Chapter 16
I knew my request to be given the position of mistress of the house had a high chance of being rejected.
My strategy was to first demand something far more unreasonable than what I actually wanted, so that a compromise would seem perfectly acceptable by comparison.
The Duke’s eyes rolled once in thought. I could almost hear his inner voice saying, “It’s only for about a month. I can indulge my daughter’s whims for that long, can’t I?”
To solidify his decision, I pulled out the “Mother card.”
“Father, who do I take after? I mean my pink hair and green eyes.”
“You take after your mother.”
“Was Mother a wise mistress of the house?”
“You’re asking the obvious.”
“Then wouldn’t I, who take after her, also become a wise mistress?”
Mother was wise. I take after Mother. Therefore, I am wise. That ridiculous syllogism was enough to make the Duke wave the white flag.
Unable to hold back, he burst into hearty laughter.
“Even so, it would be too much for you to handle the duties of mistress alone.”
“I think it would be enough if you let me borrow Mikhail for just one month.”
The Duke looked at me once, then shot a glare toward the door, and finally let out a long sigh.
“Fine. I’ll assign Mikhail to you for a month. Let’s see how well you can do.”
Having fallen for his lovely daughter’s little scheme, the Duke handed me the pendant reserved for the mistress of Vallienor.
It was, fittingly for a household shrouded in dark repute, a pendant shaped like the Vallienor’s divine beast Morgause, its mouth open in a vicious snarl.
“Thank you, Father.”
Power granted—now I would wield it well!
I returned to the annex in Mikhail’s arms, discussing strategy along the way. I preferred being carried in his arms over being given a piggyback—this way I could see his face.
When we arrived, it was already past eight, and the outside had grown pitch black. It was time for children to go to bed.
“Davina? Did you go back to your room?”
The room was silent, no sign of life. It seemed Davina had grown tired of waiting for me and had gone back.
I felt a bit guilty and thought about calling her, but I knew if I did, she’d insist on sleeping together.
And if we happened to be sharing a bed when the cat suddenly turned back into a human—well, that would be a disaster. It’s absolutely not because I prefer sleeping alone.
I pulled back the bed curtains to check if the cat was in its usual spot. It was still there, limp and breathing faintly.
I quickly changed into pajamas and dove into bed. I was aware that I’d just woken up not long ago, but I couldn’t help it—I was exhausted.
It’s only natural to feel completely drained after successfully pulling off a big meeting.
However, perhaps because I had slept so much already, I couldn’t fall asleep easily. My eyes were closed, but my ears and nose were still alert.
—Tap.
A sound close by made my body tense. I cracked my eyes open slightly to check. Silvery strands like a waterfall glimmered faintly.
Oh, it was just Davina.
Too lazy to move a muscle, I decided to let her be for three minutes before scolding her.
Thinking I was asleep, Davina crept closer and sat down beside me. She then took a palm-sized vial from her bosom and popped the lid open.
Her small hand, holding the vial, inched toward my face. I could no longer pretend to be asleep.
“Davina, what are you doing here?”
“Ah, u-uh?”
In the darkness, her pebble-like eyes quivered violently. She clearly hadn’t expected me to be awake.
“What’s that in your hand?”
“N-nothing!”
Nothing, my foot—did she think I was an idiot?
For someone destined to be a future villainess nicknamed the “Cider Catalyst,” she was terribly sloppy.
Davina dropped the potion bottle to the floor and disappeared from sight in an instant.
Before the liquid could spill, I hurriedly picked up the vial. The grayish substance inside all but screamed, I’m poison.
My dazed gaze stayed fixed on the bottle. I truly couldn’t understand what was happening.
“…What on earth is going on?”
Dragging my heavy body, I went into the hallway and looked around. The only silver thing in sight was the moonlight.
I searched Davina’s room, the bathroom, the washroom, even the dining hall, but there was no trace of her.
“…You are so dead tomorrow.”
Fuming from our endless game of hide-and-seek, I stomped back to my room and flopped face-down onto the bed.
