Chapter 10

“There are many nobles. Among them, plenty of families want to curry favor with the imperial house even if they have to overextend themselves. They were probably planning to leave it aside under the excuse that it was ‘reserved,’ then unload it onto whichever noble came looking for a tribute gift.”

“So you’re saying it’s only a possibility.”

He really wasn’t easy to convince. Still, I had done my best to give him the information. If he didn’t believe me, then that was that. I swallowed a sigh.

But contrary to what I feared, the Duke of Weiss chuckled and asked me,

“How did you know? That the source of the tea leaves was the Gron Merchant Guild, and that the Blanc family was behind it.”

The way he acknowledged it so cleanly made all my earlier worries about convincing him feel pointless.

“What?”

“You’re… ten years old? Your mind is rather sharp. Not ordinary at all.”

He had no way of knowing I remembered my past life, but his eyes looked at me as if I wasn’t a child of my age at all.

I hadn’t prepared any excuse for that. Cold sweat ran down my spine, my head spinning. The Duke folded his arms, clearly expecting my next answer.

‘What do I say? What explanation would he accept?’

Sweat dripped, and I blurted out while stuttering, “T-the… the newspaper!”

Father often read the paper, and I sometimes glanced at it. I felt the Duke’s gaze on me, but I activated the “I know nothing” mode. My eyes shone innocently; maybe that convinced him, because he let out a small laugh.

“Can you take responsibility for that statement?”

“Of course not.”

I paused, then gave a pure, harmless smile. I had crossed a dangerous line. Even if it was the truth, it was still risky. Things could easily go wrong—like how fate twisted and made Evan drink the poison instead of me.

‘I’m supposed to take responsibility for that’

Objectively, I had insulted the Blanc family and even implicated the imperial house. Words might be free, but consequences weren’t.

“It’s just a child’s speculation. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, my lord.”

“Hahaha.”

I blinked at the Duke who burst out laughing, brushing a hand through his hair.

“That’s amusing. Fine… I’ll check it myself. Either way, someone will pay dearly for poisoning my son.”

A chilling intent filled the room—but it wasn’t aimed at me, so I wasn’t afraid.

I added one more hint.

“Most people won’t know there was poison at all. So just look for the tea canister with the most extravagant wrapping among the reserved goods. The one waiting to be sold off to someone.”

I smiled darkly—just like the Duke.

‘How dare they touch someone they shouldn’t. Killing them wouldn’t be enough. The water’s already spilled, and Evan still isn’t getting better.’

The Duke seemed ready to head out immediately to verify things. He even murmured a quiet thank-you.

Feeling satisfied, I stopped him by tugging his sleeve. I still had something to say.

“My lord.”

“What is it?”

“Because of me… Young Lord Evan drank the poison. I’m truly sorry. So please—let me be the one to fix this!”

When my body recovered, I planned to dig through books and search for herbs myself. But as he looked down at me coldly, my head sank.

‘He must hate the idea…’

I was the culprit—the one who handed Evan the poisoned tea.

Then the Duke’s large hand landed on my head. When I looked up, the once-cold face held a slight smile. His sharp eyes softened.

‘Evan’s smile resembles his father’s…’

I had thought him big and frightening, but his rough hand ruffling my hair felt warm.

“If you had really meant to harm my son, I would not have forgiven you. But this was an unfortunate accident. Do I look like the type to blame others for misfortune?”

“But…”

“Well, if it weighs on you that much, then visit once he recovers. You’ll be welcome anytime. And since you figured out the poison, maybe you can make an antidote too. I’ll look forward to it.”

His tone implied, try it if you want.

The Duke clearly recognized my guilt and intended to lighten that burden.

He gently removed my hand from his sleeve and left. As he opened the door, pink hair peeked through. They had been listening the entire time.

“Mother? Brother?”

Piote, maybe. But even Mother?

It meant they were that worried. When the Duke left, Father immediately hugged me tightly.

“I’m sorry. Were you frightened?”

He blamed himself for not stopping the Duke.

“I’m fine. And I’m partly at fault. Besides, he was kind.”

His expression was fierce, but he’d been fundamentally gentle. He didn’t dismiss the words of a young girl and listened carefully. If he had accused us of poisoning, we would’ve been thrown into prison. But he didn’t.

Mother, however, took a very different view. As soon as the Duke left, she marched in and scolded Father—Piote joining in.

“She’s not even recovered and you let His Grace in?!”

“Lep, did that bastard yell at you?!”

“Brother… he’s the Duke.”

“How dare he disturb our poor Lep’s rest?!”

I was the one who talked with the Duke, and everything ended well—so why did it look like a marital fight was starting, and why was Piote fuming at the Duke?

‘Well… it’s very much like my family.’

After such a crisis, maybe being so relaxed wasn’t appropriate, but seeing them act the same as always eased my heart.

As the tension drained, my body felt heavy and warm, like soaking in a hot spring. I collapsed onto the bed.

“Father, Mother. And Brother.”

They all turned simultaneously.

“Thank you.”

I had reliable allies. That alone strengthened me.

“There’s nothing to thank us for—of course we’d protect you!”

Father rubbed his cheek against mine, teary-eyed. Piote immediately told him to get off. I laughed.

‘I need to work hard.’

***

Teorus recalled the bold look in Lepina’s eyes when she’d spoken to him. He let out a breath through his teeth.

He knew his child well. The ducal house was threatened from many sides. Training in poison resistance from childhood wasn’t normal, but both he and Evan had endured it.

But for Evan—who never ate without suspicion—to taste something, sense it was poison, and still swallow it before he could spit it out, all to save a little girl… That didn’t make sense.

Not for Evan.

Unless the girl was his friend’s sister.

Evan had only one person he called a friend.

‘If you could call it “a friend.”’

Returning to the estate, Teorus knocked on a door. Inside, Evan leaned against his bed reading.

“Are you feeling well?”

“Yes. I’m not dying.”

He spoke in Teorus’s tone—calm and detached.

“Of course. You must’ve noticed it the moment it touched your lips.”

Evan smiled faintly. He had built tolerance against countless poisons, but the Alosi poison herb was new. Still, despite its pleasant scent and taste, his instincts screamed that it was poison.

And he swallowed it anyway.

“More importantly, Father. The butler said you went to the Count of Clies.”

“I did.”

“What did you do to that child?”

“The fact remains that you drank the tea she brought and collapsed.”

“Father.”

Evan growled. Teorus ignored the tone and approached.

“I did nothing. I only went to hear what happened. She’s a remarkable child. Sharp mind, and above all—she doesn’t cower easily.”

He remembered those pink eyes staring up at him without flinching, even as her small hands trembled under the blanket.

For someone entering the Weiss household, that kind of nerve was necessary. She passed.

“….”

Evan frowned, trying to gauge how much of that was true. The tension between father and son sharpened. Teorus smirked.

“She’s my child’s target… but wasn’t that a reckless move?”

Evan was silent for a moment, then smiled.

“You’re the one who taught me, Father. If I want something, I should obtain it by any means necessary. I’m simply following our family motto.”

Teorus chuckled.

He didn’t deny it.

If you desire something—take it.

That was the Weiss family creed.