Chapter 48

It made sense I hadn’t seen it. I had no idea how it worked, but as the moon peeked out from behind the clouds and cast its light, the drooping white flower slowly lifted its head and bloomed wide.

 

‘Is it a flower that blooms at night?’

 

There are unusual flowers that sleep during the day and bloom only at night. I immediately dragged Pat by the scruff of his neck and pointed at the flower.

 

“Pat, what do you think?”

 

I stared at him with pleading eyes, as if telling him it had to be the full-moon lily of the valley. Pat lifted his head and sniffed. Then his face brightened.

 

“This sweet scent… it has to be a poisonous plant!”

 

“Good! Go harvest it!”

 

Ben came up beside us, muttering in disbelief.

 

“That’s a spot we checked over and over again…”

 

“Finding it is what matters, isn’t it? Let’s get it immediately!”

 

I slapped Ben on the back, and he moved with a helpless laugh. He brought the boat in as close as possible and carefully harvested the plant without damaging the roots.

 

Ben placed the full-moon lily of the valley into a glass jar. I accepted it and held it as if touching the most precious treasure in the world.

 

“You can keep it safe, right?”

 

“Of course. I brought something specifically for this. It’ll stay fresh for up to fifteen days.”

 

I was ready to leave at once—until Pat tugged at me.

 

“My lady, look over there.”

 

“Hm?”

 

I turned my head just as the moon, no longer hidden by clouds, rose round and full into the sky. The small white flowers nearby turned yellow and burst into bloom.

 

Pat and I exchanged a look.

 

As I’ve said many times, getting the herb doesn’t magically produce an antidote. This is reality. It takes countless trials and research before the final antidote is made.

 

In other words, the more medicinal herbs, the better. I grinned widely and declared: “Take everything!!”

 

 

***

 

 

I couldn’t stop smiling at the mountain of flowers we’d gathered.

 

My lips had no intention of dropping back down. Once we started searching, we discovered more hidden flowers than expected—so many that we were running out of jars. The lilies in the glass containers glowed like lanterns around us.

 

“This is incredible… I had no idea such flowers existed.”

 

“It was worth coming out here, my lady.”

 

Once the mercenaries realized we’d found the full-moon lily of the valley, they celebrated as if it was their own achievement. Maybe they were just happy we could go home now—but I chose to indulge in the moment.

 

“Thank you.”

 

I instructed Ben and Pat to handle the lilies carefully. With the flowers piled high, the long journey finally felt worthwhile. I clapped once to shift the mood.

 

“You all did well. Mr. Apol, please turn the key. We’ll head back now. Change our course and get some rest—it’s late.”

 

None of us had slept while searching for the flowers. Even mercenaries needed breaks. Here and there I spotted eyes as red-rimmed as mine.

 

“…Understood.”

 

Stretching, I massaged my sore shoulders. Then, out of nowhere, Apol asked: “My lady, did you take the medicine Elsa gave you?”

 

“What? Ah—yes. I couldn’t risk being unable to move from seasickness.”

 

I’d taken the medicine from her earlier so I could continue searching through the night. My seasickness never seemed to improve.

 

“That’s good to hear.”

 

Then suddenly, Fran stepped in front of me.

 

“My lady, stand back!”

 

“…Huh?”

 

I tilted my head. Fran’s hand was on his sword, his whole body tense.

 

Only then did I sense it. Overjoyed with finding the herbs, I had missed the strange atmosphere. The mercenaries—normally loud, cheerful, and lively—were watching us. And their eyes were not friendly. They were… predatory.

 

I swallowed hard.

 

Ben, always alert to changes in mood, also sensed something. Still cradling the lilies, he had already backed away. Pat and Ben were far from me, and the mercenaries began to step toward them as if herding prey.

 

My voice trembled as I called out: “M–Mr. Apol…?”

 

Only the sound of waves slapping the hull reached my ears. Apol spoke calmly—like a man who had already abandoned everything.

 

“My lady, I told you before. I can give my life for what’s precious to me. Even if you resent me, I must do what I must.”

 

“My lady!!”

