TPGV Ch# 12

Count Verk’s condition was dire. By the time they arrived, he was already on the verge of death.

His body had stiffened like stone, unable to move. Blood had started to seep from his bloodshot eyes, and the swollen veins across his face looked ready to burst.

“I’ll give him the medicine.”

Elice hurriedly opened the vial. As she did, she secretly dipped the finger she had pricked earlier—already prepared with a bit of her blood—into the bottle.

His condition had deteriorated too much for the antidote alone to work. Even her carefully crafted antidote would be insufficient at this stage. She had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

The butler gently lifted the Count’s head, and Elice slowly poured the medicine into his mouth.

Everyone watched in breathless silence.

After some time, the bulging veins on the Count’s face gradually receded. The attendant wiped the blood from his eyes, and no more flowed. The red streaks in his eyes slowly disappeared as well.

Only after a while was Count Verk able to move his lips. When he noticed Lexius standing in his bedroom, he looked genuinely startled.

“Your Grace… what brings you here?”

“I came to see you. I heard you were poisoned by Chorphen.”

“I thought I was going to die… but what on earth is happening…?”

“Your knight obtained the antidote and came urgently to my estate.”

Lexius gestured toward the knight standing motionless in the corner.

“Then… the rumors about the antidote were true?”

“Yes. And you’ve just proven it yourself.”

Count Verk looked at his own body in disbelief. He flexed his arms and legs, opened and closed his fists.

“I truly can’t believe it. I thought I would leave this world without even leaving a will.”

“Well, you survived—that’s what matters. But it’s odd. Someone like you, a pacifist, falling prey to Chorphen? Did you make any enemies?”

“I’m not sure. If the poison was in my food, it must’ve come from someone inside the house…”

With a conflicted expression, Count Verk looked around at those surrounding him. It was a face that didn’t want to suspect anyone.

Then, suddenly, his gaze landed on Elice, and a warm smile appeared on his lips.

“Isn’t this the Fifth Princess? Or should I say Duchess now? It’s been a long time.”

His manner was as courteous and kind as ever.

“Call me whatever feels comfortable. I’m just glad you’re safe, Count.”

Elice smiled gently and greeted him calmly.

Count Verk, a neutral figure between the Emperor’s faction and the opposition, was one of the few who had been kind to her.

Besides Hardin, the only ones who had supported her were First Prince Solon—soon to be Crown Prince—his friend Count Verk, and Havel, the chief attendant of the royal palace.

“You’re still as beautiful as ever. You must be enjoying a happy marriage.”

He smiled warmly, his kind eyes crinkling with genuine affection.

“Does it look that way? I suppose you could say I’m happy… or not.”

Elice replied nonchalantly, her words also meant for Lexius who was listening nearby.

“It’s quite late today. Next time, I’ll treat you both to a proper meal.”

“I’d be happy to accept.”

Elice nodded readily, but Lexius didn’t seem as enthusiastic.

“We should head back now. The Count still needs time to recover.”

Lexius shot Elice a sharp glance as he spoke.

Her heart sank. It meant she’d have to ride back on horseback with him again.

She thought about asking the Count for a carriage but couldn’t bring herself to say it—not to someone who had just barely escaped death.

With a heavy heart, Elice bid the Count farewell and stepped out of the mansion.

Just as before, Lexius effortlessly lifted her onto the horse. His firm hand touched her body for just a second, and she found herself on the saddle in the blink of an eye.

He mounted behind her, took the reins, and began to ride.

Elice felt suffocated, as if trapped in his arms.

As the horse picked up speed, his solid chest repeatedly bumped against her back. It was an incredibly uncomfortable position. But once they were riding together, she had no choice but to endure it.

Lexius said nothing the entire ride.

Elice tried to focus on the cold night air brushing her face—desperately trying to ignore the warmth of the man behind her.

But it didn’t work. The suffocating tension wouldn’t leave her. By the time the horse entered the Duke’s estate and stopped in front of the main house, her legs were trembling.

