Chapter 5
Lumen examined Rachel’s body from head to toe for a long time before finally putting down his medical tools.
“Everything is normal.”
Contrary to what everyone had feared, the result was unexpectedly reassuring.
A sigh of relief escaped them.
There was nothing wrong with her body.
What a relief.
“Wait. Then what exactly have I been taking all this time?”
Knowing Abigail’s personality, there was no way she had been feeding her anything beneficial…
As if struggling to suppress his rising anger, Lumen spoke in a trembling voice.
“…Your Grace. Have you ever heard of Pierrot’s Grass?”
“No. What is it?”
“It is a poison that cannot be cured even with divine power. People say that anyone who takes it dies down to their very soul and can never be reincarnated.”
“I took something that terrifying?”
“Baron Lantern said Your Grace seems to have taken it for six months…”
Lumen tilted his head, unable to understand.
The symptoms of Pierrot’s Grass poisoning were impossible for even experienced doctors or priests to identify.
Because they were almost identical to those of an alcoholic.
There was only one difference.
If someone took it for more than six months, they would no longer be able to speak in complete sentences.
But look at the current Duke.
Her eyes were clear, and she spoke perfectly normally.
“This poison is controlled by the Imperial Family. If I had never encountered it before, I wouldn’t have recognized it even after hearing Baron Lantern describe the symptoms.”
…
Something about this doesn’t sit right.
If it was controlled directly by the Imperial Family, then it wasn’t something money alone could buy.
I need to find out how they got their hands on it.
A deeper frown formed between her brows.
Putting that aside for the moment…
“How am I still perfectly fine after taking something like that?”
“As far as I know, there are only two cases where someone remains unharmed after taking this dreadful poison.”
“Two?”
“Either the victim is a Saint blessed by the gods… or…”
This body definitely isn’t a Saint, so that’s out.
“Or?”
“A mage who has awakened an exceptionally special power.”
Magic existed in this world.
It wasn’t something one could obtain through training.
Only those chosen by fate awakened their own unique abilities.
People called those born with such powers—appearing only once in a million people—mages.
“Throughout history, only one mage has ever awakened that particular ability.”
Once someone awakened, they could naturally use their own unique elemental magic as easily as breathing.
Her favorite character, Liz, possessed the Water attribute.
But a mage with a special ability…?
“I don’t think that’s me. I can’t even sense mana.”
Lumen quietly stared into Rachel’s eyes.
The Duke before him was a completely different person from the Rachel he remembered.
A young heir who had never been able to stand up for herself under her overbearing, aristocratic parents.
The original Rachel had always been quiet and timid.
People often said she wasn’t fit to inherit the title.
But the current Duke…
“They said the poison kills the soul… Did its effects change her personality?”
Unlike before, her eyes were bright, and she spoke with confidence.
“Very little is known about this poison, so there are still many things even I don’t understand. Perhaps it hasn’t been long since you stopped taking it. I’ll continue examining you regularly and observe your condition.”
“…Okay. I understand. Anyway, thank you for coming back.”
“I should be the one giving thanks. I’m simply grateful that I can still be of use.”
He had devoted more than half his life to House Agnes.
Yet he had been driven away without ever learning why.
How much had he hated—and missed—this place that had once been his home?
The bitter smile on his lips lingered only briefly.
“You must be tired from the journey. Go and get some rest. I’ll call you if I need you again.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Then I’ll take my leave. If anything feels unusual, please summon me immediately.”
“Okay. I will.”
After Lumen left—
“What is going on…?”
The symptoms of Pierrot’s Grass poisoning were exactly the same as those the original Rachel had shown before she possessed this body.
But after she took over…
The body became completely normal.
“A poison that kills the soul…”
She remained deep in thought until Anne arrived.
“Your Grace. May I come in?”
“Hm? Come in.”
Anne, looking much brighter than when Rachel had first met her, placed a bundle of letters on the desk.
“These are the important letters that had previously arrived for Your Grace, and these are the ones that came today.”
“Hmm?”
One luxurious envelope bore an elaborate embossed design.
The wax seal clearly displayed the emblem of the Castor Empire.
“…A letter from the Imperial Palace.”
The current Emperor was Giorgio von Castor.
He was the male lead’s uncle and would eventually be executed after the male lead ascended the throne.
Lumen said Pierrot’s Grass was controlled by the Imperial Family.
Feeling uneasy, Rachel opened the letter with a letter knife.
“Hm?”
It was an invitation from the Imperial Palace.
She was invited to a celebration honoring the victory of Theo von Rexerville, the Grand Duke.
*
The underground prison of the Duchy of Agnes.
