CL Ch. 34 - Wook's Teahouse
Lark immediately went to his aide, Renâs, office.
He remembered Rubetteâs advice not to delay even for a second.
âI remember the verdict when Your Highnessâ aide was beheaded.â
âHe didnât admit to plotting treason until the end despite the obvious evidence. He admitted he had all the evidence but didnât plot treasonâŠâ
âRen didnât make excuses even though it wasnât his fault? He didnât defend himself and just died unjustly?â
âIn life, there are times when you canât speak even if you have a mouth, and there are times when you shouldnât speak. Perhaps your aide is in the same situation?â
âYour Highness needs to find out the reason for his silence.â
When Lark arrived, Renâs office was somehow empty.
Lark asked his attendant.
âRen left 10 minutes ago to visit Asto Palace.â
â⊠What? Asto Palace?â
Larkâs eyes narrowed at this sudden course of action.
This splendid and gigantic palace, named after a âstar,â was home to dozens of female imperial family members who had not yet left home.
The fifth princess, thirteen-year-old Lisbeth van Rashmagh Descarde, was also one of the princesses of Asto Palace.
She was the only princess birthed by the empress and the only biological sister of Crown Prince Lark.
Lisbeth stood in front of the mirror and looked gloomy.
The finely braided silver hair and big eyes were quite cute, but she didnât like the short height and chubby hands and feet.
âMm⊠Well, Princess is pretty cute. Youâre not as fat as Rubette.â
âY-You think Iâm cute?â
âYes, well⊠I like thin girls.â
Lisbeth was very sincere for the boy who had expressed his clear refusal dozens of times.
The boy who had set young Lisbethâs heart on fire was Ricky Diollus.
Lisbeth had been in a desperate crush on him since last month when she first saw him at a social gathering of aristocrats.
His soft blonde hair and pure white skin were like a young boy angel.
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âMy older brother is also famous for being handsome, but honestly, heâs not comparable to Prince Ricky.â
Lisbeth, thinking of her brother Lark, shook her head desperately.
Then, with a determined expression, she clenched her fist. Today was the time to finish what had been interrupted in everything.
âAt this social party, I must give the present to Prince Ricky. Without it, I wouldnât even be able to attend the partyâŠâ
This secret social gathering, hosted once a month by noble ladies considered the best in the capital, was not accessible to anyone.
As a party aimed at showing off each otherâs wealth and promoting friendship, the scale of the event was enormous even though it was held for just one day, and access was strictly restricted unless it was an âinvitedâ aristocrat.
However, it was not a place where you could go unconditionally just because you received an invitation.
Lisbeth opened a luxurious invitation decorated with gold leaf on black paper and sighed.
We invite you to a social gathering in August.
â Organizer, Ricky Diollus
The host of the social party was Ricky, and Lisbeth had received an invitation.
Each invitation contained a gift that the host wanted, and the invited nobles must get the gift to attend the party.
The gift that Ricky had requested from Lisbeth this time was âPharma Crystalâ, a national treasure of the imperial familyâŠ
âThereâs no way Brother will give me thisâŠâ
Crown Prince Lark now owned it.
While he was very affectionate and generous with his only sister, Lisbeth, he was a man of firm distinction.
If she cried and complained, there was a chance that Lark wouldnât listenâŠ
But what if she asked him to give out a ânational treasureâ just as a gift for a friend?
After being rejected with a snap, sheâd be nagged for an entire hour, asking why she was so immature.
And Ricky wouldnât be unaware of this either.
âHe will just tell me not to come.â
When you no longer wanted to allow a noble of a downtrodden family to visit a social gathering, or when you had someone you did not like but had to send an invitation to as a courtesy.
Organizers used to control visits by demanding this kind of outrageous gift.
Lisbeth knew that too. Ricky, who felt pressured by her, told her not to come to the party.
âBut I will go. I want to go. I want to get to know Prince RickyâŠâ
However, Lisbeth could not break her will, and she found a way.
âI am sure I will succeed today.â
Lisbeth, who had made up her mind, began to touch the teapot on the table with clumsy hand gestures.
A fragrant smell quickly came up when she poured hot water over the green tea leaves.
âMagic Tea Leaves! If Brother drinks this, he will surely give me Pharma Crystal. The sorcerer said he would nod no matter what I ask.â
Without anyone knowing, she had to be careful, so all her maids had already been dismissed, and she dealt with the tea by herself.
Before long, with a teacup in his hand, Lisbeth left the room to go to Lark.
Squeak, when the door opened.
Lisbeth was startled by the man standing with his arms folded as if he had been waiting.
It was Larkâs aide, Ren.
Ren swiped his blonde hair with a tired expression and took the teacup in Lisbethâs hand.
âI knew this would happen.â
Ren came in with the door closed, put the teacup on the table, and looked around Lisbeth.
âI knew it. I figured the last time wasnât everything. How many do you have?â
âWhat rudeness is this!?â
âAll the damn tea leaves are confiscated. Hurry up and give me the rest.â
âThereâs no more! Thatâs the last one!â
As Ren raised his red eyes fiercely, Lisbeth cried in surprise.
âThereâs no such thing⊠Why do you keep interrupting me in everything?â
Ren, who bent his knees in front of Lisbeth at eye level, pointed to the teacup on the table and said.
âI told you. Thatâs not magic tea leaves. Itâs a poisonous plant.â
âYou donât believe me? I already knew what those tea leaves were. Itâs not food. If you eat it, youâll die. Do you want your brother to die after eating that?â
Lisbeth said as she folded her arms and raised her chin.
âYou mean to scare me. I know itâs not poison. I drank it myself.â
âI beg your pardon? Are you crazy?â
âIâm not crazy. And donât lie to me. You said Iâd vomit and die if I ate, but it didnât happen.â
âRen, donât do that and help me. If those arenât magic tea leaves, thereâs nothing I can do about it. But itâs not poisonous, so Iâll feed my brother just once. Okay?â
Hearing Lisbethâs immature voice, Ren slowly closed his eyes and sighed.
Does this young princess know? What she believes to be magic tea leaves is a deadly poison.
âAbsolutely not. Put out all the rest, and tell me exactly when, where, and from whom you got this.â
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âI will never tell you.â
Lisbeth burst into tears in front of the scolding Ren. Ren soothed her with a soft voice.
âPlease. Now consider yourself lucky that itâs only me. It is a felony for the princess to bring such a thing into the palace. Youâll be locked up in a dungeon with a bunch of scary prisoners if caught.â
âItâs not poison! You wonât die!â
âItâs not about dyingâŠ!â
Ren, who was screaming, bit his lips.
As it turned out, the tea leaves were poisonous. Of course, as Lisbeth said, it has nothing to do with life, butâŠ
âHow the hell did you get this?!â
A poisonous plant that could cause males to lose fertility and become sexually disabled.
If Lisbeth, a woman, drank, there would be no problem, but if Lark drank, it was a different story. Wasnât it a deadly poison for Lark, the heir of the imperial family?
Of course, a man without his fertility was excluded from the fight for succession. The first heir, the crown prince, was no exception.
âThen you can bring me the Pharma CrystalâŠ!â
âIt is a national treasure. Princess, do you have any thoughts or not?â
âOh, I donât know! I really need it!â
At that time.
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â⊠What does all this mean?â
At the familiar voice, Ren and Lisbeth hardened at the same time. Ren gulped and raised his eyes.
Lark, who had come in without a trace, was standing with his arms crossed and leaning against the doorway.