Florin stood anxiously in front of the window.
It was two days after she had sent Naen the poison and note.
The maid working in the imperial palace had confirmed that Naen had brought the poison with her.
But there was no reply.
There was no news that anything special had happened inside the empress’ palace.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
I reacted too emotionally.
I did this without thinking deeply.
There was a late surge of regret.
Astelle’s remarks about marriage seemed to distract her for a while.
Naen didn’t even reply to her previous note.
She didn’t seem willing to do so either.
She had brought the poison with her, but did she still have any hesitation?
Even though nothing has happened yet, anxieties keep creeping in.
‘No, everything will be fine.’
Even if there will be a problem, it is not a big one.
In the first place, the target is only an animal.
It’s wrong to bring poison to the empress’ palace, but it’s not even an amount to kill a person in the first place.
Florin comforted herself. It was around that time that a noisy sound was heard from the hallway.
The sound of footsteps was approaching this way, stepping on the hard stone floor.
Florin got up from her seat, startled.
The study door swung open and knights in familiar uniforms entered.
“Lady Florin.”
They were the knights under the direct control of the emperor.
“What’s the matter?”
The young knight replied, staring at her indifferently.
“We have been ordered to take you to the imperial palace,” he said.
As soon as she heard that, her heart felt cold.
Florin asked with a smile, not showing any concern.
“Me? What’s going on?”
But the knight did not answer.
“You must go to the imperial palace right now.”
“……”
That’s not good.
She could tell by the blunt and arrogant attitude of the knight.
What she was worried about had become a reality.
“Lady…..!”
Belatedly, her nanny came in with a pale face.
Florin came to her senses when she saw her.
‘No matter what happens, I have to come to my senses and get out of this situation.’
“Nanny, bring my coat. I have to go to the imperial palace now.”
Florin approached the knight and asked, “Who gave you this order?”
Fortunately, the answer came back this time. The knight glanced at her and replied indifferently.
“This is an order from His Majesty the Emperor himself.”
***
Florin was escorted to the emperor’s office.
It was her first time coming here in person.
As she entered, she saw the emperor sitting in front of her. And next to him was the empress.
There were also a few officials whose faces were familiar.
Most of them were close friends with Florin’s father, Marquis Croychen.
Florin entered with light steps.
She hid her anxiety and calmly asked in a polite manner.
“Did you call me, Your Majesty?”
“Did you send poison to kill the prince?”
Florin was startled and raised her head.
She had no idea that the emperor would get straight to the point as soon as she greeted him.
She knew something was wrong, but she never thought that she would have been called on such a nonsensical charge.
“What….., what do you mean, Your Majesty? I do not understand.”
There was no need to act at the moment.
Did she send poison to kill the prince? Florin really had no idea.
‘I told her to kill the prince’s dog. When did I tell her to kill the prince?’
Then the door behind her opened.
When she turned around, the pale Naen slowly walked inside.
As soon as Naen’s eyes met Florin’s, she hurriedly lowered her head.
Astelle, who was watching quietly, stepped forward.
“The maid who brought the poison has already confessed; she said she got it from the Croychen mansion. She also has the note you sent with the poison as evidence.”
Astelle picked up a small piece of paper on the desk.
There was also a small pouch next to it. Florin could tell what it was from afar.
The pouch contained the poison she sent, and the paper Astelle picked up was the note sent with the poison.
“I interpreted the contents of the note and it said to use this poison.”
Florin understood the situation.
Naen had the poison and was caught by the empress.
The frightened Naen confessed not only about the meaning of the code but also about the maid she had sent to the empress’ palace.
Florin gave her a sharp gaze.
‘I can’t believe you confessed everything. Are you out of your mind?’
Naen shuddered and bowed her head, avoiding Florin’s gaze.
‘It’s my fault for trusting such an idiot.’
I shouldn’t have done this either.
Again, she was overwhelmed with the regret that came late. But now there was no turning back time.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“There is no evidence that I was involved, is there?”
“The maid who brought the poison was hiding the money and jewels from the Croychen family. She also remembers the maid she met when she went to get the poison. We will take the maid and interrogate her, and we will find out.”
“……”
Florin gritted her teeth as she listened to Astelle.
