errands again today. Dino hasn't been in a good mood since yesterday.
'I should have just eaten as much as I wanted yesterday instead of holding back.'
He even had that kind of thought because he was upset. He held back his desire to eat it and took it, but it was so frustrating that Aiden scolded him.
"You don't even know how I feel. It's too much!"
Dino grumbled. On his way back from his errand. He was passing the same road as yesterday. Just like the woman said, they were handing out food to children on the street today. Seeing that, he remembered Aiden getting angry yesterday and telling him not to take it again.
'Huh! I don't follow weird people around like that either!'
Dino grumbled. But when he saw the delicious things in front of him again, his heart was tempted. When he saw other children eating bread and cookies, it was even harder to hold back. He was encouraged by the memory of yesterday when he received it but couldn't eat it.
Dino swallowed his saliva and asked Philip.
"Should we go eat some snacks secretly, Aiden?"
"Uh...but Aiden will be angry..."
Philip hesitated.
"Just don't get caught. If you eat everything before you go back, you won't get caught."
Dino quietly persuaded Philip.
"Still..."
"Don't you want to eat the cookies you ate yesterday?"
"Uh uh..."
Philip also told the truth as he remembered the taste of the cookies they had shared on the way back.
"No... I want to eat."
"right?"
Dino's voice brightened.
"This time it's a real secret. Got it?"
"Ugh..."
Philip muttered. Dino took Philip's hand and walked towards the stall.
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