As always, a tranquil atmosphere filled the office of Artasha.
“I’m off, Mother.”
Today, as ever, I placed a light kiss on my mother’s lips, whose graceful beauty was unchanged.
“Tina.”
“Yes?”
“…Never mind, just come back safely.”
With a gentle smile, my mother softly stroked my head. Leaving behind her affectionate farewell, I stepped out of the office and was met by the calm, deep hallway.
I walked through the long corridor for what felt like ages when suddenly, I heard soft footsteps approaching from behind.
“Young Lady.”
It was one of the few devoted maidservants in this mansion who followed only my orders, not my mother’s.
She carefully handed me a letter.
“The reply from Count Abreldine has arrived.”
“Mother doesn’t know, does she?”
“No, I waited until dawn and snuck it out.”
“Good job.”
As I tucked the letter into my bosom, I handed her a gold coin along with another letter.
“Make sure to deliver this to Count Abreldine tonight at 8.”
“Another letter?”
“Yes. You need to sneak around again to avoid getting caught.”
A flicker of doubt passed through the maidservant’s eyes, but she silently nodded. I smiled and placed another gold coin in her hand.
“You know the stakes, right? The moment you get caught, it won’t end with just your head.”
“Y-Yes, I will keep that in mind, Young Lady.”
I wore a satisfied smile.
I had specifically asked Mother to assign me a maid with a deep sense of family loyalty.
There’s no better collateral than precious family.
This nameless maid, with a mother to support and two younger brothers, would not disobey my commands, even if death loomed over her.
What a truly tragic fate.
“I wish to be born a noble in my next life.”
With a strange pity in my heart, I walked down the corridor again, humming as I read Count Abreldine’s letter.
—
The Banquet Hall resounded with calm and harmonious music. However, in stark contrast, an undeniable tension smoldered within Mardian’s heart like a spark.
‘Let’s not worry. All the plans are perfect.’
Harming the Saint was as good as provoking the imperial family. Hence, Mardian had prepared meticulously for this moment.
He had taken all precautions to leave no trace of his presence anywhere.
The Count Abreldine family presented a façade of nobility, yet behind it lay a duality intricately entwined with the underworld.
The transactions had taken place through mercenaries from the underworld, and just the night before, he received reports that the alchemist responsible for crafting the poison had been dealt with.
The servant hired to slip poison into the Saint’s wineglass was another skilled underworld operative, disguised to enter.
Even if things were to go awry, he received assurances from the guild that they would maintain their silence about his identity.
Additionally, thanks to a few days of active socializing, his alibi was thoroughly established, so he had no fear of being trapped.
Up until now, he had only worried about one thing.
The efficacy of the poison itself.
He was filled with unease over whether the poison he had prepared would be effective against the Saint.
The Saint was a being capable of resurrecting even severed limbs.
Most wounds, and even the most lethal of poisons, disappeared impotently before her divine power.
The question of whether this extreme poison would work even on her required several weeks of deep contemplation.
But this dilemma was resolved by none other than his beloved Tina.
[I happened to come across this in a book…? Could you take a look at this?]
What Tina presented was a book containing information on the forbidden black magic from the Empire.
It was knowledge he had vaguely heard during faith classes in the past.
He deemed it useless and had forgotten it, but the moment he laid eyes on the book, forgotten knowledge began to resurface one by one.
The blood of a corrupt black magician was antithetical to divine power.
If a being brimming with divine power were to drink the purified blood of a black magician, the tainted blood would start to gradually gnaw away at their divine energy from within.
Of course, if it were a being with overwhelming divine power, like the Saint, the tainted blood would be purified in reverse. However, if combined with a deadly poison, the situation would change.
A mixture created simply by combining the highly purified blood of a black magician with a poison lethal enough to kill upon ingestion.
It was a concoction aimed squarely at the Saint, made solely for her.
Even skilled alchemists had certified it.
Even if it was the Saint, consuming this poison would most likely lead to death for nine out of ten. And if by some miracle she survived, all her divine power would be extinguished.
‘Tina has quite the meticulous side to her.’
Mardian found it odd why Tina held such hatred for the Saint, but he decided not to think too deeply about it.
After all, once this was over, Tina would truly belong to him.