 

Far behind me, Ben shouted, and Fran pulled me into his arms. Someone threw a round object. Instead of an explosion, a soft fsshh sounded, and strange smoke rose.

 

I snapped to my senses. Whoever they were, they were enemies. I didn’t hesitate—I reached for the scroll in my pocket, ready to rip it.

 

“That won’t do.”

 

At that voice, my hand froze.

 

The scroll slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor. My heart pounded wildly, my whole body stiffening like stone. Realizing I couldn’t move, Fran shouted if I was okay.

 

‘What… is this?’

 

In the distance, I saw Elsa’s lips moving.

 

It wasn’t just a seasickness remedy…!

 

“Don’t inhale the mist!”

 

Apol pushed through the swirling white smoke. He wore a mask. He picked up the scroll I dropped.

 

“A mage can sense artifacts made of mana. I knew you had scrolls and protective items. So I prepared paralysis powder and sleeping powder…”

 

Even Fran couldn’t escape the cloud of paralysis and sleep. He staggered but still tried to protect me.

 

“As expected of a noble lady—your guard is remarkable.”

 

“If she could be taken down by something this weak, she wouldn’t have survived her training. Who’s the ringleader? Tell me what you fed my lady.”

 

Fran was nothing like his usual cheerful self. Holding me tightly, he glared sharply at Apol. But despite his confident voice, his eyelids trembled violently as he fought to stay awake.

 

“…It’s harmless to the body. It just stops movement temporarily. You were the biggest obstacle, my lady.”

 

It was a volatile situation. Fran carefully set me down and fought, but the mercenaries were a trained unit. Worse, defending someone while fighting was impossible.

 

To think the person I hired to protect me was the one endangering me. And my scroll had fallen into their hands.

 

‘I should’ve given everyone their own scroll… not kept them all on me…’

 

My vision blurred.

 

And I thought: ‘Whose orders are they following? Who wants me captured?’

 

 

***

 

 

“Uh… right. Ahem. How is your body?”

 

“Don’t change the subject. I didn’t hear the full story yesterday. You told me Lep had gone south for merchant business—but that wasn’t true, was it? What kind of job is so important that Lep had to go personally?”

 

Baron Perio felt cold sweat run down his back. Evan was furious because he realized Lepina had deceived him.

 

For a week, everything seemed fine. Evan and Lepina exchanged letters. But the moment Evan noticed that the contents didn’t match her actual circumstances—everything unraveled.

 

His anger soon reached Baron Perio as well. Perio tried to dodge Evan’s questions the first time, but today Evan grabbed him firmly and refused to let go.

 

Perio sighed inwardly.

 

Lepina had hidden the truth because Evan would never let her go if he knew she was heading to a sea full of pirates to find the antidote. Even Perio agreed. But she was the only one who knew about the full-moon lily. She had no choice but to go.

 

So they coordinated their stories and drafted letters in advance. If caught, they would “smooth it over later,” she said, unconcerned.

 

To Lepina, it wasn’t a big deal—Evan never scolded her harshly. At worst, he pouted.

 

If only Lepina realized her fiancé was strong enough to beat trained knights… If Perio told her that, she’d stare at him like he’d lost his mind.

 

“Why did Lep say the weather was nice?”

 

“Well… maybe she didn’t want to worry you.”

 

“By NOT telling me it was going to rain? Lep complains when it rains because her joints ache. There’s no word from Fran either… And I already confirmed with Eldan. He said she really did have business in the south, but she went alone.”

 

‘Eldan, that traitor…!’

 

Having known Evan so long, Eldan immediately blurted out everything once he realized Evan already suspected.

 

Evan coldly told him to stop lying. Then demanded the real destination.

 

Perio sighed again.

 

“Ahaha… well…”

 

“He said he didn’t know the destination—because you would know it very well. What do you say about that?”

 

At that moment, Elena, who had been quietly listening, spoke.

 

“Perhaps the lady simply wanted to travel alone sometimes.”

 

Evan’s gaze turned even colder.

 

Chilled enough for the sweat on Perio’s back to feel icy.