The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 46

46. The Culprit

2023.12.16.

He gestured to a servant, who quickly summoned a guard waiting outside the reception room.

Joshua urgently commanded the two guards who entered.

“Force-feed her.”

“Understood.”

One grabbed Gritta, while the other tried to force the tea into her mouth.

“No!”

Gritta, with surprising strength, shook off the guard’s arm. The teacup in the other guard’s hand fell onto the carpet with a thud.

Some of the hot tea splashed onto Rosette’s hand.

“Gritta!”

Ophelia, startled, jumped up and asked Rosette,

“Oh my, are you alright?”

“What is going on here…?”

Isabelle also rose, ready to grab Gritta, but instead checked Rosette’s hand.

Rosette’s pale hand was quickly turning red from the hot tea.

“Rose, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Meanwhile, Gritta knelt before Joshua.

“I’ll do anything else. Please, just not this tea…”

Ophelia, uncharacteristically, rebuked her in an angry voice.

“Gritta, what on earth is going on?”

“I’ll explain.”

Joshua rose from his seat and gestured to the guards. They quickly subdued Gritta.

Even with two burly men twisting her arms behind her back, Gritta didn’t struggle in pain, but only shed tears.

“So, what exactly is going on, Joshua?”

“It’s poison.”

Ophelia was shocked by Joshua’s brief explanation, while Isabelle remained unfazed.

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

“Gritta, was it? You can explain it yourself. What’s in this tea?”

“Sob, I don’t know.”

“It’s no use denying it now. It will all come out in the investigation anyway.”

Gritta kept her mouth shut and only cried.

Joshua poured the tea leaves from the tin case onto the table.

Bbibi, understanding his signal, flew over and picked out several Evan flower petals.

“These are Evan flower petals. They’re known to be good for sleep. That’s why Gritta gifted this tea to Mother.”

“Yes, that’s right. But is that a problem?”

This time, he gestured to Rosette. Rosette took out the envelope she had folded and put in her pocket and showed its contents.

“And these are Kish tree leaves, which grow naturally in the Owen Kingdom. As you can see, they look almost identical to Evan flower petals, making them difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. You can tell them apart by their scent, but with this amount, it’s not easy to compare the scents.”

“And?”

“Well, these Kish tree leaves were originally mixed in with the tea leaves. The Princess’s familiar picked them out.”

[Beep!]

Ophelia raised her hand, briefly stopping Joshua’s words.

“Wait a minute. Give me some time to think. So, these leaves are a problem?”

“If we’re just talking about the leaves themselves, no.”

“Then?”

Rosette quietly interjected.

“Honey. It’s poisonous when eaten with honey.”

“Poison?”

“Yes. It can stop the heart.”

“Rose, you don’t mean you were going to drink that knowing all this?”

Isabelle, showing emotion for the first time, grabbed Rosette’s cheeks and examined her complexion.

“I’m fine.”

Her pronunciation was slurred because her cheeks were squeezed.

“Bbibi removed everything. It wouldn’t have mattered if I drank it. And I didn’t even drink it.”

“You, really…!”

Isabelle, about to get angry, assessed the situation and lowered her voice.

“I’ll hear the details later. Just you wait.”

“…Okay.”

Joshua, glancing at the two sisters, continued his explanation.

“There are those who seek to poison Mother. As you can see, they’re using tea with Kish tree leaves secretly added. If Mother had added honey, it would have been a disaster.”

“So, Gritta preventing her from adding honey was…?”

“Yes. She’s a spy.”

Gritta, thinking that excuses were useless, didn’t even deny it now.

“And recently, hasn’t there been someone who told Mother to eat honey?”

“Are you talking about Lord Largo?”

Largo was the Empress’s physician. He had served her since she came to the Empire.

“Yes. Lord Largo told Mother that honey would be good for her and that it would be good to add honey to her tea. Mother said she didn’t like sweets, so she declined.”

“That’s true.”

Ophelia, muttering absentmindedly, shook her head.

“That can’t be. Not Lord Largo of all people. It must just be a coincidence. It’s not outrageous to suggest adding honey to tea.”

“That’s something we’ll find out when we investigate.”

Joshua commanded one of the knights restraining Gritta.

“Bring Lord Largo here. And summon the knights.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Then, he asked for Isabelle’s understanding.

“It would be best if you two returned now. The Empress’s Palace is likely to become chaotic.”

“Yes, Your Highness. We’ll be going now. Rose, let’s go.”

Rosette, following Isabelle out, turned back to look at Joshua.

Joshua mouthed ‘I’ll contact you’ as the last thing she saw before leaving the reception room.

* * *

As they left the Empress’s Palace, knights in the Imperial Knights’ uniforms began to gather.

Isabelle, protectively wrapping her arm around Rosette’s shoulders, hurried her into the carriage and immediately pressed her.

