Chapter 62
“That can’t be. Then why did my mother collapse?”
Catherine demanded, her face twisted in frustration. She had thought that with a grand mage like him here, Alicia’s use of poison would be revealed and she’d be thrown out. But this level of incompetence?
“Well? Why did she collapse?”
“Quiet. I’m thinking.”
Lueri swiftly scanned the dishes on the trolley, then turned his gaze back to Diana. He retraced her symptoms before using magic. Her lips had turned blue, and her complexion was pale. He wasn’t a trained physician, but he knew enough—her symptoms definitely resulted from something she ate.
Alicia lazily rolled her eyes toward Lueri. He looked lost in thought. Watching him, she let out a quiet, smug chuckle.
“That’s why I, the doctor, was doing the diagnosing. I don’t need your help, Grand Mage.”
Her previously withdrawn posture had vanished, replaced by arrogance. This was practically a game. In this ridiculous situation, she had beaten the mage. A smirk formed on her lips.
“Her Highness needs rest, so I’ll ask everyone to leave now.”
Alicia looked around the room with a triumphant smile.
“No.”
It was Iselle who shattered Alicia’s illusion of victory.
“What?”
“I’ll take care of her.”
“Excuse me?”
“Didn’t you hear? I said I will take care of her.”
Alicia forced a smile as she glanced toward Lueri. But Iselle’s cold stare froze her where she stood.
“I just don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone. Mage?”
“…Yeah.”
“She’s stable now, right? Her life’s not in danger?”
“Correct. I used healing magic I learned secondhand. She’ll be fine.”
“You heard that?”
Iselle shot a glare at Alicia like she was trash, then pointed at the door.
“Leave.”
“B-but Your Highness—”
“Didn’t you hear me say leave?”
Alicia hesitated but had no choice but to leave under Iselle’s command.
Once she was gone, Lueri gently held Diana’s hand, gazing at her with deep pity. The atmosphere was strange. Iselle looked at him curiously before speaking.
“It was definitely Alicia.”
“…There must be something in the food.”
Lueri finally looked away from Diana to meet Iselle’s eyes.
“The food?”
“Yes. I once heard that certain combinations of food can mimic poisoning symptoms.”
“Wait here a second!”
A sudden thought made Iselle rush out of the room. She returned shortly, arms full of books.
“These are all the books we have on food properties.”
“Great. Let’s take a look.”
Lueri rolled up his robe sleeves and sat down with Iselle to begin flipping through the books.
After a while, Lueri, flipping pages with magic, stopped suddenly—his eyes gleaming.
“Did you find something?”
He grinned, saying nothing, and slid one of the books toward Iselle. As she read, a slow smile formed on her lips.
“…I’ll be right back.”
With determination, she closed the book and marched out of the room.
Meanwhile, Catherine chased after Alicia, who had returned to her room in disgrace.
“Mom!”
“…Catherine.”
Worried someone might hear, Alicia quickly shut the door.
“What did you do?!”
“You—!”
She almost yelled, but stopped herself, taking a deep breath.
This child… was still her daughter. No matter what anyone said, Alicia had to protect her. She kept repeating that in her mind, trying to forgive Catherine for turning against her.
Alicia gently placed a trembling hand on Catherine’s shoulder.
“Catherine.”
“What did you do?”
“I… didn’t poison her.”
Catherine’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.
“Then why did Diana collapse?”
“That’s…”
Alicia froze, her lips unable to move.
If she told the truth, what would Catherine do? She might turn on her again. Even if she had made a mistake, she was still Catherine’s real mother.
Alicia tried to convince herself that, just as she forgave Catherine earlier, Catherine should forgive her now.
Her mouth tasted bitter—like she’d swallowed poison.
“Before I answer… let me ask something, Catherine.”
“Just answer me—”
“If the food had been poisoned…”
Catherine frowned, sensing something useless coming, but waited.
“What would you have done to me…?”
It was the first time Alicia had ever feared hearing her daughter’s voice.
She looked at Catherine with desperate eyes, but the girl wasn’t moved. Slowly, Catherine opened her mouth.
“What do you think I would’ve done?”
Alicia’s knees buckled. She barely managed to hold onto the nearby bookshelf.
