ESL Chapter 12

While Lloyd whispered mockingly to Helen, who was gasping in fear and pain, Haen quietly withdrew.

“…Why…is Your Highness doing such a thing…?”

To her dazed murmuring, as if she couldn’t believe the current situation, Lloyd roughly tore the slip covering her beautiful naked body with one hand and said:

“I’ll make you a memory you won’t forget even in death.”

“No!!!!”

Only then accepting the situation, Helen struggled and writhed to avoid his hands, but it was useless. Instead, as he mounted himself over her naked body, his large hand struck her face hard enough to make it turn. Her delicate lips split and a large red handprint was imprinted on her snow-white cheek. The shock was so great that her mind went numb. After being slapped several times in succession, she stopped struggling, nearly fainting. Only then did Lloyd smile with satisfaction and grabbed her slender white legs, spreading them apart. A long and painful night awaited her.

……

‘She must be going through something terrible right now… That young lady…’

Sitting on the sofa drinking tea that Abel had brewed, Lea looked out the window with heavy eyes. Even knowing it was a situation she couldn’t help with, she couldn’t suppress the guilt rising in her heart. Finally, as she put down her teacup and sighed deeply, Abel, who had been sitting across from her drinking tea, looked up at her.

“Something on your mind?”

“Yeah… My heart feels heavy because I know what’s happening but can’t do anything about it.”

“We’re not gods. We just need to do what we can. From what I can see, you’re doing well.”

At Abel’s voice, always unchangingly gentle, Lea exhaled deeply once, then shook her head side to side several times as if to shake off all her emotions. A moment later, her beautiful red eyes had become clear again.

“Right. I should work hard on what I can do at least.”

“Right. In that spirit, a gift.”

“Hm?”

Lea watched with curious eyes as Abel opened a spatial pocket and put his hand inside. Then, seeing what was in Abel’s hand as it emerged from the space, she unconsciously let out an exclamation of admiration.

“Wow~ It’s exactly the same.”

In his hand was a teacup identical to Duke Kaien’s teacup that Lea had seen at the ducal residence today.

“Of course. I made it based on the memories engraved in your glasses. You observed it so meticulously that it was easy to make. When hot tea is poured into this teacup, Montina components will flow out from the cup, and I’ve removed the Montina scent. I made it so it would brew strongly, so if he drinks from this teacup for about a week, it should neutralize all the accumulated poison.”

She turned the teacup Abel handed her this way and that. At this level, even Jerome would probably have difficulty distinguishing it. Abel watched her with warm eyes as she couldn’t stop admiring it, then opened his mouth as he suddenly remembered the people who had visited today.

“Today about two people came by saying they were neighbors, and when I went out in my changed appearance as you asked, they looked a bit surprised.”

“As expected, they’re moving as predicted… By the way, aren’t you bored just staying at home?”

“I’m not just staying at home.”

“Hm?”

To Lea’s question, her eyes wide as if asking what he meant, Abel answered with a smile.

“After you leave, I return to my house in the Krauzen Mountains. I only come briefly if someone visits.”

“I thought so. It seemed strange that you were doing well in such a stuffy place.”

Lea, making a deflated expression as if to say ‘I knew it,’ picked up her teacup again and drank her tea. In the comfortable silence, she turned her head to look out the window, now completely dark. In her beautiful red eyes, bright starlight reflected and sparkled.

The next day, contrary to her expectations, Count Roman’s daughter did not appear at that location. It seemed Prince Lloyd intended to toy with her a bit longer. Just in case, with Abel’s help, she had shaken off the shadows and hidden in the forest that Berchel had told her about, but she had to report to the ducal residence without any results.

‘Couldn’t even sleep well… Ah, I’m dying of sleepiness…’

Grumbling as she processed documents, her eyes lit up when Jerome came in with tea. The Duke had just gone to the library saying he needed a book, so she waited for Jerome to put down the tea and leave. After Jerome placed the tray on the Duke’s desk and left, she spread her qi-sense to first check if anyone was watching or approaching. Then, confirming that everyone was some distance away, she got up from her seat and approached the desk, turning the ring on her finger to take out the teacup Abel had made from the spatial pocket. After transferring the tea from the original cup to the new cup, she put the poisoned teacup into the spatial pocket and turned the ring again. Then, as if nothing had happened, she returned to her seat and began organizing documents again. Shortly after, Duke Kaien, returning with a book, found himself smiling contentedly at the sight of Joseph diligently processing documents.

“Doesn’t your head hurt from just looking at documents like that?”

At the Duke’s words, Joseph looked up at him as if surprised.

“Ah… Your Grace. Have you returned?”

“You really have excellent concentration. And you work well too. Thanks to you, my workload has decreased considerably.”

“Hearing you say that gives me strength.”

The Duke smiled bitterly at how the smiling young man with brown hair resembled himself, then approached the desk and sat in the chair. He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

“Mm…?”

