Translator: Yonnee

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Chapter 40 – Her Identity Revealed

“You want to bet… your own life?”

“Yes.”

Unexpectedly calm, Andante stared at Sierra. On the other hand, the doctor was at a loss for words. Sierra looked at the doctor, then turned to Kilo and Lanya, who were standing next to her. In a stupor, both their mouths were agape.

“No, but—!”

Among the three doctors, it was Lanya who first came to her senses. She hurriedly grabbed Sierra’s arm and shook her head, then mouthed, ‘Why would you say that!’

Sierra didn’t back down. She soundlessly replied and mouthed in return, ‘What do you mean? Because it’s weird.’

She didn’t know what kind of feuds the nobles had amongst them, but there was a dangerous person who was poisoning Andante, and they could pose a threat to Cassius as well. After all, the Marquisate of Mails was inseparable from the Dukedom of Ideos.

‘Andante is Andante, but Cassius could also be in danger. I believe in my skills, so I have no thoughts of backing down.’

Cassius was, in a way, Sierra’s benefactor. Additionally, Andante had suffered from a misunderstanding that still bothered Sierra until now. The Marchioness did nothing wrong. Looking back, Sierra was obliged to compensate for it.

‘Besides, she’s a sick patient. As a pharmacist, I have an obligation to help her.’

Persistent, Sierra stared at Andante again and spoke.

“Now that I’ve put my life on the line, it’s the Marchioness’ turn to decide whether or not you’d like to listen to me. Would you like to hear the reasoning behind my diagnosis?”

Sierra endured Andante’s burning gaze. Soon, her lips opened.

“…If you’re truly ready to risk your life.”

At that remark, Sierra gave her a bleak smile.

“Yes, that’s how confident I am.”

“Hoo…”

“And, you know, Madam…”

Sierra approached the bedside without anyone stopping her this time, and calmly spoke.

“If it turns out right that it’s addiction, shouldn’t the person who poisoned the Madam also give up their neck?”

“…”

“Madam, what do you think?”

Andante listened to Sierra and contemplated what she just said. The Marchioness stared sharply at Sierra, perhaps trying to see behind the veil.

“Yes, I agree. The perpetrator must pay. Now tell me, how did you come to that conclusion?”

Andante’s permission was finally given.

“What is your reasoning?”

Sierra grinned and looked around. At last, it was time to tell the truth of the matter.

“Now, speak with the conviction of a person with her life on the line. Why is it addiction and not the Amolta disease?”

“That’s…”

Sierra took out the small recording artifact out of her pocket and pressed it down.

‘In case of an unexpected situation, I’d better record it.’

Sierra, who paced the room, pursed her lips at the Marchioness’ words. The doctors from the prominent Hippo Kingdom did not seem to expect much. Well, of course they wouldn’t, since even they couldn’t discern that Marchioness Andante Mails indeed did not have the Amolta disease.

But Sierra was able to diagnose it.

And that was because she inherited the blood of a mage. She was a genius of the century who’s unrivaled in the formulation of medicine because of her pure mana.

“On the Madam’s legs are protruding veins and bluish bruises.”

“But—”

“There are also signs of blood clotting.”

“It’s a typical symptom of the Amolta disease. You haven’t said anything about the supposed addiction itself.”

Andante stared at Sierra, but Sierra noticed a subtle hint of curiosity in her austere tone. Sierra grinned and rummaged through her pockets, adjusting her veil as well.

“It’s true that these are common symptoms of the Amolta disease. However…”

Sierra searched through her pockets that were full of herbs.

“What suspicious things have you—?!”

The doctor tried to butt in again, but Sierra raised one hand to stop him. After some more rummaging, her hand brushed by a tender petal.

‘I found it.’

Sierra grinned and took out the herbal pouch, which was full of Feymed flower petals called the ‘Rose Dawn Leaf’. It was also known by the name of ‘Transparent Candle’.

