“Sorry, sorry!”
The attendant hurriedly cleaned up the spilled tea on the lawn, but after finishing, he noticed it had splashed onto Leah as well—and it wouldn’t come off.
“Ah, your necklace?”
Leah had intended to tease him lightly but looked down and saw her silver necklace had turned black. Instantly alert, she scanned the assembled crowd.
Something was wrong with this tea.
“What’s going on?” Leah took off her necklace and held it up for everyone to see. “Was there something dirty added to the tea?”
At Leah’s words, the kings who had already brought their cups to their lips suddenly stopped, spilling their tea onto the ground as they all looked warily toward the King of Valencia.
A deadly situation.
Some close guards immediately stepped forward and used Identification Magic on the tea, confirming it was laced with a significant amount of poison—enough to kill within minutes.
“IX……”
The middle-aged man faltered. He had no intention of poisoning anyone; from start to finish, he had only wanted to invite other nations to cooperate.
But now, clearly, someone wanted to harm him and make Valencia the target of blame.
“Everyone, I have no reason to poison you, right? Doing so would bring hatred upon all of Valencia, which is not beneficial.”
“But the evidence is here, and the other kings won’t easily trust just your words.”
“Then tell us—who would want to frame you in such a setting? Poisoning every cup—that means the problem started right at the source, doesn’t it?”
Knowing explanation was futile, the man understood the poisoner’s original intent had been to kill everyone. Even if not all died, the blame would fall on him.
With such an incident, it was unlikely he could escape responsibility.
“If that’s the case, I hope everyone here will listen to me.” He raised his tea cup.
“This was likely a carefully planned conspiracy to disrupt our internal harmony. Although I cannot yet identify the culprit, I want to show you my sincere heart.”
He drank the tea in one gulp, intending to die to prove his resolve.
Shortly after, the King of Valencia clutched his chest and coughed up black blood. Guards immediately forced him to vomit and began urgent treatment.
“How is it… everyone, do you believe me now?”
His voice was hoarse and weak, his pupils unfocused.
“I will… clear up this misunderstanding… find the murderer…”
With that, he lost consciousness and was surrounded by medics before being taken back to the palace.
The remaining kings exchanged glances in silence.
The man’s determination and steadfast gaze didn’t seem deceitful, and now that he lay like this, it was hard to press the matter further.
“So, what now? Are you all going to stay here and wait for his so-called outcome?”
The King of the Beastmen Nation spoke first. He had little interest in this tea party and was annoyed to have almost been poisoned.
“The auction doesn’t start for two more days anyway. We might as well wait. Whether we cooperate or not, we have to inspect those goods. If we find the culprit before the auction begins, that’d be even more entertaining.”
“Hmm, I agree. He doesn’t seem like the type to do something like this. Probably some organization wants to frame him.” A man close to the King of Valencia defended him.
The kings present began to argue over the matter, but Leah’s mind was elsewhere.
That attendant who served her tea earlier—was he really just clumsy, or did he deliberately spill the tea on her to give her a hint?
“Everyone, I have some matters to attend to. See you in two days.”
Leah stood up to leave, starting to search for the attendant.
***
She had seen him heading toward the hall amid the chaos. Trying to escape at such a time meant he must know something.
But when Leah finally found him, his reaction was nothing like she expected.
“M-Milady, may I ask why you’re looking for me?”
The attendant now acted extremely timid, a stark contrast to the confident figure who had just spilled tea on her.
“You just spilled tea on me. Have you forgotten?”
Leah was sure she hadn’t mistaken him; only minutes had passed, yet the difference in behavior was huge.
“D-Did I? Maybe I was half asleep? I don’t remember attending the tea party today. I wasn’t even on the attendant roster.”
“What?” Leah was confused. The attendant had seemed so alert just moments ago—it was impossible he wasn’t awake.
At that moment, Leah caught sight of a piece of clothing discarded in the corner. It looked like the same uniform the attendants wore.
But why was it on the floor?
“Could it be…?”
Recalling the strange familiarity she’d felt with the attendant earlier, Leah considered a possibility.
***
Outside the palace.
Tina walked away from the chaotic scene, feeling at ease, and entered a Potion Shop.
Having quietly completed her mission, the feeling of hidden achievement was satisfying. She had only used a little trickery to sneak into the palace—and unexpectedly uncovered a conspiracy.
“Spirit Control Magic really is useful.”
In fact—
Tina had originally only planned to watch from a distance, but when the attendants brought the tea, a faint scent reached her nose, instinctively setting off alarms.
If she hadn’t checked, she wouldn’t have known. Upon inspection, she found poison mixed in the tea.
But she couldn’t tell Leah directly. Instead, she temporarily took control of one attendant and made him spill the tea on Leah. With Leah’s keen observation, she would surely notice immediately.
Still, being too perceptive was risky. When the tea spilled on Leah’s dress, Tina thought she’d been discovered. Unexpectedly, Leah focused on exposing the truth, giving Tina a chance to escape.
If she had stayed any longer, she’d likely have been caught.
Luckily, she was fast. Otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to explain herself.
“Boss, I’ll take a few more bottles of this transformation potion.”
Tina hummed happily as she paid the shopkeeper, holding the potion bottles.
Her mood was good today, so she bought extra—no need to restock for a while.
“Oh? Miss, this potion works well? Maybe I should get some too.”
A familiar voice came from behind.
“Yeah, it’s great. One dose lasts five days, and no one will notice.” Tina replied without turning around.
“Oh~ sounds impressive.”
The voice came closer. “So… Miss, what do you look like before the transformation?”
Suddenly gripped by an indescribable fear, Tina turned her head—and a face she knew all too well smiled brightly at her.
N-No way?
Marla, it really was Leah!
What was she doing here?!
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