Chapter 16

“Pardon?”

The first to react to my words wasn’t Lady Aria, but Cooker.

Cooker, who had been looking half-distraught, narrowed his eyes. His expression seemed to ask, ‘What on earth are you talking about now?’

“……You don’t have to look at me like I’m a scammer.”

When I grumbled with my lips pouting like a duck’s, Cooker bowed his head hurriedly as if he’d realized his mistake.

“I—I didn’t mean it that way……!”

Lady Aria stepped in to stop Cooker from frantically trying to fix the situation. She met my eyes and asked, “I thought you didn’t like Cooker very much, Poblian. Was I mistaken?”

“If you’re asking whether I like him or not, I’d say I dislike him. It’s a fact that he bullied me, after all.”

As Lady Aria gave a small smile, encouraging me to continue, I stole a glance at Cooker. Lady Aria’s eyes thinned as she observed me.

“But I think the reason he bullied me is simply because he hasn’t had much experience with shifters.”

I looked back and forth between the two silent figures and added quietly, “Honestly, if Cooker had met more shifters, he would have known that not every shifter is like that fox who scammed him.”

In Idelio, the residential areas for humans and shifters are separated. This means there are people who grow up without ever seeing the other. The unknown breeds fear, and fear leads to dislike. I believed that the deep-seated aversion between humans and shifters in Idelio was rooted in ignorance.

‘Of course, the biggest problem is the Imperial family and the nobles who stoke this conflict to solidify their own influence, but still……’

Lady Aria, who had been silent as if lost in thought, looked at me and asked, “Poblian, do you wish to improve the relationship between humans and shifters?”

Faced with her steady gaze, I gave a sheepish grin and shook my head. “I don’t know about anything as grand as that, but I want to show Cooker that not every shifter is like that fox.”

“…….”

“Just as there are good people and bad people, it’s the same for shifters.”

‘Honestly, resolving the conflict between humans and shifters is a job for the protagonists of this world. Not for an extra like me.’

I shivered at the mere thought of such a bothersome task.

Lady Aria watched me for a moment before letting out a soft laugh. She turned to Cooker. “Leave us for a moment, Cook.”

“Eh? Ah, yes. I—I shall do so, My Lady.”

At Lady Aria’s dismissal, Cooker scrambled out of the room.

Left alone in the quiet room, I felt a sudden surge of tension. I sat up straight on the sofa Lady Aria pointed to.

She looked at me and said, “Poblian, answer me honestly.”

“…….”

“Is the reason you want to reinstate Cooker as chef truly just what you told me?”

Faced with her sharp gaze demanding the truth, I remained silent for a moment. After debating how to put it, I gave a small smile and answered.

“To be honest, I thought that if Cooker were there, Esteban might feel a bit more comfortable during mealtimes.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The truth is, the reason I collapsed ten days ago wasn’t because of humanization. It was because I swallowed a strange pill.”

“……A pill?”

“Yes. Ellen said it was made by mixing Bluebell and Allium seeds. It’s a pill that accelerates mana flow to the point where anyone whose flow isn’t stabilized is forced to rampage.”

Lady Aria’s face turned pale as she listened to my explanation. Clenching my fists, I explained the events of ten days ago in more detail—how I had accidentally run into Ellen in the garden, snatched the pill from him, and ended up swallowing it while trying to escape.

After listening quietly, Lady Aria couldn’t help but ask, “Poblian, I don’t believe Ellen acted alone.”

“…….”

“You know, don’t you? Who the accomplice working with Ellen was.”

At her piercing question, I nodded. “You might find it hard to believe, but the person with Ellen that day was Beth. Ellen was handing the pill to Beth, telling her to feed it to Esteban.”

Actually, seeing as Beth wasn’t by Lady Aria’s side right now, I figured her guilt might have already come to light in some way. I wasn’t sure how much the Winchesters had uncovered, though. However, contrary to my worry that she might not believe me, Lady Aria looked surprisingly calm when Beth’s name was mentioned, as if she had expected it.

‘So you already knew.’

As if reading my thoughts, Lady Aria picked up her teacup and spoke calmly. “……Ellen was the one Beth introduced to us. Looking back, the moment I realized Ellen was the culprit, I should have seized Beth immediately.”

“…….”

“I suppose things turned out this way because I couldn’t accept that someone who stayed by my side for over ten years could harbor such intentions.”

“…….”

“……And I might have to keep living with such risks in the future.”