First thing tomorrow morning, I’d have Mikhail brought over. He would sort this out.
With that thought, I closed my eyes. Not that closing them meant I could sleep. Instead, I lay there resenting my sister for disturbing my rest, waiting for the dawn.
“Say that again. What is this?”
“It is a substance that induces a comatose state in 99.8 percent of those who ingest it. The appropriate dosage is one teaspoon.”
“And the chance of a person waking from this comatose state?”
“Less than 0.2 percent.”
“You certainly take your time saying ‘poison.’”
So last night, I had been this close to dying.
I knew something was wrong, but I hadn’t imagined it could’ve killed me.
My blood ran cold, and clammy sweat pooled in my palms and soles.
“Where did you get this, milady? It’s the kind of drug that’s hard to come by unless you place an order through Lapath.”
The lens of Mikhail’s monocle glinted sharply. His face remained cold, but the faint traces of alarm beneath were unmistakable.
I, on the other hand, was startled by the word “Lapath.”
Lapath—an icebound city beyond the northern border, home to mages.
In the original story, Lapath’s image was practically that of a demonic realm. Human experimentation disguised as magic ran rampant there—it was a paradise for mages, but a hell for non-mages.
Though mages existed in this world, not a single character in the original was one, and information about Lapath and its mages was always delivered indirectly.
In fact, any connection with Lapath was considered a disgrace, and having a mage in one’s family was something to be hidden at all costs.
Products and potions from Lapath were traded covertly at extremely high prices.
So the fact that such a drug existed there wasn’t strange—the problem was that it had turned up in the Vallienor estate.
“Davina tried to feed me this. What do you think?”
“…?”
Mikhail’s lips parted slightly before closing again, as if he’d lost his words.
“So even you can be at a loss.”
“Lady Davina would never intentionally try to kill you, my lady.”
His firm answer made me nod almost instinctively. One thing I could be certain of—
Davina adored Ariel. Blindly so.
“Of course. She probably doesn’t even realize what she’s done.”
…Or maybe she did, at least a little.
I remembered how she’d bolted last night, successfully avoiding me during our hide-and-seek. She must have known she’d done something that warranted scolding.
“She does seem to have a guilty conscience. That’s probably why she hasn’t shown herself yet.”
“There is a way to summon Lady Davina.”
“How?”
I looked at him expectantly. I knew Mikhail would have a plan.
He called in three maids and told them to dress me up beautifully. He personally chose a pale blue dress worthy of a ball, then ordered them to perfect me from head to toe.
“Don’t stop me. There’s no such thing as moderation today.”
“Look who’s talking. I’m going all in. Oh, goddess of makeup, grant me strength.”
“I’ll finally pull off that special updo we practiced last time. I don’t care if my fingertips get shredded.”
With solemn expressions, the maids approached, brandishing their tools with military precision.
I suspected this was some sort of group prank, but Mikhail’s expression was far too serious for that.
“Can’t you tell me why we’re doing this?”
“This is the best way to draw Lady Davina out.”
“…Why?”
“You really don’t know?”
“No.”
Apparently, only he knew.
His sharp gaze narrowed slightly. Leaning in close to my ear, he whispered quietly:
“Lady Davina will not be able to resist seeing you all dressed up at close range. She is particularly vulnerable to visual beauty.”
“…Oh.”
That was the most unique compliment to my looks I’d ever heard.
I immediately accepted his reasoning and nodded. He bowed politely and closed the dressing room door.
“Let’s wrap this up quickly.”
“Ah, yes, my lady…”
The maids, looking reluctant, sped up their work. As everyone focused, I alone found the situation amusing enough to chuckle.
About thirty minutes later, dolled up like a porcelain doll, I sat obediently in my chair as instructed by Mikhail. I felt like bait on a fishing line—not the most pleasant feeling.
We didn’t even know where she was. Would she really take the bait?
That thought barely had time to form before Mikhail glanced up toward the ceiling, then slowly made his way to the window.
