Chapter 23 (1/2)

Translator and Editor: Lea and Ishy

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Chapter 23

“Are you turning back now?”

Carinne stared down at her real body as she said, “No. Let me sleep for one more day.”

“But Lady Carinne, that will strain your body.”

“That’s what I expect.”

“It’s dangerous.” The man’s tone was extremely hard, as it normally was when he spoke to me.

But strangely enough, that dry voice of his made me feel as if he was worried about the lady in front of him.

“Didn’t you already start experiencing chills and fever? I’m afraid without sufficient preparation, this method of sorcery is something–”

“The human body cannot endure. I know, Richard.”

It seemed that the butler’s name was Richard. I noted the name.

“Lady Carinne.”

At Richard’s reproaching call, Carinne’s lips burst into a laugh.

A laugh with an unclear meaning to it.

Ridicule, close to mockery.

“But wouldn’t she be worth it?”

My breath caught in my throat when I heard her bring me up. “Olivia, that girl, I mean.”

“Is there a problem?”

“She’s secretly throwing away the tea I give her.”

My heart dropped suddenly.

She continued, tilting her head to one side,

“It’s weird, though. The scent and taste are the same as I recall.”

“…”

“I wonder how she ended up doubting the tea when she had been drinking it well.”

I clenched my lip, the subtle taste of iron lingering in my mouth.

“I shouldn’t have let Olivia go out. I didn’t expect her to run into Lennox Kravant.”

“It’s not Lady Carinne’s fault.”

“I did nothing at all. Thanks to that, I made a painful mistake.”

“The magic spell caught by Brienne is still valid. The Viscount will not allow their marriage so easily.”

Thump. my heart sunk deeper.

“There shall be time before the approval. I’ll find a way in the meantime.”

“No,” Carinne answered sharply, looking up at Richard.

“Lennox Kravant himself came all the way here. I’m sure that he recognizes the spell cast on the Viscount.”

“…”

“As long as he intervenes, we won’t have time, Richard.”

A short silence followed.

It was Richard who opened his mouth this time.

“Do you think it was her Epure that found out what the Qualum leaves were?”

Epure.

The moment I heard that word, my mind shook once again.

I stood up straight behind the tree I was hiding, clenching my teeth as I supported myself so that I would not fall.

‘I knew it!’

They knew that I was an Epure and a purifier.

If it weren’t for Ash, I wouldn’t have known about the awakening of my powers by myself.

How much did Carinne know?

What more things was I unaware of?

A cold sweat trickled behind my back while my lungs begged for more air. My jaw trembled as terror hit my whole being like a wave.

I bit my lips, preventing any sound that might slip out.

In the meantime, Carinne’s answer flowed into my ears.

“At least the Duke heard that the Qualum leaves grow wild in the Rutoru forest.”

“…”

“Perhaps he has figured out the purpose of those leaves as well.”

Richard, who had been listening silently, opened his mouth again.

“But how did they recognize the Qualum leaves mixed with the tea? It must have been difficult to distinguish with the naked eye since it almost has the same shape and size.”

“The Epure may have sensed a different energy through her instinct, perhaps…”

Her words were cut off there. She remained silent for a while as if lost in thought.

Such silence could arouse anxiety among the viewers.

By the time I felt my chest weighing down with the growing tension, Carinne’s lips finally opened.

“If I watch her a little more, I’ll get a definite answer.”

“No. You have to return now.” Richard shook his head firmly.

“Not longer than half a day from now, Lady Carinne’s body will begin to collapse.”

“Don’t worry about me,”

Carinne affectionately soothed Richard.

It was just as she did to Olivia before revealing her true character in the original novel.

“I’m afraid you need some rest.”

“I don’t.”

“You haven’t slept properly lately.”

“I’m fine.” She reached out to Richard, her finger brushing lightly against the masked man’s cheek before it jerked away.

It was very fast.

A short movement that would never have been noticed if I hadn’t focused on watching.

Carinne soon turned away, indifferent as though nothing had happened.

The soft airflow between them broke immediately.

Turning around, she called him with a steeper and drier voice.

“Richard.”

“Yes.”

“My plan is going to change a little bit.”

The eyes of the man grew slightly.