Chapter 19
Isabel’s lips trembled violently.
I’ve been found out.
Brother Kallen figured it out!
“I… I’m leaving! I don’t want to waste any more time on this ridiculous nonsense!”
With an angry shout, Isabel stormed out of the room.
Anyone could tell she was fleeing.
Watching her retreating figure, Kallen covered his face with both hands.
“Isabel…”
After a long moment, he took a deep breath and raised his head.
“What exactly was mixed into those tea leaves?”
“This.”
Kanna quietly pointed at the dried leaves scattered across the table.
“Most of the leaves are stiff and flat, but if you look carefully, you’ll notice a few that are curled into little balls. They’re also slightly darker in color.”
“I can hardly tell the difference.”
“I figured.”
Once tea leaves are completely dried, their colors and shapes become so similar that they’re difficult to distinguish.
“This is the flower of the daphne plant.”
“To be precise… its flower buds.”
But for Kanna, who had handled countless medicinal herbs, identifying it was easy.
It was a medicinal herb that had also been used in Korea.
She had handled it hundreds of times.
“Daphne flowers barely have any scent to begin with, so you’d never notice them by smell alone.”
“Unless, of course, you were the one drinking the tea like Lucy.”
“Is it poisonous?”
“No.”
“It’s actually a medicinal herb.”
Kallen’s eyes widened.
A medicinal herb?
Then why did Lucy end up like this?
And why did Isabel run away the moment it was mentioned?
“It only becomes poisonous if consumed in large quantities.”
“That’s why it should only be used under a physician’s prescription.”
The word poisonous immediately drained the color from Kallen’s face.
“Is it a dangerous poison?”
“Not really.”
“If someone is poisoned by it, they usually just suffer stomach pain, diarrhea… things like that.”
“Lucy was bleeding.”
Kallen’s voice trembled with suppressed fury.
“She vomited.”
“She had convulsions.”
“She suffered seizures.”
“She could barely breathe.”
“How is that merely stomach pain?”
“Because it reacted with the medicine I prescribed.”
Kanna answered calmly.
“The herbal decoction Lucy has been taking contains licorice.”
“When daphne flowers come into contact with licorice…”
“Their toxicity multiplies several times.”
Ordinarily, daphne was a medicinal herb.
Misused, it became only a mildly poisonous plant.
But when combined with licorice…
It became extremely dangerous.
“That combination is why the poisoning became so severe.”
She sighed softly.
“The person who planned this probably never imagined it would escalate this far.”
“I think they only intended to make Lucy a little sick.”
Silence settled over the room once again.
Kanna continued quietly.
“It was probably because of me.”
“If Lucy stayed sick, I’d fail to fulfill my agreement.”
“And then… I’d have to leave this house.”
“…”
“Someone who wanted me gone must have arranged this.”
“They probably didn’t expect things to become this serious.”
“By now… they’re probably terrified.”
She never mentioned Isabel’s name.
She never openly accused anyone.
Yet…
The same person had already appeared in both of their minds.
“Well.”
Kanna handed Kallen a sheet of paper.
“Here’s the prescription.”
“Now that we know the cause of the poisoning, making an antidote isn’t difficult.”
She had already written down the ingredients needed for the antidote.
“Brew it exactly as written.”
“She’ll recover quickly.”
“I guarantee it.”
Kallen silently stared at the paper.
Watching him, Kanna added,
“But be careful.”
“We don’t know if someone will try another trick.”
That should do it.
Completely exhausted, Kanna turned to leave.
She simply wanted to get out of the room and rest.
Then—
“Sister.”
Kallen’s voice stopped her.
“I’m sorry… about earlier.”
“Huh?”
A dry laugh escaped Kanna’s lips.
She had just heard something so absurd that she couldn’t help herself.
Slowly, she turned back to look at him.
Awkward disbelief was written all over her face.
“Sorry?”
She laughed again.
“Why all of a sudden?”
Kallen’s eyes wavered.
“I told you that wasn’t necessary.”
“I’ll treat Lucy until she’s completely healed whether you apologize or not.”
“So stop acting strange, Kallen.”
“This isn’t like you.”
“Sister… I…”
“And another thing.”
She interrupted him.
“Why do you keep calling me ‘Sister’?”
The words struck him like a knife.
Kallen suddenly found himself speechless.