Lexius dismounted and gently lifted her down—his eyes as impassive as if he were handling a lifeless doll.

“What’s your relationship with Count Verk?”

He suddenly asked just before she entered the mansion.

“He was First Prince Solon’s teacher—and his close friend. He’s helped me many times.”

“You two seemed very close.”

“You know how he is. Count Verk is kind to everyone.”

“Is that so? I’ve never heard that said about him.”

Elice looked at him in confusion. She couldn’t tell what he was getting at.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s a calculating man. Do you think anyone can stay neutral in this empire?”

“You mean between the Emperor’s faction and the anti-Emperor faction?”

“Yes. He doesn’t belong to either. People like him are the scariest. They never show their true intentions.”

“Maybe you’re just too suspicious. That’s why you can’t accept kindness for what it is.”

Elice snapped coldly and walked into the house.

Lexius called a servant to take his horse and silently followed her all the way up to the third floor. Only after confirming she had entered her room did he finally turn away.

Elice collapsed onto her bed, utterly exhausted from the whirlwind of events.

But what drained her most… was riding with Lexius. Her body had been so tense, she could hardly breathe.

Still, she was truly relieved to have saved Count Verk. If he had died from the poison, it would’ve left a bitter taste in her heart.

Count Verk had been First Prince Solon’s tutor—and a frequent presence in the royal palace. That’s how she had come to know him.

When she had secretly studied ancient languages with Solon, Count Verk had helped her many times. Though Solon was proficient in the language, Count Verk was even more skilled.

He had only been two years older than Solon but was hailed as a genius, appointed as an academy professor in his early twenties. Their relationship was more like close friends than teacher and student.

And their friendship had extended to help Elice too—he had taught her a lot during her research into ancient texts, hoping to find references to Tuleang, her mother’s homeland.

That’s why Elice was deeply grateful to him.

But who on earth had tried to poison him? That remained a troubling mystery.

He was gentle and mild-mannered—someone unlikely to make enemies. Which made it all the more suspicious.

—

The Next Day

Count Verk sent 100,000 Shutel the very next day. The butler of House Verk personally delivered a wooden box brimming with gold coins.

“This letter is to be delivered directly to Madam Ritz. Could you perhaps summon her?”

The butler presented a wax-sealed letter.

Elice hesitated. She didn’t know whether to reveal that she was Madam Ritz.

“Madam Ritz isn’t home right now. I’ll make sure she receives the letter.”

In the end, Elice chose not to reveal her identity.

Once her identity was known, rumors would spread quickly—and then she would no longer be able to sell medicine under the name Ritz. Very few people would trust medicine made by a daughter of the Emperor.

They might suspect it to be cursed with dark magic—or worse, spread harmful rumors about its effects.

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands, Princess.”

The butler handed her the letter without protest.

Elice carefully tucked Count Verk’s letter into her gown. Once he had left, she quietly opened it in her bedroom.

It began with “To the esteemed Madam Ritz,” and was filled with praise and heartfelt gratitude. He said it was thanks to her antidote that he had survived and thanked her repeatedly.

The real request came at the end—he wanted to hire Madam Ritz as House Verk’s exclusive apothecary and asked to meet in person.

Elice immediately wrote a letter of refusal. No matter how much she liked Count Verk, she couldn’t risk revealing she was Madam Ritz.

Besides, right now, she had a more urgent task—raising money to buy information from the intelligence guild.

—

“Then I’ll take my wife on horseback myself.”

Lexius’s words echoed in her mind. He had changed so much—he had even used the word wife, which he had once spoken with such disdain.

If the Emperor’s black magic continued to take effect… who knew what Lexius might do next?

If he decided to claim their wedding night, she would have no grounds to refuse.

Hardin.

That name never left her heart. Again and again, she whispered it.

The only one who had been her friend in that ruthless palace. The one who surely came from her mother’s homeland.

Right now, there was nothing more urgent than saving him.