This was a rare herb that looked like lilies, but unlike lilies, this herb looked transparent, as though it would disappear any moment.

“As you can see from its transparency and by the shape of the blooming petals, it’s the Feymed petal. It’s commonly used for physiognomy.”

“Feymed petal? It could be found in our family garden. But why are you bringing it up?”

Everyone looked puzzled. The doctor even snorted, at which Andante gave him a look.

“According to Melinda, a professor from the Academy of Pharmacology, Feymed petals could also detect poison, just like silver spoons.”

Sierra’s serious tone restrained the atmosphere from getting disorganized. Andante looked at Lanya, Kilo and her doctor. Both the twin doctors nodded.

“That’s right.”

“How about you, doctor? What do you think?”

Sierra had cited Professor Melinda, so he wouldn’t dare refute it. Her keen gaze was on him.

“It’s written in her textbook, but if you refute this, then you must admit that you’re foolish.”

But contrary to Sierra’s expectations, the doctor nodded tauntingly and smiled.

“Yes, that’s right. Feymed petals can detect poison. If you put the petals where the poison is, the petal would change color.”

Now, Sierra approached the Marchioness’ bruised legs and brought over the petals.

“These are not bruises formed naturally. It’s a symptom of poison being released on the skin. So if you rub the Feymed petals like this…”

The transparent petals turned blue as though they absorbed the bruises. The Marchioness was dumbfounded.

“…It’s poisoned. If it’s a normal bruise, then the petals wouldn’t become like this, isn’t that right?”

Sierra looked up, but the Marchioness’ doctor smiled as though he had found a loophole.

“But I’ve already determined whether the Madam was poisoned or not—that’s what I did first. And how could we believe petals that came from your own pocket? Isn’t this just a trick? You can’t even show your own face!”

It was certainly a reasonable counterargument. Andante and her maid’s gazes turned to Sierra. The maid was evidently filled with suspicion, but Andante’s expression was unreadable.

Sierra shrugged and looked at them in return.

“How did you test for poisoning?”

“Cedar stems, Pelleng buds, and of course, Feymed petals.”

“Ah.”

Sierra nodded in a relaxed manner.

“And where are they now?”

The doctor shook his head, scoffing bitterly.

“Ha! Isn’t it natural to throw them away? It’s been a long time since they should have been disposed of.”

Sierra listened to him and folded her arms. The doctor had been treating Andante for some time now, but he still didn’t know her temperament. Would the Marchioness have let him touch her skin just like that?

“No, they weren’t thrown away.”

…Of course not. Andante was a noble to the core—an austere, highbrowed woman who focused on managing the estate instead of focusing on her husband’s shipping business.

“Open the drawer or the bedside table. It contains all the herbs the doctor had listed.”

‘I knew it!’

Thanks to Andante’s meticulous personality, Sierra claimed a small victory in this battle. Sierra nodded and took a step closer to the drawer. Meanwhile, the doctor was stomping his feet while muttering to himself restlessly.

“T-That… No, Madam!”

Even with the doctor’s persistent dissuasion, Sierra opened the drawer without any hesitation. There, she found all kinds of herbs, just as Andante said. She looked through the contents and called over Lanya and Kilo.

“Isn’t this petal clearly fake? Feymed petals need to be harvested at dawn for them to give off a transparent sheen.”

Lanya and Kilo discussed among themselves.

“Right. This is as white as a lily.”

“It’s not a Feymed petal by anyone’s standards.”

Lanya and Kilo’s gazes shifted to one person.

“Th-th-that…”

The doctor’s forehead was dripping with sweat as he looked around frantically. Sierra stared at him with narrowed eyes, then laughed coldly.

“Why are you so flustered?”

“I-I-I’ve been tricked! I didn’t know it was addiction!”

“Well then, we’ll have to figure this out one step at a time from now on.”

Sierra did not let up on questioning the doctor, but he could only look at Sierra with a tense expression.

