Chapter 78
“Father… that attack — it was something I brought upon us.”
The Duke, though likely puzzled by her words, did not show a questioning expression. He simply looked straight at Tiana.
Tiana reached into her pocket to take out her handkerchief.
—Wait, it’s not there.
No, more than that, this isn’t the dress she wore yesterday. She was in her nightgown. Someone must have changed her clothes while she was asleep. This is bad. If they washed the dress, everything would be ruined.
“My handkerchief…”
“The one you had with you yesterday, Tiana?”
“…Yes. Everything is contained in that handkerchief!”
—How does Father know about it?
And besides, that handkerchief might contain traces of poison!
“When we were attacked yesterday, you were gripping your pocket tightly,” the Duke explained calmly. “I thought you were trying to tell me something, so I checked later and found a handkerchief inside a small pouch. It struck me as strange to store a handkerchief in a pouch, so I didn’t have it washed.”
—So the handkerchief is safe!
“Where is the handkerchief now?”
“Vice has it. It looked like it was soaked with tea.”
He actually checked it. That’s a relief.
“Yes, just as you said, Father — the handkerchief is stained with tea. But that tea must contain something else.”
“Yesterday, when I visited Mother and we went for a walk in the garden, I saw a maid acting suspiciously.”
“Do you know that maid’s name?”
“She said her name was Camilla. I saw her mix a transparent liquid into the tea meant for Mother. At first, I thought it was medicine… but she smiled faintly while doing it, and that seemed strange to me. So, to identify the substance, I soaked the tea into the handkerchief. That’s what that handkerchief is.”
Tiana went on, saying that it might help the Duchess — that she wanted to save her.
“Perhaps that tea was poisoned. If Mother’s illness isn’t a disease but caused by poison, then an antidote could save her!”
“I can save Mother!”
“Tiana, don’t worry,” said the Duke reassuringly. “I also found it strange, so I had the contents of the handkerchief analyzed in advance. We’ll know what’s in it soon.”
—Amazing. He acted so fast. With so little information, he was able to deduce all that and take action immediately.
“And Tiana,” he added gently, “you have nothing to feel guilty about. Thanks to your brave actions, there’s a chance Flora can be saved. The attack wasn’t your fault.”
The Duke tenderly touched her head and stroked her hair with fatherly affection.
“Maid Camilla, was it… Tiana, thank you for the valuable information. There’s something I must take care of, so I’ll leave for a while.”
“I understand. Please be careful…”
“Oh, and if an animal comes in shortly, don’t be alarmed.”
“An animal?”
“Yes. When our carriage arrived, all the assassins were already down. According to Dino’s report, it seems that animal was the one who defeated them.”
“I didn’t know that.”
She had assumed it was the knights and her father who took down the attackers.
—But… an animal? A wild animal? Aren’t wild creatures usually aggressive?
Tiana couldn’t help but wonder.
