Volume 6, Chapter 27: The Priestess and the Scheme (1/2)

Maomao went for another spoonful. However, the delicious mushroom congee was snatched away by the priestess’ attendant.

“Wh-whát are you doing?!”

“What, you ask, I’m tasting for poison.”

The other party had switched to her language. It seems Maomao’s proficiency in the Sha’ou language was indeed lacking. She was grateful for this.

“Please hand over the congee. I still haven’t finished tasting for poison. Also, do you intend to give the rest of it to the priestess?”

“…”

Maomao pushed on at the attendant’s silence. “Realistically, there’s no way you’d give it to me, but isn’t it quite valuable? The poison you’ve managed to obtain which leaves no evidence behind.”

“What’s yóur basis?”

The attendant’s face had stiffened for an instant, but immediately returned to calmness. People who can come up with such a complex plot are also brazen. The priestess also wore a look of innocence.

(I guess that’s true.)

How easy would it be to have them confess here?

“Then, can you wait for a while? If there is poison in the congee I just ate, I should be showing symptoms of poisoning soon. I don’t know if the poison is effective with a single mouthful, so please give me the rest.”

Maomao held out her hand. The attendant made no move to pass it over.

“My current mouthful only has bits of mushroom. It hasn’t reached the lethal dose. Please give it to me.”

“Dòn’t say such foolish things. If you say thére’s poison, please spit it òut.”

“No. I won’t.” Maomao took out a notebook from her bosom.

“Whát is that?”

“This notebook belongs to a court lady called Yao: Priestess-sama’s food taster. She’s an earnest learner, so I taught her to not eat anything that smells strange when tasting for poison. For example, even if Consort Airin had served poison, she should notice the smell. She’s inexperienced, but she shouldn’t have made a mistake when it comes to the basics.”

And the notebook contained a thorough record of events in the days prior to the banquet.

“She noted down everything Priestess-sama ate. It seems that before the banquet, she ate something similar to this for breakfast.”

The notebook read: ‘Morning: Mushroom Congee‘.

“You meticulously calculated the efficacy of the poison, didn’t you? So that she would fall ill at the end of the banquet. So then, do you feel even a sliver of guilt? The dose wasn’t lethal, provided there was adequate treatment.”

Yao was currently stable. There is concern over whether her internal organs will sustain any permanent damage, but at least the worries over her losing her life were dropped. En’en was probably also relieved.

“The things you’ve said so fár don’t máke any sense, so please stòp talking. The culprit should have conféssed already, right?”

“Yeah, she has. The day you’ll receive news about the culprit and her punishment… should be today, right? Therefore, you can rest at ease and commit suicide,” Maomao said.

Beyond the culprit needing to be Airin, a guilty conscience was necessary in order for her to commit suicide. Was that the reason they chose a poison with two stages? On top of that, if Airin is settled as the culprit, it’s highly likely that the priestess’ subsequent death will be left unresolved. On the contrary, any mess-ups during the search for the true perpetrator will spell trouble for both sides.

Maomao watched the two calmly.

(They won’t suddenly decide to silence me here, right?)

Rahan had ordered her to standby at the priestess’ villa. He was going to bring Dad here via a messenger, so they should arrive soon.

(It’ll be difficult to seal my mouth, but it’ll be more troubling to have them reveal it now.)

She understood. Even Maomao couldn’t pretend it’d do her any good. Her threats were not intended to expose their crimes, it was merely a strategy to keep them focussed on what she was saying.

“Priestess-sama, you seem to know Consort Airin very well.”

“…yés, as the priestess cándidate in the pást.” The priestess opened her mouth. She looked somewhat sad.

(I knew it.)

Airin had covered up for the priestess. If the priestess made a one-sided accusation, would she have reacted in such a way? Rather, could it be that Airin’s entry into the inner palace in and of itself had been factored in their calculations from the start, since it involved the priestess?

“At this rate, she will be sentenced to hanging.”

The priestess jolted. She seemed more of a ham actor compared to the attendant. It would probably be better to target the priestess if she was going to sway them.

“I don’t know about Sha’ou, but assassinations or assassination attempts are death sentences in this country, no exceptions. Are you going to watch the person who put her life on the line for you to die?”

The two stayed silent.

“Are you going to watch Consort Airin die?” Maomao asked.

(Is it really impossible?)

As Maomao deliberated over her next step, the priestess lowered her head onto the bed and let out a wail.

“P-priestess-sama.”

“…w-whát should wé do?”

There was no dignity to her cry. It was a fleeting, pitiful sound.

“My life has been wárped ever since I was born, and I have lived with the flow of things without subvérting it. The position of priestess was áll I had. And so, I wanted to live on as a spléndid priestess áll the wáy till the énd.”

“Priestess!” The attendant shook the priestess who continued her monologue.

Broken Rii language and fluent Sha’ou language intermingled.