‘This was why the doctor seemed so suspicious.’

“Besides, Madam. I noticed that you have mouth sores.”

“…Mouth sores?”

“Yes. It’s a clear indication that you ingested poison through your mouth.”

Sierra brought the petals to the teacup next to her bed. There was no abnormal response.

Then, she slid the petals over the medicine bottle, which the doctor himself had made.

At that moment, the petals burned out of thin air.

“If he followed the prescription from the Hippo Kingdom’s doctors, then the ingredients should have been sent to him, but he himself was supposed to mix them.”

At Sierra’s remark, everyone gathered there turned their cold gazes to the doctor, but the quick-witted doctor knelt down and smiled.

“It’s a setup! How could anyone believe that assistant? It’s a setup, I say!”

Despite bowing his head to the floor, his tone was triumphant as he complained of injustice.

“That girl may not have even brought real Feymed petals!”

“If you would like to refute my claims, then all we have to do is ask a maid to retrieve ‘real’ Feymed petals. Not the fake petals you used.”

Sierra was relaxed now, but still focused on the task at hand. By all means, this was her victory. However, a question flashed through her mind as she stared at the doctor’s head on the floor.

‘But is the plan to poison the Marchioness of Mails just the doctor’s plot alone?’

…Or could it be that someone in this Empire was scheming against the Marquisate?

Sierra folded her arms with her eyes narrowed.

* * *

A few hours later, the doctor was dragged to the dungeon and was properly dealt with. Sierra was also forced to accompany him there because she was the person who caught him in the act.

The doctor was now being confined, surrounded by knights, mages and councilors as he underwent torture to get information out of him.

’How did you poison the Madam’s medication?’

‘T-That’s…’

‘Confess now. Who is it that dares to mess with Marquis Mails?!’

‘I-I have nothing to sa—hu, huk!’

The doctor was subjected to many torture methods, but they couldn’t figure out who was scheming against them. By the time Sierra had deemed that there would be no progress in their investigation, Sierra left the torture chamber.

It was Andante’s maid who called her. Despite the chaotic state of the household, the maid had managed to arrange a room where Sierra and Andante could talk, just the two of them at a tea table. The Hippo Kingdom’s doctors were staying at a separate drawing room.

’Go on in. You should talk to the Marchioness alone.’

‘No, I’m…’

‘The Madam’s going to give you a big reward.’

Sierra, still wearing the veil hat, sat opposite Andante, feeling very uncomfortable. Then, Andante spoke in a low voice.

“You’re my savior, Miss Assistant. Thank you.”

“…You’re welcome. I accompanied your people to the torture chamber, but it’s unfortunate that the doctor wouldn’t reveal anything.”

“Ah.” For a moment, Andante gulped, then smiled at Sierra as she whispered, “I have a gist of who’s behind the scenes. It’s not like there are many suspects.”

“…Pardon?”

“In any case, they won’t be captured right away. But before that…”

Couldn’t capture them right away? Then, they were powerful enough to poison the Marchioness and get away with it. Sierra, faced with a puzzling mystery, gave Andante a curious look, but Andante spoke first.

“…I want to see my savior’s face properly.”

“I apologize, but I’ve got a terrible burn scar…”

Sierra mentioned the lame excuse and touched the veil. She was going to lower it even more, but Andante quickly reached out.

“A burn?”

Even before she could ask entirely, as Andante reached out, Sierra’s veil hat came off, and so her face was revealed.

‘She took my hat off just like that?!’

Frozen in surprise, Sierra didn’t expect that the graceful and elegant woman would do this.

This was serious.

Andante found out who she was…!

‘Even though I saved her, she’ll think I deceived her so she’ll resent me!’

It might not blow up into a huge mess since Cassius was there for her, but…

‘It’s a problem that might spur on other problems later.’

Nervous, Sierra gulped and turned her gaze to Andante, whose expression was somewhat strange.

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