“What on earth is going on? What have you been doing with His Highness the Prince?”

“Well, that’s…”

Rosette couldn’t answer easily.

She couldn’t tell the truth, nor could she fabricate a plausible lie.

In fact, Rosette was still in a daze.

She had only intended to inform Joshua about the method of poisoning but somehow ended up catching the culprit with him.

Even she herself couldn’t believe it. Would Isabelle believe a clumsy excuse?

‘She probably won’t.’

In the end, Rosette said defensively to Isabelle, who was glaring at her with her arms crossed.

“I’ll tell you once we get back to the mansion.”

“Alright. But be prepared to be scolded by Father.”

Rosette, who hadn’t considered her family’s reaction, was startled.

“I’ll be scolded by Dad?”

“Yes. Not only Father, but Daniel will also be angry.”

“Why…?”

“Why do you ask! Because you did something dangerous! Why did you try to drink that tea there? Why did you get involved in such a thing?”

Rosette shrank back and defended herself.

“Nothing would have happened even if I had drunk it. Bbibi removed anything that could have been a problem. Really.”

“What if something had remained? What if the components of those leaves had seeped into something else, even if they weren’t there anymore?”

“That wouldn’t happen. The components don’t come out until you brew it as tea…”

“Ha, really!”

Isabelle, unlike her usually calm self, was very angry and shouted. Her face, moderately tanned by the sun, was flushed red.

“I was worried, you idiot!”

It was Isabelle’s honest confession, something she rarely revealed.

“Ah…”

“Why do you keep doing things that worry your family? I thought you were quiet, but it turns out you’re worse than Lucas. How much more do you have to worry us?”

Rosette finally realized what she had to say.

“I’m sorry, Sister.”

“You know you’re sorry now?”

“Yes.”

“That’s enough. Father and Brother will scold you instead of me anyway, so I don’t need to say anything.”

“Sister…”

Rosette looked up with a puppy-like face, and Isabelle finally glanced at her. She sighed deeply.

“Don’t do that again in the future. I was really surprised.”

“Yes.”

“Still, just in case, let’s get you checked as soon as we get back.”

Isabelle’s voice was much softer. Rosette, realizing that her anger had subsided, smiled brightly.

“Yes!”

“Don’t smile. What’s there to smile about?”

She said that, but Isabelle’s expression, as she looked out the window, was much softer than before.

‘By the way, even Isabelle is this angry, Dad must be very angry too, right? Scary…’

Rosette hoped that the carriage would arrive at the mansion as late as possible, but the heartless carriage arrived even faster than when it left.

“Rose!”

“Belle! Are you okay?”

And as if the Imperial Palace had already contacted them, three men rushed over as soon as Rosette and Isabelle got out of the carriage. Lucas, in particular, was the most flustered.

“Kid, you! You caught a terrifying criminal! Amazing!”

“Lucas.”

Lucas, who had been giving a thumbs up, quietly whispered, realizing his mistake at Daniel’s stern voice.

“Little one, you’re in big trouble. Father and Brother are very angry.”

Rosette glanced at Duke Adrian.

“Um, Dad.”

“Let’s go inside first.”

Duke Adrian picked up Rosette and headed into the mansion. Instead of questioning her immediately, he took her to her room first.

“I’ll have the doctor brought in first. And Celine, if possible.”

“Yes, Master.”

Not long after the butler, Sebastian, left, the doctor and Celine quickly arrived.

Having already heard the story, the two quickly examined Rosette.

“Are you feeling unwell anywhere, Miss?”

“No, I’m fine. I didn’t eat anything that could have been a problem in the first place.”

“That’s a relief then. There’s nothing particularly wrong with your body either.”

“Your mana is also stable. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, Duke.”

Only after the two had finished their examination did Duke Adrian relax his expression a little.

“Joan, change her clothes; she must be uncomfortable.”

“Yes, Master.”

Joan washed Rosette and changed her into indoor clothes after everyone else had left.

“I’m glad you’re safe. The whole mansion was turned upside down when we heard the news about you, Miss.”

“Yeah.”

“Please apologize to Master. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Rosette roughly dried her hair and headed to the dining room.

The other family members were already there, but unlike other times, the atmosphere was heavy.

As Rosette entered, all four pairs of eyes turned to her. Rosette smiled awkwardly and sat next to Lucas.

“You must be hungry; let’s eat first.”

Duke Adrian, with a stern face, instructed the servant to bring out the meal.

Rosette continued to glance at the Duke as she picked up her spoon. She was so distracted that she couldn’t tell if the potato soup, which was served as an appetizer, was going into her nose or her mouth.

Only after eating the salmon steak that came as the main course and the cheesecake for dessert did the Duke open his mouth.

“I’ve heard roughly what happened at the Empress’s Palace, Rose. You helped His Highness the Prince?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell Dad exactly what happened? I want to hear it directly from you.”