There is no way for a maid to sacrifice her life to keep her loyalty.
Interrogating the maid would make it undeniable that she was the one who sent the poison.
“Can I see what kind of poison it is?”
“What?”
The emperor looked at Florin as if he heard something ridiculous.
The same was true of the officials around him.
“By looking at what kind of poison it is, I can tell if it is from my family or not.”
Kaizen snorted as if she was talking nonsense.
But Astelle agreed with Florin.
“It makes sense.”
Astelle beckoned to the servant.
The servant opened the paper, picked up the pouch on the desk, and spilled the powder inside.
A small amount of fine yellow powder spilled onto the white paper.
It was the poison she sent.
Florin was a little relieved.
“Even if this poison is from my family…..”
Florin continued, pretending to be innocent.
“Is this a poison that can harm people?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“In my family, we don’t bring any dangerous poison that can harm people into the mansion. However, we have poison for pests and rats. It is also poison if you analyze its composition.”
In order to kill pests in any house, poisons such as rat poison are always on hand, even if the amount is small.
Actually, it wasn’t even a lie.
The poison Florin sent was not a poison that killed people, but animals.
She was afraid that this would happen, so she sent a poison that would not cause death even if people took it on purpose.
“Does it even look like poison? I don’t know how it got here….., but if it’s not poison that harms people, can you say I’ve committed a crime?”
The officials who were watching seemed to be a little relieved when they heard her words.
The emperor angrily ordered, “Call the doctor and see if her statement is correct.”
After a while, the court doctor came in.
He carefully examined the poison on the paper. Then he reported, “At first glance, it looks like a pesticide, but it is a stronger poison than that.”
After that, the atmosphere changed again.
“You mean it can harm people?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is a poison that is lethal enough.”
Florin almost screamed.
She stood still and turned her gaze to Astelle, who was watching her.
‘You replaced it with a poison that looks similar.’
Florin realized Astelle’s intentions.
By making this an attempt to poison the prince, the Croychen family will be completely destroyed.
That is why the note that told to poison the dog’s prince has disappeared, and only the last note that told to use the poison remains.
“Miss Naen, you said Lady Florin had sent you a note, right? What’s written there?”
At Astelle’s question, attention was focused on Naen again.
Florin glared at her.
‘Please come to your senses and answer correctly!’
However, Naen avoided her gaze this time as well.
Naen closed her eyes tightly and answered,
“To poison the prince……”
“Naen!”
Florin shouted.
“There is a testimony, and the evidence is solid.”
There was a hint of anger in Kaizen’s voice.
Florin bit her lip in dismay.
It’s not the worst yet, she thought.
Because there is no solid evidence that she was involved.
“I don’t know. That kid did it alone.”
“It doesn’t matter who did it.”
Kaizen cut off Florin’s excuse coldly.
“How dare you bring poison into the empress’ palace. Because of the Croychens’ achievement, I’ve been merciful to your family for so many unpleasant things.”
As soon as the knights received the emperor’s gaze, they caught Florin and Naen.
“Put them both in jail and arrest the Marquis of Croychen right now.”
“Your Majesty!”
“Bring the Marchioness and Marianne, who were sent to the North, back to the capital.”
The emperor’s words were no different from saying that he would destroy the Croychen family at this point. Florin turned to the officials for help.
The officials exchanged bewildered glances, but no one dared to step forward and help her.
Kaizen declared with a firm voice.
“I will not spare anyone who dares to try to harm the empress and prince.”
***
“Are you okay?”
After the commotion died down, Kaizen sent the officials out.
Astelle also took the opportunity to go out, but Kaizen grabbed her.
Astelle replied in a nonchalant way, “I am fine, Your Majesty.”
Why not?
Astelle herself did not do much.
This all happened because of Florin’s stupidity.
“I’m sorry this keeps happening.”
But Kaizen gave her a wistful look.
“This time, I will make sure to punish them and set an example.”
Astelle couldn’t tell how anguish the look in his eyes was. In fact, it was Blynn, not Theor, that Florin was targeting.
Originally, she was going to confess after this.
Astelle said, avoiding his gaze.
“Your Majesty, I have promised Miss Naen’s safety in lieu of the confession she made.”
