TFLMLD 58

Chapter 58

The Poisoner (2)

Eve entered, pale and frozen, saying nothing.

“Mary?”

“Well… um…”

Even that brief hesitation was enough to tell that something had happened to Mary.

“They’ve locked Mary in the underground prison.”

“What?”

“…….”

“Who did this?”

“Sir Momont.”

For a moment, I couldn’t process the situation, but by piecing together Eve’s tearful words, I finally understood the gravity of it. I had never been to the underground prison myself, but I had heard about it from Mary before. According to her, no one who had been locked there ever returned alive. It was a place reserved for violent criminals or those guilty of high treason. Among the servants, rumors even circulated of ghosts wandering there, and people avoided going near the southern annex.

I hesitated between going to the western annex where Macaron was or heading first to the underground prison, but ultimately I turned south.

‘I need to assess the situation first.’

I knew well that Mary would never commit such a horrendous act, but now was not the time to act on emotions. My pace quickened, and Eve struggled to keep up, continuously relaying the situation in her trembling voice. Her words were thick with emotion—and it was understandable. Mary had appointed Eve as head maid, and she had been one of the most obedient among the children. Even when there had been biased fights between the head maid, Seira, and others, Mary had acted differently from the other children, who were cautious between sentiment and practicality. She had led by example, influencing the others significantly. Being the youngest maid, she had carried a heavy role despite her age, and I had helped her in many ways.

“I don’t know what the problem is, but it seems Sir Momont has misunderstood.”

The fact that Macaron had collapsed was known only to me and Macaron’s closest aides. In other words, even the servants had been kept completely in the dark. So Eve had no choice but to defend Mary, who had been dragged away without explanation, and she did so passionately. I, too, felt uneasy knowing Mary was imprisoned. From all the circumstances that had emerged so far, Mary was the only one present, so I could understand Sir Momont’s actions. How shocking it must have been that there was an attempted assassination on the prince within the mansion! For Momont, who had been Macaron’s longtime aide, the seriousness of the matter was beyond question.

‘But if Mary really were a spy, what then?’

As we approached the end of the southern annex, the guards blocked our way. The knights, under Eint’s command in Craide’s order, were imposing simply by their presence. The entire scenery around the southern annex was ash-gray, adding to the intimidating atmosphere. Though tense, the thought of Mary being inside pushed me to hurry. Eve seemed to share this urgency and addressed the guards firmly.

“You’re not seriously failing to recognize my lady, are you?”

Perhaps strictly following Sir Momont’s orders, the guards hesitated briefly at Eve’s warning. Though Macaron’s calm demeanor barely kept up the mansion’s peaceful appearance, an attempted assassination on a royal was an enormous incident. Objectively, Momont’s response was reasonable. But as Eve said, my status as the prince’s consort could never be beneath that of the head maid. After a brief glance at each other, the guards reluctantly moved aside. I told Eve I would go in alone and stepped forward. Inside, I saw Mary, gray and fragile like a withered branch.

“My lady…”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Tears glimmered in her round eyes, tugging painfully at my heart. But still, I could not let go of my suspicions.

“Did you ever tell Sir Momont to take care of Kai and Coral?”

Mary flinched at my serious tone and looked at me.

“…Yes.”

Watching Mary lower her head deeply, my heart sank. If she was implicated in this matter, she would not escape execution.

Mary trembled violently, clutching the bars with her frail hands.

“I don’t know why I was brought here.”

Objectively, it was highly unlikely that Mary was the culprit. The culprit would not have risked lying to Momont about her. But then why would she say that?

“Then why did you say it?”

Mary’s eyes widened at the word “lie.” If she were the culprit, she would understand my question and show subtle changes in expression while denying it. Of course, a cunning person could mask their lies, but Mary was only fifteen, and I had never seen her hide her emotions. So, though it pained me, I pressed the point firmly, using the word “lie” to interrogate. Mary shivered like a leaf in the wind.

“I swear… I’ve never lied. Please believe me!”

“Didn’t you just say that I ordered you to do it to Sir Momont?”

