Chapter 47

Everyone's gaze turned to Terdeo's Adam's apple. His thick Adam's apple moved up and down significantly, making a swallowing sound.

“……!”

Adeus, who was standing beside him, took a short, startled breath. My stepmother also looked at Terdeo with a pale face. The silence deepened. I was so shocked that I couldn't even part my lips to look at him.

‘Is he okay?’

As everyone's attention focused on him, Terdeo nodded his head.

“It's not bad.”

His calm voice made the tension in my shoulders ease. Fortunately, Terdeo, who had taken the medicine, seemed fine.

‘Since the curse of the same Laphreon family is on him, there's no reaction, of course.’

And he was supposed to be immune to any poison. Seeing Terdeo unharmed, a sigh of relief escaped me. He looked around with a piercing gaze and spoke threateningly.

“Is my wife's accusation now sufficiently cleared?”

No one dared to contradict Terdeo. His gaze finally settled on my stepmother.

“Now it's your turn.”

Indeed, it seemed difficult for her to avoid the situation now. My stepmother quietly looked at the pill in her palm. A pleasant shiver ran from her head to her toes.

“Why aren't you taking it?”

“…….”

“I just saw my husband take it. Now it's your turn.”

I approached my stepmother, who remained motionless. I picked up the pill and brought it to her lips.

“Come on, open up.”

As I tried to push the pill into her mouth, my stepmother roughly pushed my hand away.

“Oh.”

The pill, freed from my hand, plummeted to the ground. Frowning, I saw Selphius, who was standing beside me, quickly pick up the pill and hand it to me.

“I learned that if you pick it up within three seconds, you can take it again, Mom.”

“Indeed, my son. You're smart, Selphius.”

I stroked Selphius's head with a satisfied expression.

“Did you hear that? He picked it up within three seconds, so you can take it again.”

“Why, why…….”

My stepmother covered her mouth with her hand and wore a confused expression.

‘She has every right to be confused.’

She must have known that this was poison, having used it herself. But seeing Terdeo unharmed after taking it must have been bewildering. She must be thinking many things now. Why didn't he die after taking the poison? How could he be so fine? Did he pretend to take it? Or…… is this not real poison? Many questions must be running through her mind. Seeing her expression filled with various doubts, a sneer formed on my lips.

“If you're so curious, why don't you take it yourself?”

Just as I was about to force the pill into my stepmother's mouth,

“The trial is over, yet it's still so noisy.”

Dodoréa emerged from the crowd as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“What's going on? It looks like there's an entertaining spectacle.”

My stepmother, upon seeing Dorodéa, smiled brightly as if she had encountered a savior. She pushed my hand away and hurriedly ran to hide behind Dorodéa.

“... Not a wise move with so many eyes watching, Duchess.”

I should have made her take the pill by force earlier. I composed my shocked expression and grabbed the shoulders of Terdeo and Selphius. They both turned their heads at the same time.

“... There are too many eyes watching.”

I signaled for them to wait and stepped forward. Terdeo and Selphius looked displeased but fortunately didn't rush forward. However, they were ready to pounce and tear Dorodéa's throat if anyone tried to harm me or do anything foolish.

‘It feels like taming a wild beast.’

Dodoréa stopped in front of me.

“Sturdy guards.”

She looked at the growling Terdeo and Selphius with amusement and chuckled.

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

Dodoréa smiled slyly. She patted my shoulder as if soothing a child and whispered in my ear.

“The gift I prepared.”

A foul smell wafted from her breath.

“Do you like it?”

My brows furrowed involuntarily.

“I told you I would give you a gift. It was a surprise.”

“... Did the princess prepare this gift?”

“Yes. Your expression shows that you like it. Great!”

Dodoréa nodded confidently and let out a bright laugh. If someone who couldn't hear our conversation saw this, they might think a kind princess was trying to stop a deadly fight between mother and daughter.

“The gift I prepared ends here. If you want to continue, I won't stop you.”

Dodoréa glanced down. Her gaze fell on the pill in my hand.

“The pill you're holding.”

“... What?”

Her eyes, which had been lost and trembling like a bare branch in the wind, widened in shock.

‘How did Dorodéa know this was poison?’

I couldn't help but look at my stepmother, who was standing behind me. She was smiling at me and Dorodéa.

‘Could my stepmother have told her that this pill is poison?’

But if she did, it would be the same as admitting she killed my father...

‘What a foolish thing to do.’

Even if the trust was built on money, who knows what a mad princess like Dorodéa would do.

“I don't think the princess would tell me something that would get me into trouble.”

“You're right. It's not you...”

Dodoréa glanced at Terdeo. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips.

“It's Duke Laphreon who will be in trouble. There's a little mouse hiding here right now.”

“A mouse?”

I quickly scanned the crowd. There were many people watching us.

“But now that I think about it, seeing Duke Laphreon in trouble might be entertaining. It would be cute.”

Dodoréa covered her mouth with her clenched fist and burst into a soft laugh.

“What will you do? I don't mind either way.”

Dodoréa narrowed her eyes softly. While I couldn't fully trust her words, if this pill really was poison and it was revealed, Terdeo or the people of the Laphreon family might be in trouble...

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and wrapped the pill in a handkerchief, tucking it into my bosom. There will be other days. Dorodéa patted my shoulder lightly, as if praising my decision, and stepped back.

“So, Duchess, you think it's best to stop the fight, right?”

Dodoréa smiled brightly and said loudly.

“Since the Countess has admitted that she used a fake pill to scare the Duchess, let's end this little incident here.”

As the fight fizzled out, the onlookers murmured in disappointment.

“The Countess has been struggling a lot recently due to the shock of losing her husband. She has been trying to fill her empty heart by dealing with various debts.”

Shock of losing her husband? Despite my efforts to hold back, a mocking laugh escaped me.

‘The shock of losing her fortune, more like it.’

Dodoréa, inciting the crowd, approached my stepmother.

“But now she is making various efforts to compose herself. Although she occasionally gets emotional, I believe everyone will understand.”

Dodoréa patted my stepmother's back with a sympathetic look and whispered softly with hollow eyes.

“... Losing someone you love is a shock so great it makes you want to die.”

Her tone was genuinely filled with sorrow. I almost believed it was sincere.

‘With acting skills like that, she could be an opera performer.’

Dodoréa, having composed her sorrowful expression, asked me.

“Then, can I take the Countess with me now, Duchess?”

There was no way I could refuse after she said that. If I continued, all my efforts to turn the media around in the past few days might be in vain. I looked at my stepmother, who was smiling in ecstasy under Dorodéa's protection.

“Mother.”

Though I didn't hear a clear answer from her, I was certain. My stepmother must have killed my father with this Aliret's blood.

“Last time, when you came to the mansion, you asked why I didn't invite you.”

I walked past Dorodéa and approached my stepmother. I tucked her falling hair behind her ear and smiled brightly.

“Soon, I will formally invite you. Then, we can have a proper reunion.”

With those words, Dorodéa led my stepmother and Reina to the carriage. Reina, who had climbed into the carriage, looked at me through the window. When our eyes met, Reina shuddered.

‘What, are you looking at me?’

I scowled at Reina and mouthed the words. Reina's eyes darted around, and she opened her lips slightly as if she wanted to say something. It seemed like she was trying to say something, but her lips were too small for me to understand.

‘What on earth is she saying?’