He could turn her into a slave who couldn’t live without him and simply ask her later.
With his mind already dominated by morbid desires towards Tina, he didn’t want to entertain any annoying thoughts.
But the problem was that there was no way to procure the black magician’s blood.
It wasn’t common for black magicians who sacrificed countless humans and entered contracts with evil gods to casually exist, and even if such individuals did exist, it was rare for them to part with their blood.
Moreover, due to the sordid and deceitful nature of black magicians, even finding them proved to be a daunting task.
Even if he managed to track one down, it posed a risk that he would have to face them.
However, as if the heavens were assisting him, a miraculous opportunity arose.
One day, the refined blood of a black magician appeared in an anonymous underground auction.
As it was an anonymous transaction, there was no fear of exposing his identity, and because the usage of the black magician’s blood was so obscure, he could acquire it at a low price.
All conditions aligned perfectly; it was an unprecedented opportunity.
‘The heavens must be intending to gift Tina to me.’
Mardian lightly sipped from his wine glass and shifted his gaze across the hall.
In his line of sight was the Saint, smiling warmly among the Young Ladies.
While she chatted with the Young Ladies, she occasionally cast her gaze at Tina, who sat a short distance away.
Tina seemed to feel the Saint’s attention and wore an uncomfortable expression as she stayed under the protection of the Versha faction Young Ladies.
‘It’s clear she has an interest in Tina.’
She couldn’t even imagine that the price of that interest could be her own life.
Mardian quickly downed the rest of his wine and quietly set the glass on the table.
The previously agreed signal.
The moment the wine glass touched the table, a well-dressed man approached the Saint with a tray filled with various drinks.
The thirsty Young Ladies called for the servant to pour the wine, and the servant skillfully filled their glasses.
When the Young Ladies urged the Saint to drink together, she too requested wine.
The servant politely poured wine into her glass.
At that moment, in a brief instant, a small bead hidden by the servant’s hand slipped from his sleeve and sank into the Saint’s wineglass.
It was a deft maneuver that was almost imperceptible to Mardian’s keen observation; he was surely accustomed to such undertakings.
The Saint, without a hint of suspicion, raised her glass in a toast with the Young Ladies, lightly bringing it to her lips.
At the sight of the crimson wine staining her lips, Mardian turned away. He pretended to converse leisurely with other nobles, biding his time.
Before long, the event finally occurred.
“Ahhh!”
A sharp scream erupted from the center of the hall.
The cry was so piercing that everyone’s attention in the hall snapped to that direction in an instant.
Standing where the scream had come from was the Saint.
Her pink eyes trembled nervously, and her face had turned pale as a sheet. Blood dripped from her lips.
“Cough.”
With a short cough, the Saint collapsed to the floor. It was evident she was gradually losing her life force.
From her lips poured forth blood, and in an instant, the Banquet Hall transformed into a scene of chaos.
Mardian swiftly diverted his gaze to assess the situation. The servant who had injected the poison had already vanished. He was likely galloping away toward the Empire’s exit by now.
Knights rushed to the Saint’s side in desperation, while nobles began fleeing the banquet hall with faces pale with fear.
This was a place where the Saint had been poisoned. It would not be surprising if a coup broke out, and everyone was entrenched in confusion.
In the distance, he caught sight of Tina escaping with a terrified expression alongside other Young Ladies.
‘Hehe, Tina has quite the knack for theatrics.’
Mardian thought with a devious smile. It would be a fine choice to train Tina into a slave, making her his useful subordinate.
As he fled with the Young Ladies, he scanned the hall. Given the gravity of the situation, knights were already beginning to gather at the main entrance.
However, there were still too few gathered to control the scene.
Since this banquet wasn’t hosted by the imperial family, there would still be ample time before an imperial decree would be issued.
Mardian nonchalantly departed the banquet hall, climbing into his family carriage.
“To the mansion.”
With that, the carriage slowly pulled away, leaving behind the scene of tragedy.
Though outwardly calm, his fingertips began to tremble slightly.
He had dealt with countless people thus far, but he had never been this tense.
‘It’s done now.’
All evidence had been thoroughly obliterated, and there was not a trace of him remaining.