Florin stood anxiously in front of the window.
It was two days after she had sent Naen the poison and note.
The maid working in the imperial palace had confirmed that Naen had brought the poison with her.
But there was no reply.
There was no news that anything special had happened inside the empress’ palace.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
I reacted too emotionally.
I did this without thinking deeply.
There was a late surge of regret.
Astelle’s remarks about marriage seemed to distract her for a while.
Naen didn’t even reply to her previous note.
She didn’t seem willing to do so either.
She had brought the poison with her, but did she still have any hesitation?
Even though nothing has happened yet, anxieties keep creeping in.
‘No, everything will be fine.’
Even if there will be a problem, it is not a big one.
In the first place, the target is only an animal.
It’s wrong to bring poison to the empress’ palace, but it’s not even an amount to kill a person in the first place.
Florin comforted herself. It was around that time that a noisy sound was heard from the hallway.
The sound of footsteps was approaching this way, stepping on the hard stone floor.
Florin got up from her seat, startled.
The study door swung open and knights in familiar uniforms entered.
“Lady Florin.”
They were the knights under the direct control of the emperor.
“What’s the matter?”
The young knight replied, staring at her indifferently.
“We have been ordered to take you to the imperial palace,” he said.
As soon as she heard that, her heart felt cold.
Florin asked with a smile, not showing any concern.
“Me? What’s going on?”
But the knight did not answer.
“You must go to the imperial palace right now.”
“……”
That’s not good.
She could tell by the blunt and arrogant attitude of the knight.
What she was worried about had become a reality.
“Lady…..!”
Belatedly, her nanny came in with a pale face.
Florin came to her senses when she saw her.
‘No matter what happens, I have to come to my senses and get out of this situation.’
“Nanny, bring my coat. I have to go to the imperial palace now.”
Florin approached the knight and asked, “Who gave you this order?”
Fortunately, the answer came back this time. The knight glanced at her and replied indifferently.
“This is an order from His Majesty the Emperor himself.”
***
Florin was escorted to the emperor’s office.
It was her first time coming here in person.
As she entered, she saw the emperor sitting in front of her. And next to him was the empress.
There were also a few officials whose faces were familiar.
Most of them were close friends with Florin’s father, Marquis Croychen.
Florin entered with light steps.
She hid her anxiety and calmly asked in a polite manner.
“Did you call me, Your Majesty?”
“Did you send poison to kill the prince?”
Florin was startled and raised her head.
She had no idea that the emperor would get straight to the point as soon as she greeted him.
She knew something was wrong, but she never thought that she would have been called on such a nonsensical charge.
“What….., what do you mean, Your Majesty? I do not understand.”
There was no need to act at the moment.
Did she send poison to kill the prince? Florin really had no idea.
‘I told her to kill the prince’s dog. When did I tell her to kill the prince?’
Then the door behind her opened.
When she turned around, the pale Naen slowly walked inside.
As soon as Naen’s eyes met Florin’s, she hurriedly lowered her head.
Astelle, who was watching quietly, stepped forward.
“The maid who brought the poison has already confessed; she said she got it from the Croychen mansion. She also has the note you sent with the poison as evidence.”
Astelle picked up a small piece of paper on the desk.
There was also a small pouch next to it. Florin could tell what it was from afar.
The pouch contained the poison she sent, and the paper Astelle picked up was the note sent with the poison.
“I interpreted the contents of the note and it said to use this poison.”
Florin understood the situation.
Naen had the poison and was caught by the empress.
The frightened Naen confessed not only about the meaning of the code but also about the maid she had sent to the empress’ palace.
Florin gave her a sharp gaze.
‘I can’t believe you confessed everything. Are you out of your mind?’
Naen shuddered and bowed her head, avoiding Florin’s gaze.
‘It’s my fault for trusting such an idiot.’
I shouldn’t have done this either.
Again, she was overwhelmed with the regret that came late. But now there was no turning back time.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“There is no evidence that I was involved, is there?”
“The maid who brought the poison was hiding the money and jewels from the Croychen family. She also remembers the maid she met when she went to get the poison. We will take the maid and interrogate her, and we will find out.”
“……”
Florin gritted her teeth as she listened to Astelle.