Mary rolled her eyes briefly before speaking to me.

“Wasn’t it you, my lady, who gave the orders?”

Her expression, her eyes, everything proved Mary was not the culprit. If she had intended to lie, she would have shown signs of panic or attempted to justify herself—but she did not. She rolled her eyes again.

“Head maid Seira said it was your orders, so I was only relaying them.”

“…!”

Seira? When we first came here, Seira had been unusually quiet after a big commotion. Contrary to my worries that she might cause trouble, she had remained quiet for a while, so I let my guard down. Nothing unusual had occurred since, and recently, Seira had used the leave system to be absent from the mansion for several days—a leave I had personally approved. If she had been acting on the First Prince’s orders, then everything pointed to Seira as the true culprit. The original story had shifted, most notably in the relationship between Macaron and me.

‘The First Prince’s side would surely know this too.’

They were the fastest to gather information. They could not be unaware of Seira and my adversarial relationship. Lately, Seira’s influence as head maid had noticeably waned, so she likely felt threatened. The First Prince’s offer would have seemed tempting. I hadn’t anticipated it would lead to an attempted royal assassination… It was dangerous, but the stakes and the promise of a large sum would have been too tempting for Seira to refuse.

Mary still looked up at me, sniffling, completely unaware of the situation.

“It’s going to be okay. Just wait a little while.”

“…My lady.”

I held her hands, letting her feel the cool warmth through mine. Wrapping her scarf and gloves for comfort, I saw Mary’s teary eyes fixed on me. Despite her young age and this distressing situation, she only worried about my neck and hands. I felt guilty for doubting her even a moment ago. Holding her hands firmly, I reassured her once again.

“It seems Sir Momont misunderstood. Don’t worry, the misunderstanding will soon be cleared up.”

“Thank you, my lady. But don’t worry too much because of me.”

Even in this state, Mary worried more about me than herself.

“I’m afraid my actions will make Your Highness dislike you.”

Despite her age, Mary was quick to grasp the situation and worried about everything. I understood what she meant.

“You’re worrying too much for your own little nose.”

After comforting Mary several times, we stepped outside, heavy-hearted. As I walked, I organized my thoughts. Eve followed briskly but, sensing the tension, remained silent. Once inside the room, I immediately ordered Eve to fetch Seira. Quick-witted as she was, Eve swiftly understood and moved. Watching her leave, I carefully mapped out my next steps.

‘Seira will probably play dumb.’

Poisonings usually involved long, meticulous planning. If she had ordered Mary to do this, it would have been to pin everything on her from the start—attempting to offload an attempted royal assassination onto someone else. Goosebumps ran over me; my blood ran cold. I needed to trap Seira carefully if she tried to wriggle free. While thinking of the best way to corner her, time dragged on. Eventually, footsteps echoed rapidly—yet it wasn’t Seira who entered, but Eve.

“Where’s Seira?”

I turned, puzzled, to see pale Eve standing there.

“She… Seira has disappeared from the mansion.”

“Disappeared?”

“The last person who saw her was Luri, and that was this morning.”

‘She’s already run away?’

If Seira had orchestrated this, she would have realized the situation was serious. Given that the doctor had visited multiple times, she likely knew Macaron’s condition—albeit incorrectly. Rainer Craide would probably hear that Macaron had died, which aligned with my intentions. However, if Seira had vanished, exposing Craide’s wrongdoing became nearly impossible. I headed straight for the western annex. Macaron, having already received Momont’s report, had moved the Shadow Knights. With my information added, the search for Seira intensified. Despite reinforced defenses and strict guards, Seira’s whereabouts remained unknown.

The next few days were chaotic, with heavy rain pouring from the dark sky. Meanwhile, I asked Macaron to move Mary from the prison to a room in the southern palace. Releasing her entirely was possible, but I was not yet ready to make that decision. With Seira still at large, Sir Momont and Sir Eint’s nerves were frayed. While Macaron always obeyed me, ignoring the concerns of his loyal aides was out of the question. Fortunately, Mary appeared calm, and the search continued tirelessly.

‘Seira needs to be caught quickly…’