‘In the future, too?’

Lady Aria’s words sent a chill down my spine, followed by a sense of foreboding. She moistened her lips slightly before setting the teacup down.

“Beth has disappeared.”

“……Pardon?”

“On the day you collapsed after losing consciousness again, Beth also vanished. According to Lani, it happened during the five minutes she was away calling for others.”

‘She’s gone?’

I naturally assumed she would be locked in the Grand Duchy’s dungeon.

‘I didn’t take much of Beth’s mana that day, but she shouldn’t have been in any state to wake up and run away in that short time Lani was gone.’

“And on the same day, one of the guards at the main gate disappeared as well. I suspect the two of them fled Winchester together.”

‘The guard was on their side, too.’

I blinked at the series of bombshell revelations, biting my lip.

‘Come to think of it, why didn’t I think of the guard? If they were exposed and needed to flee, having a guard on their side would be the easiest way out!’

Lady Aria watched my serious expression and asked quietly, “Could you tell me a little more about what happened when you faced Beth, and exactly what the extent of your abilities is?”

I gave a small nod and explained the events of that day along with the nature of my powers. By the time I finished, Lady Aria’s face was ghostly pale. She remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty.

“……So that’s why you asked to bring Cooker back as chef.”

“Because Ellen said those things without knowing I was hiding in the garden. So, I thought if there was anyone in this mansion who was truly innocent, it would be Cooker.”

“…….”

“Since he was the first person those two tried to get rid of.”

“I agree.”

The corners of Lady Aria’s mouth lifted ever so slightly. Seeing her look at me with that faint smile made me feel a bit bashful.

“Poblian, you always exceed my expectations.”

“Pardon?”

Lady Aria continued in a warm voice, “As for Cooker’s reinstatement, let’s give it a little more thought. Regardless of his reasons, it’s a fact that he bullied you, Poblian—a guest of Winchester.”

I nodded at her words. While it would be convenient for me if he were the chef, it wasn’t right to bring him back without any punishment for his mistakes. If there were other anti-shifter servants, it might give them a reason to target me.

“However, regardless of what happens to Cooker, let’s consider the wish I promised to grant as still unused.”

“Pardon?”

“I want the wish I grant to be entirely for you, Poblian—not for Winchester or Esteban.”

“…….”

“Thank you again for saving Esteban, Poblian.”

The sincerity in Lady Aria’s gratitude made my heart swell. Perhaps it was because it was the first time someone had truly thanked me.

‘Up until now, I’ve only heard comforting words saying it’s okay… this is the first time I’ve heard “thank you”.’

I looked at the kindly smiling Lady Aria, clenched my fists, and gave a cheerful laugh. “It was only natural! I’ll work even harder!”

“Thank you for saying that. Ah, we are currently checking to see if Lani had any connection to those two. I’ll let you know once we’re sure.”

“Yes, please do.”

I nodded and reached for the teacup. The tea, brewed with dried mandarins, gave off a distinctive, refreshing scent. As I sniffed the aroma that felt strangely familiar, a forgotten memory suddenly surfaced.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t the person who saved me in the greenhouse that day smell like this?’

For a moment, a certain face came to mind, but I shook my head.

‘A tiny extra being saved by the male lead in a moment of crisis? That’s way too self-centered.’

Anyway, the important thing was that if someone hadn’t found me in the greenhouse, I might have died there. Even Ellen had said I would die when he abandoned me.

‘The Grand Duke is someone I owe my life to, but so is that person!’

Having made up my mind, I looked at Lady Aria with sparkling eyes.

“Um, Lady Aria. If you know who saved me the day I collapsed in the greenhouse, could you tell me? I want to express my gratitude!”

“The person who saved you in the greenhouse?”

“Yes!”

“Well, that person is……”

Lady Aria’s face held a trace of playfulness, unlike her usual self. Just as I tilted my head in confusion, the door burst open with the sound of hurried footsteps.

I reflexively turned my head and met a face flushed red as if they had run all the way here.

“You…….”

“……Esteban?”

“Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to stay in bed?”

As Esteban strode toward me, the scent of earth and refreshing mandarin wafted from him. My heart began to thud with a sense of foreboding.

“He arrived at just the right time.”

‘No… no way? It can’t be, right?’

Lady Aria, watching me as I reflexively turned my head back to her, spoke with a face full of mischief.

“The one who saved you in the greenhouse that day was Esteban.”