There is no way for a maid to sacrifice her life to keep her loyalty.
Interrogating the maid would make it undeniable that she was the one who sent the poison.
“Can I see what kind of poison it is?”
“What?”
The emperor looked at Florin as if he heard something ridiculous.
The same was true of the officials around him.
“By looking at what kind of poison it is, I can tell if it is from my family or not.”
Kaizen snorted as if she was talking nonsense.
But Astelle agreed with Florin.
“It makes sense.”
Astelle beckoned to the servant.
The servant opened the paper, picked up the pouch on the desk, and spilled the powder inside.
A small amount of fine yellow powder spilled onto the white paper.
It was the poison she sent.
Florin was a little relieved.
“Even if this poison is from my family…..”
Florin continued, pretending to be innocent.
“Is this a poison that can harm people?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“In my family, we don’t bring any dangerous poison that can harm people into the mansion. However, we have poison for pests and rats. It is also poison if you analyze its composition.”
In order to kill pests in any house, poisons such as rat poison are always on hand, even if the amount is small.
Actually, it wasn’t even a lie.
The poison Florin sent was not a poison that killed people, but animals.
She was afraid that this would happen, so she sent a poison that would not cause death even if people took it on purpose.
“Does it even look like poison? I don’t know how it got here….., but if it’s not poison that harms people, can you say I’ve committed a crime?”
The officials who were watching seemed to be a little relieved when they heard her words.
The emperor angrily ordered, “Call the doctor and see if her statement is correct.”
After a while, the court doctor came in.
He carefully examined the poison on the paper. Then he reported, “At first glance, it looks like a pesticide, but it is a stronger poison than that.”
After that, the atmosphere changed again.
“You mean it can harm people?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is a poison that is lethal enough.”
Florin almost screamed.
She stood still and turned her gaze to Astelle, who was watching her.
‘You replaced it with a poison that looks similar.’
Florin realized Astelle’s intentions.
By making this an attempt to poison the prince, the Croychen family will be completely destroyed.
That is why the note that told to poison the dog’s prince has disappeared, and only the last note that told to use the poison remains.
“Miss Naen, you said Lady Florin had sent you a note, right? What’s written there?”
At Astelle’s question, attention was focused on Naen again.
Florin glared at her.
‘Please come to your senses and answer correctly!’
However, Naen avoided her gaze this time as well.
Naen closed her eyes tightly and answered,
“To poison the prince……”
“Naen!”
Florin shouted.
“There is a testimony, and the evidence is solid.”
There was a hint of anger in Kaizen’s voice.
Florin bit her lip in dismay.
It’s not the worst yet, she thought.
Because there is no solid evidence that she was involved.
“I don’t know. That kid did it alone.”
“It doesn’t matter who did it.”
Kaizen cut off Florin’s excuse coldly.
“How dare you bring poison into the empress’ palace. Because of the Croychens’ achievement, I’ve been merciful to your family for so many unpleasant things.”
As soon as the knights received the emperor’s gaze, they caught Florin and Naen.
“Put them both in jail and arrest the Marquis of Croychen right now.”
“Your Majesty!”
“Bring the Marchioness and Marianne, who were sent to the North, back to the capital.”
The emperor’s words were no different from saying that he would destroy the Croychen family at this point. Florin turned to the officials for help.
The officials exchanged bewildered glances, but no one dared to step forward and help her.
Kaizen declared with a firm voice.
“I will not spare anyone who dares to try to harm the empress and prince.”
***
“Are you okay?”
After the commotion died down, Kaizen sent the officials out.
Astelle also took the opportunity to go out, but Kaizen grabbed her.
Astelle replied in a nonchalant way, “I am fine, Your Majesty.”
Why not?
Astelle herself did not do much.
This all happened because of Florin’s stupidity.
“I’m sorry this keeps happening.”
But Kaizen gave her a wistful look.
“This time, I will make sure to punish them and set an example.”
Astelle couldn’t tell how anguish the look in his eyes was. In fact, it was Blynn, not Theor, that Florin was targeting.
Originally, she was going to confess after this.
Astelle said, avoiding his gaze.
“Your Majesty, I have promised Miss Naen’s safety in lieu of the confession she made.”