When the Duke showed a reaction as if something was strange after drinking the tea, Lea tensed for a moment, though she didn’t show it. She looked at the Duke and asked carefully:

“Your Grace. Is something wrong?”

At her question, the Duke looked down at the tea for a moment, then took another sip as if savoring it. Then he shook his head and said:

“The taste is the same, but strangely today, drinking the tea makes me feel like my body is becoming comfortable. Don’t worry about it.”

At the Duke’s words, Lea inwardly sighed with relief. After the Duke finished the tea, the red color on his chest had faded slightly compared to before.

After finishing the morning work and eating lunch with the Duke, Lea walked through the Duke’s spacious garden for the first time. To others it would look like she was taking a stroll, but in fact she was heading to the training grounds where the knights were. According to Berchel, Hugo, the captain of the knights, had also been poisoned, so she intended to identify the medium and find a way to neutralize it. She had already confirmed the location of the training grounds by spreading her qi-sense, so she slowly looked around while wandering here and there as if lost, so the shadows wouldn’t suspect anything, and arrived at the training grounds. And when she arrived at the training grounds, she didn’t forget to manage her expression as if she had arrived somewhere she hadn’t thought of at all.

Duke Kaien’s knight order consisted of about 50 people, each at a level comparable to the imperial knights, so people evaluated that the Kaien knight order might actually be stronger than the imperial knight order. Considering Duke Kaien’s martial arts, it was natural, but from the perspective of the imperial family and other nobles, it was an aspect they couldn’t help but be wary of. And Hugo, the captain of knights who led them, was a knight with such excellent swordsmanship that he was called the Iron Knight. When she arrived at the training grounds, Hugo was in the middle of sparring with a subordinate knight.

‘Damn…’

Lea clicked her tongue inwardly after confirming that the area near Hugo’s heart was stained red. Judging only by the color, his poisoning seemed more severe than Duke Kaien’s. In that state, he would die the moment he encountered another poison.

‘What’s the medium?’

As she pretended to look around, her gaze stopped on a scabbard thrown in one corner of the training grounds. The part you grab to draw or sheathe the sword was stained red. Thinking how thoroughly they’d done this, she pondered how to free Hugo from the poisoning. With the teacup, it was possible for Montina to melt out because hot water went in, but with a scabbard, it was just human body temperature. It was unreasonable to expect Montina to melt out with just that.

‘I have no choice but to neutralize the scabbard first and make him ingest Montina directly…’

As she was lost in thought while watching the sparring, she felt someone’s hand approaching her shoulder and instinctively moved to avoid it while looking at the other person. Then her view was filled with hair as blue as to sting the eyes and golden eyes reminiscent of the sun.

‘Prince Kaid? Why is this man here?’

His hand reached out toward the surprised her and instantly removed the glasses she was wearing. Normally she wouldn’t have been caught, but being flustered by his sudden appearance, she couldn’t respond in time. He quietly looked at her as she froze, then the corners of his mouth lifted and he slowly lowered his head.

“So it is you. Are you using magic?”

At the low voice flowing from his lips, so close that his breath touched her lips, Lea slightly frowned her beautiful brows, snatched the glasses from his hand, and stepped back. As she put the glasses back on and spread her qi-sense, the presence of the shadows that had been watching until just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.

‘Is it because of this man? So they won’t be discovered?’

That was highly likely. Kaid had already reached the level of Sword Master, and being such, there was no way he wouldn’t notice the existence of the shadows. If the watching eyes had disappeared, there was no need to play dumb, but since her existence still couldn’t be discovered yet, Lea spoke shamelessly, with a bit of a hint.

“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

Kaid faced the handsome young man with brown hair looking up at him as if looking at a stranger. Although the hair and eye color had changed, he was confident enough to bet one wrist that this young man was the girl named Lea he had met in the Krauzen Mountains. Not only did he look exactly like her, but above all, the unique energy a person possesses couldn’t be changed. However, he decided to stop asking further about the reason for the disguise. The slightly raised eye corners and the look in her eyes seemed to say she wouldn’t let it go if he didn’t keep quiet. And the fact that now that he knew where she was, he could meet her whenever he wanted also played a part.

“Well… if you wish. So what should I call you now?”

At Kaid’s teasing question as he raised both hands as if understanding, Lea suppressed her rising irritation and turned around. Thinking she should discuss with Abel when she got home since she had confirmed what the medium was, she had taken one step when she stopped at Hugo’s voice. Neutralizing the scabbard was something she could manage somehow, but administering Montina would definitely be easier if there was some acquaintance.

“Your Highness. What brings you here without notice?”

Hugo, who had spotted Kaid while sparring, hastily stopped the sparring and rushed over to pay his respects. Patting his shoulder, Kaid glanced at Lea. Seeing that she hadn’t left and was looking this way, it seemed she had business with Hugo.

“I was bored with sparring with the palace knights, so I came thinking I’d cross swords with you or the Duke.”

“I see. But who is the person next to you…?”

As Hugo’s gaze rested on Lea, she lightly bowed her head in greeting.