Even if the Saint miraculously survived, the black magician’s blood would have thoroughly drained her divine power. There would be no miracles of recovery left for her.
As he knocked on the carriage window to soothe himself, before long, they arrived at the Count Abreldine mansion. Mardian stepped out of the carriage, guided by waiting knights, and issued concise instructions.
“I’ll be going to the Blanc family tomorrow morning, so prepare accordingly.”
“Yes, understood.”
There was no longer any reason to restrain himself.
He would confine Tina to his room as soon as possible. From now on, the water and food Tina would consume would only be delivered to her through him, and all her physiological needs would also be met only in his presence.
He would use her shame to shatter her persona, molding her into a precious pet Young Lady who only wagged her tail for him.
Mardian wore a chilling smile, envisioning the image of Tina becoming his possession.
[Master…I’ll serve you…]
Imagining Tina licking her secret cracks with a mournful expression made his lower abdomen start to throb with anticipation.
As he wiped his mouth and the mansion’s front gate opened, one person stood waiting in front.
“…Father?”
The head of the Count Abreldine family, his father, a man who wielded immense influence both in the underworld and the daylight world. His face contorted with rage as he approached, looming over him as he coldly spat out.
“Come with me.”
“Excuse me?”
There was a chill of malice in his voice that sent shivers down Mardian’s spine. An ominous premonition struck him, but one could not refuse the head of the family. Silently, Mardian obeyed and followed him into the office.
*SLAP—!*
A sudden smack struck his cheek, accompanied by a sharp sound, sending a salty sting across his face. As he raised his head in confusion, his father stood there with a reddened face, still hovering his hand.
“Speak clearly, Mardian.”
It was the first time his voice trembled. The father, who never batted an eye even at brutal events, now looked terrified, much like a man possessed by fear.
“Did you poison the Saint?”
A cold dread sank in Mardian’s chest.
“F-Father, how do you know that…?”
“You insufferable brat!”
His father’s hand struck Mardian’s cheek hard once more. The searing pain felt like his flesh was tearing apart as he crumpled to the floor.
“Knowing your place and daring to touch an opponent you cannot hope to contend with!”
His roar echoed agonizingly in his ears, but Mardian’s mind was too chaotic to process the accusation.
‘How does Father know?’
What had he missed?
He had taken great care to ensure no traces were left behind. No matter how hard he retraced his memories, he couldn’t find any mistakes.
The guild he had contacted in the underworld also operated anonymously and had kept client secrets for centuries. They had no reason to leak such information.
“You foolish girl, you are pitiful in your ignorance even after the fact.”
His father threw several letters in front of her with furious eyes. The papers contained neatly penned phrases and photographs.
“Letters that arrived an hour ago. Evidence of everything you’ve done is contained within. I tried to summon you immediately after reading it, but news of the Saint being poisoned had already spread throughout the Empire.”
“This…what is this…?”
Mardian picked up the letters with trembling hands.
Each letter contained every trace of her actions.
Scenes of her bargaining with the alchemist for poison, and even a photo of the cold corpse of the alchemist.
Even moments that caught her entering and exiting the underworld guild.
Everything in the photos was perfectly clear.
“This cannot be happening.”
It was incomprehensible. No one could possibly have anticipated that she was planning to assassinate the Saint to collect such evidence.
This plan had been kept under wraps from anyone.
Yet someone had meticulously followed behind him, gathering evidence as if they had foreseen his intentions to assassinate the Saint.
“Though I want to tear you to shreds right now, I will grant you a single chance.”
With cold eyes, his father threw a letter at Mardian.
“If the fact that you poisoned the Saint is uncovered, our family will not escape unscathed either. However, it seems this individual is lending us an opportunity.”
The letter bore no seal and had only a single line written on it. His father grimaced, giving the command.
“Go beg. If you cannot secure cooperation, I will personally end you.”
Mardian stared blankly at the words inscribed in the letter, frozen.
What was written was a simple and straightforward sentence.
[Camilia Gambling Den, I hope you will come alone at 2 AM, Mardian.]
It was a familiar handwriting. The very essence of adorableness seeped from the penmanship, unmistakably belonging to one person alone.
“Tina…?”
Why are you… doing this?