A haggard Abigail leaned against the damp stone wall.
With every breath, the stench of mold and filth filled her nose, as if announcing that her life was over.
“This is all your fault, Sister-in-law! If you hadn’t done something so foolish, we never would’ve ended up locked in here!”
From the neighboring cell, Tail shouted angrily at Abigail.
“…My fault? Who was it that eagerly followed me in the first place?”
“Grr! Whatever! Hurry and do something! I’m going to die at this rate!”
A hollow smile spread across Abigail’s lips.
At this point, the only thing she could do was hope the Duke changed her mind.
“What did we even do wrong? Damn it…!”
The knights who had followed Tail complained loudly.
“Guard! We truly have nothing to do with any of this! Please tell His Grace!”
The officials who had obtained their positions by bribing Abigail desperately pleaded with the soldiers standing guard.
At least they won’t execute me.
Like Tail, Abigail was a noble.
The former Countess Weaver.
If she had been a commoner, she could have been executed without a trial.
But nobles had to be tried first.
In other words, they needed evidence worthy of a death sentence.
Very few people know about that poison…
If she was brought to trial, she could simply deny knowing anything.
She could even claim she had been falsely accused and that the evidence had been fabricated.
After all, the Duke was perfectly healthy.
Wasn’t that proof enough?
But how is the Duke perfectly fine?
No matter how much she thought about it, it made no sense.
Until that day, Rachel had always been hopelessly drunk from the alcohol Abigail served her.
She hadn’t even been capable of thinking properly.
She had used the poison for an entire six months.
By then, Rachel’s mind should have completely deteriorated.
There was no logical explanation for someone recovering overnight.
Could it be… she’s been deceiving me this whole time?
But why?
There had been no reason to keep pretending for six months.
Creak.
Abigail suddenly looked up at the sound.
Rupert stood before the prison bars, his eyes filled with cold menace.
“Come out.”
“N-No matter how many times you ask, I have nothing to tell you!”
Did she still think she controlled House Agnes?
Looking at her with contempt, Rupert spoke.
“Come out. It is His Grace’s order.”
“I knew it! His Grace has finally realized my loyalty…!”
Loyalty?
Rupert sneered inwardly before grabbing the rope binding her and dragging her outside.
“You’re being transferred.”
She would probably never see sunlight again.
By the Duke’s order, she would be secretly confined somewhere no mouse could enter.
*
As for Theo von Rexerville…
“In one word, he’s insane.”
“Ugh…”
At Marcus’s blunt assessment, Rachel groaned and buried her face on the desk.
For generations, the Grand Dukes of Rexerville had all been Fire Mages.
Even though magical abilities weren’t hereditary, every Grand Duke mysteriously awakened fire magic.
People often called it the Curse of Blood.
Generation after generation, they awakened the same power.
But every one of them spent their lives on the battlefield, thirsting for blood until the day they died.
They lived constantly surrounded by death.
The current Grand Duke was no different.
He wasn’t even properly introduced in the novel.
After the male lead became Emperor, Theo was mentioned only briefly in a report announcing his death.
“…Do I really have to attend?”
Rachel asked.
Marcus looked at her as if she had said something ridiculous.
“Your Grace. There is no better opportunity to announce House Agnes’s return than an Imperial banquet. You know that.”
He was right.
Since inheriting the title of Duke—
For the past six months, Rachel had withdrawn from society and remained secluded inside the estate.
“The social circles are full of wild rumors about Your Grace. This is your chance to show everyone that you are perfectly healthy.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Are you worried about the Grand Duke of Rexerville? As long as you don’t go near him, you’ll be fine.”
“Ugh…”
Perhaps because she knew his fate.
For some reason, simply seeing him made her uneasy.
She searched through Rachel’s memories.
Black hair as dark as the night sky.
Pitch-black eyes that reflected absolutely nothing.
There was only emptiness within them.
Shiver.
Just remembering his gaze sent goosebumps across her arms.
“Your Grace. Please steel yourself. This is a hurdle you will have to overcome eventually.”
“…You’re right.”
She let out a long sigh.
She had already decided she would do anything for her favorite character to have a happy ending.
So even if she didn’t want to go…
She had to attend.
“…Marcus.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you have something to tell me?”
“…What do you mean?”
“That child.”
“…Pardon?”
Tilting her head at Marcus’s confused expression, she finally spoke the name she had kept in her heart all this time.
“Liz.”
Marcus froze.
“How do you know…?”
“Where is my half-sister?”
Liz Agnes.
The illegitimate daughter of the previous Duke was a closely guarded secret, known only to a very small handful of people.