“You… really…”
She couldn’t speak through the lump in her throat. Catherine’s expression said everything: she would have discarded Alicia without hesitation.
“Why have you changed so much, Catherine!”
Her cry of anguish rang hollow.
Catherine merely laughed.
“You taught me that.”
“What…?”
“You said you thought of me as your real daughter, but you were the one who made me betray Diana, who truly loved me.”
“You’re the one who turned me—the real noble daughter—into a fraud!”
Catherine’s eyes were bloodshot. She laughed manically, glaring at Alicia like she wanted to kill her.
“You should’ve just let me live in ignorance. Why tell me the truth and make me live in fear?”
“How can you say that…”
“You’re just a doctor with no power or money.”
Alicia’s vision blurred. Her heart pounded painfully. She couldn’t even breathe.
“If you’re not going to tell me what you did to Diana, then I’m leaving.”
“Catherine, please…”
Alicia grabbed the hem of Catherine’s dress like it was her last hope.
“Let go.”
“Catherine!”
Catherine looked down at her mother’s hand as if it were filth.
“The moment I walk out that door, you’re no longer my mother.”
Catherine passed Alicia, hand on the doorknob.
Panicking, Alicia blocked the door.
“I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you everything… Just please don’t say that, Catherine.”
She was nearly kneeling. Tears streamed down her face.
But Catherine showed no sympathy. She scanned Alicia’s tearful form from head to toe.
“Forget it. I don’t even care anymore. Whatever your method was, it failed anyway, didn’t it?”
She gently pushed Alicia aside.
“I don’t need a mother who only fails.”
The words struck Alicia like a dagger. She collapsed to the floor, trembling all over. Her mind was reeling from the shock.
She looked ready to faint. But Catherine didn’t look back. She opened the door and left with a loud bang.
“Catherine… Catherine…”
Alicia sobbed as she cried out her daughter’s name.
Just then, someone opened the door.
Thinking Catherine had come back, Alicia raised her head.
“What a mess.”
It was Iselle.
She stood over Alicia with a smirk.
Alicia quickly wiped her tear-streaked face.
“Why are you here…”
“I know everything.”
“What?”
“What you did to the food.”
Just when she thought it couldn’t get worse, Iselle dropped the bomb. Alicia couldn’t hide her panic.
“W-what do you mean? I ate it too!”
“Sure, you ate it. But…”
Iselle took her time, brimming with confidence.
“You didn’t dip it in the sauce, did you?”
She dropped a small bowl in front of Alicia. The orange-tinted sauce splattered everywhere, like Alicia’s hair color.
Alicia’s breathing grew shallow. She slowly stood up and forced a weak smile.
“That sauce was meant to pair well with the dish—”
“Right.”
Iselle walked over to Alicia’s desk and picked up a parchment-wrapped item.
It was the ingredient Alicia had ordered by mail.
She carefully unwrapped it.
“You made the sauce with this, didn’t you?”
It was a persimmon.
“So what?”
“Doctor.”
Iselle’s eyes locked onto hers as she slowly approached, holding the persimmon.
“Don’t tell me… you don’t know that eating crab with persimmon causes severe stomach pain?”
Alicia flinched hard.
“Th-that’s…”
“Of course there was no poison. Because you didn’t use poison. You used an enhancer.”
How did she even find out?
Alicia’s mind raced for an escape route.
“Don’t even try to wiggle out. There is no escape.”
Iselle’s eyes, so much like Diana’s, glinted coldly.
Her fury triggered a surge of mana. The floor beneath them began to freeze.
“How dare you hurt my mother?”
“S-stop. I didn’t know—”
“Shut up. I’m not as merciful as my mother.”
“What are you to her?! I-I’ll apologize—”
Pillars of ice rose from the floor. They narrowed into razor-sharp spikes, glowing like blades.
“Are you going to kill me?!”
“Who knows. What do you think?”
Iselle’s face was a mask of rage. The ice neared Alicia’s throat as she stumbled back.
“S-stop…!”
Just as the icy tip grazed Alicia’s neck—
“That’s enough, Iselle.”
The door burst open.
Standing there, supported by Lueri—was Diana.
