Chapter 3
“Today, the chef paid special attention. It’s filled with dishes you used to enjoy, my lady.”
Indeed, it was a luxurious meal by any standard. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve eaten it gladly.
‘But not now. Not at this moment.’
I stared at her for a moment before speaking slowly.
“I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“My lady…”
Mary looked at me with a sorrowful expression. The way her face filled with genuine concern for her mistress stirred a sense of guilt in me.
‘Am I doubting her for no reason?’
After all, Mary was just a side character.
Maybe in the original story, she couldn’t get close to Olabia because she was too busy watching out for the other servants who were mistreating her.
‘Mary may not have done her job properly, but at least she never bullied Olabia.’
Of course, failing to properly serve her mistress was still wrong in its own way.
‘There’s still a long time before Olabia’s death.’
Besides, if Mary had no connection to Karinne, maybe I could draw her to my side.
‘It’s risky… but it might be worth trying.’
So I carefully picked up the spoon and dipped it into the soup.
As I saw Mary’s eyes sparkle with innocent joy, I brought the spoon to my mouth.
The rich, savory flavor filled my mouth and slid warmly down my throat.
After two or three more spoonfuls, I put the spoon down.
Mary looked a bit disappointed, but she didn’t push me to eat more.
As I watched her clearing the dishes, I brought up something I had been organizing in my mind.
“By the way, Karinne…”
It was at that moment—just as Karinne’s name left my lips—that Mary’s hands froze.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
She quickly shook her head and composed her expression.
“It’s just… It’s the first time you’ve asked about Miss Karinne. I was a little surprised.”
You mean I’ve never asked about my own sister’s well-being?
I was puzzled. At this point in the story, Karinne’s evil deeds hadn’t been exposed yet.
Olabia and Karinne had been known to be quite close.
‘Then why…?’
Unfortunately, the incomplete memories I had as Olabia offered no answers.
As my face grew serious, Mary looked flustered.
“I’m sorry. I said something unnecessary. If I offended you…”
I quickly waved my hand and smiled.
“Don’t worry. I was just thinking about something.”
Only then did Mary relax and nod.
“Oh dear, look at me! Please wait just a moment, my lady. I’ll clear this up and bring you some tea right away.”
Wait.
‘…Tea?’
I felt a strange sense of discomfort.
‘What is this feeling?’
Drinking tea and enjoying dessert after a meal wasn’t unusual.
But the moment Mary mentioned it, a chill ran down my spine.
That familiar sensation of danger creeping up on me.
It had never been wrong.
“To think she drank cursed poison every day and never noticed.”
That line from Karinne in the novel echoed in my head. Was it just coincidence?
I slowly spoke to Mary, careful not to let my voice tremble.
“There’s no rush. Take your time.”
“Oh no, my lady. Even if you skipped meals, you never missed your daily tea. I’ll bring it right away.”
‘She drank tea every day?’
Goosebumps ran down my spine.
It felt like a giant snake was coiling around my body, slowly tightening its grip.
Mary had already cleaned off the table and smiled brightly.
“Then I’ll be right back, my lady.”
I nodded calmly as if nothing was wrong.
Underneath the table, my hands were clenched tightly.
That brief peace was now completely shattered.
As soon as Mary left the room, I bit my lip and fell into thought.
Karinne had said Olabia drank poison every day.
There’s only one obvious way to ensure someone ingests poison daily.
Put it in something they consume regularly.
‘The tea must be poisoned.’
But Karinne couldn’t have given it to her directly. She must have had an accomplice.
Someone who brewed that cursed, poisoned tea every day.
And the person most suspicious in this situation was—
“My lady, did I keep you waiting too long?”
A bright voice rang out, and a freckled girl entered.
“No, it was just the right amount of waiting.”
It was Mary.
Mary’s hands moved with expert skill.
‘That’s not the work of someone doing this for the first time.’
She must have been the one brewing Olabia’s tea every day.
Watching her, I shifted my gaze to the tea caddy filled with tea leaves.
“It’s ready now, my lady.”
Just as she spoke, Mary began pouring the brewed tea into the teacup.
A soft floral scent filled the room.
The orange-hued liquid was so beautiful, it was almost breathtaking.
The scent was so enticing, it was nearly impossible to resist taking a sip.
Like a magical elixir.
I stared at the tea, entranced, before shaking my head to snap out of it.
“Thank you. Go ahead and take a rest now.”
I smiled and expressed my gratitude. But her response was unexpected.
“…You’re not going to drink it now?”
‘Huh?’
Was it just my imagination, or did something feel off?
“You always drank it right after it was brewed, saying the flavor and aroma would fade otherwise.”
I looked at Mary in silence.
‘She’s smiling.’
Her face still bore a warm, pleasant smile.
But the chill running down my spine was very, very real.
‘If Mary was acting under Karinne’s orders…’
Drinking the tea would be no different than willingly ingesting poison.
But I didn’t have enough information to act rashly.
‘One wrong move could put me in danger.’
I had to get through this moment naturally.
“I’ll drink it soon.”
I answered lightly, as if it was no big deal.
“I just want to drink it quietly. Alone.”
I emphasized that last part intentionally, to observe Mary’s reaction.
“Yes, my lady.”
Surprisingly, there was no change in Mary’s expression.
She calmly placed down the tea set and met my gaze with the same gentle look.
“Then I’ll be in my room. Please pull the bell cord if you need anything.”
Only after Mary’s footsteps faded away did I remove my ear from the door.
I locked it firmly to prevent anyone from entering, then carefully surveyed the room again.
Olabia’s bedroom was very ordinary—neat and proper, just as you’d expect from a noble lady.
It did feel a little sparsely decorated, though.
As I slowly moved around, observing the layout, something caught my eye.
“She was growing flowers.”
A flowerpot by the window.
A lush green stem and a blooming red flower bud stood out vividly.
Drawn in by its beauty, I approached the plant, gazing down at the red petals.
Tap. Tap.
A faint sound came from above.
Like glass bottles clinking together.
‘What’s that sound?’
I looked up—and then something floating outside the window caught my eye.
Something white and fluffy.
It was hovering in the air, bouncing up and down.
“Is something floating…?”
Frowning, I opened the window—and the white fluffball flew straight into the room.
“A ball?”
[No!]
The fluffball bounced frantically and shouted. I instinctively reached out and caught the mysterious object.
The captured puffball flapped its wings furiously.
[I don’t like pain! I don’t like pain! Be gentle!]
“Oh—sorry!”
I quickly loosened my grip and opened my palm.
It was a tiny bird, small enough to hold in one hand, with a perfectly round body.
Its fluffy white feathers and blinking black eyes were cute.
But the truly surprising part wasn’t its appearance…
“Are you really… a bird?”
The bird nodded eagerly.
[Yep! For now, I’m a bird.]
There was something strange about the way it said that. As I tried to figure out what it meant—
[Call me Ash.]
The bird spoke again.
[I’ve come to help you.]
It then fluttered excitedly, acting like I should be incredibly grateful. I replied with a hint of a headache.
“Okay, Ash. Nice to meet you, I guess. But why would you want to help me?”
That shut the bird up. It looked completely caught off guard, as if it hadn’t expected this conversation at all.
‘There wasn’t any talking bird helping Olabia in the original story.’
It was clearly a suspicious creature. I narrowed my eyes.
“Are you… a spy?”
[No!]
Before I could even mention Karinne, the bird flared up and flapped its wings indignantly.
Then, as if spitting it out, it declared:
[You’re different from the others here.]