Looking at him strangely, Kanna suggested,
“Just call me ‘you’ like before.”
“Wouldn’t that be more comfortable for you?”
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked out of the room without a trace of hesitation.
Unbelievable.
He’s apologizing?
For something this insignificant?
After everything he did to me.
After bullying me.
Despising me.
Leaving scars that could never be erased.
And now…?
He’s sorry because of this?
Lucy must really mean that much to him.
He apologized so easily for the sake of his half-sister.
What remarkable devotion.
He never once treated me that way.
No wonder she couldn’t help laughing.
“Sister!”
Kanna was enjoying tea on the terrace.
The door swung open, and a little girl came running toward her.
Smiling brightly, Kanna spread her arms.
“Lucy. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, Sister!”
“Good morning!”
“Did you sleep well?”
She’s so adorable.
Kanna hugged Lucy tightly as the little girl climbed onto her lap and gently stroked her curly violet hair.
“I slept well.”
“What about you?”
“Did you have a nice dream?”
“Yes!”
“I dreamed I was playing with you!”
“Really?”
“What did we do?”
“We had a picnic in a flower field!”
“We ate sandwiches!”
“We drank milk!”
“We looked at flowers!”
“And Brother Kallen was there too!”
The smile instantly disappeared from Kanna’s face.
Kallen was there too?
That doesn’t sound like a good dream to me…
Just as that thought crossed her mind—
“Do you dislike me that much?”
Had he come with Lucy?
Kallen was leaning casually against the doorway.
Kanna didn’t even look his way.
She didn’t bother answering.
The question wasn’t worth a response.
“Lucy.”
She smiled again.
“How are you feeling now?”
“I’m all better!”
“You healed me!”
“I don’t feel sick at all anymore!”
One week after treatment began, the muscles that had been pulling tightly around Lucy’s eye gradually relaxed.
By the second week, the paralysis on the right side of her face had disappeared.
By the third week, the paralysis on the left side had also begun to fade, until it was barely noticeable.
Now…
A full month had passed.
Anyone who looked at Lucy would say she was perfectly healthy.
That’s a remarkably quick recovery.
Her face had completely returned to normal.
So had her health.
Without the facial paralysis, Lucy looked like an ordinary little girl.
She possessed the natural cuteness of a seven-year-old…
But she hadn’t inherited the dazzling features shared by Alessandro’s other children.
Orsini, Kallen, and Isabel all resembled their father.
Wherever they went, their striking looks immediately drew attention.
She must take after her mother.
Her rare curly violet hair and ordinary features likely came from her mother.
Only her vivid green eyes resembled Alessandro’s.
“Let’s see…”
Kanna gently examined Lucy.
“Mmm.”
“You’re completely recovered now.”
Which meant…
It’s finally time to speak with Father.
It was time to face Alessandro Addis.
“Sister!”
“Let’s go out and play!”
“Hm?”
“Where?”
“I want to see the town!”
“With you and Brother Kallen!”
Kanna couldn’t answer immediately.
Then Kallen, who had been quietly listening, spoke.
“If my presence is the problem…”
“I won’t come.”
“So please don’t worry.”
“No.”
“That’s not it.”
She felt sorry for Lucy.
But she didn’t have time to go sightseeing.
She wanted to leave this house as quickly as possible.
She had only stayed in the Addis household for two reasons.
First—
To obtain Alessandro Addis’s permission for her divorce.
Second—
To gather the alchemy equipment she needed.
Beyond that…
She had no lingering attachment whatsoever.
She had already packed nearly all the alchemy tools she intended to take.
Once she received permission for the divorce…
That would be the end.
I’ll say goodbye to the Addis family forever.
But first…
She absolutely needed her father’s approval.
In this world, a woman couldn’t even change her place of residence without the permission of her male guardian—either her husband or her father.
Even renting a home and living independently required authorization from a male family member.
A truly awful society where men and women aren’t equal.
“Let’s talk about that later, Lucy.”
“Okay?”
“Mmm…”
“Okay, Sister.”
What a good child.
Only seven years old…
Yet she didn’t complain or throw a tantrum.
After patting Lucy’s head affectionately, Kanna stood up.
Her destination—
The office of Alessandro Addis, Duke of House Addis.
It was finally time for the decisive confrontation.
