Edited by: bafflinghaze
—
Volume II: Summer
—
“Pick the ones with no green on them. Like this one.” Neo showed Aurelion his own harvest of Lunar Lantern Flowers and indicated where they were on the bush.
The two brothers were in Alouysia’s Sanctuary, otherwise known as the Odum Glasshouse. In the spirit of “brotherly bonding,” Neo decided it was a good day to educate Aurelion on poisonous and medical herbs to prepare him for the coming future.
Aurelion had been a constant victim of poisoning events since he turned sixteen. Nazareth stopped poisoning him ages ago, but several other villainous characters showed up later on to test the love between him and Sutton.
(One would think Aurelion might be more mindful of poisoning attacks when living under the same roof as Nazareth, but it looked like he only built the immunity for some poisons and not the vigilance.)
Neo guided his brother’s hand toward one particular lantern flower and demonstrated how to clip it off.
“Be careful of the thorns. One prick and I will need to send you to a healer for a swollen hand.”
“Yes.”
Aurelion brought the clippers down and caught the flower in a basket.
“Good.” Neo praised him with a small smile. “The nectar of the flower has a numbing effect. Consume it now, and you will be asleep for days. I will use this flower for Julius’ salve and any basic healing cream.”
“What if you ingest the cream?”
“… The heat of the brewing will make it safe to consume in small doses. You will not be able to build immunity to this flower by ingesting it in that form.”
“Oh…”
Here was another issue about Aurelion that Neo was starting to notice. His little brother seemed to think he was learning to build immunity against poisons.
An admirable feat, but impossible if you were not a Peregrine.
Not even their Uncle Malark was resistant to all the poison plants he raised, and while Neo was immune to some poisons, they were the basic ones that could be easily bought on the black market.
Aurelion’s naivety was cute, but Neo did not hesitate to crush his expectations.
“I’ll teach you how to detect them in foods and drinks, so instead of consuming something you shouldn’t and suffering the consequences, you will know beforehand and prevent yourself a trip to the healing wards.”
“… Fine.”
Victory for now.
“We will move on to the Horse Hemlock. You will hold the basket and I will harvest. Make sure not to let the leaves touch your skin, or I will need to bring you to the healer for a toxic rash…”
—
Neo fiddled with the Cloud Mark talisman in his hand while he watched Rainier work.
They were in his laboratory. Rainier was cleaning the lab tables and the remnants of his current project.
It had been nearly two weeks since Neo made the Cloud Mark.
He planned to test it on himself soon, but Rainier was evading the conversation whenever he tried to bring it up.
Neo didn’t see why. His magic reserves were nearly recovered. It was enough for the Cloud Mark.
“Rainier—”
“Midsummer.” It was evident Rainier knew what he was going to say. “We can wait until midsummer.”
Neo stared at his back, which was slightly bent over as he cleaned. The lines of Rainier’s muscles were drawn and tight, his movements unusually stiff. He wasn’t like that a moment ago.
The unspoken conversation between them lingered in the air.
—
The summer holiday began for the Rhine Empire in earnest.
For the noble class, this was the social season.
Lords and Ladies awaited letters from friends and acquaintances.
Banquets opened in the Imperial Palace for those who desired to enter the viper’s pit.
For many, it was time to hold celebrations and send out invitations.
In the Noble Academy, there was a rumor about a private gathering at the Odum Manor. No one knew what qualified for an invitation, but many students wanted to go.
Could you imagine the networking opportunity?
Most noble children were natural opportunists. They were raised to be thick-skinned and shameless to a certain degree by their equally thick-skinned parents. Social anxiety was a difficult beast to battle as teenagers, but they didn’t choose the hustle life—the hustle life chose them.
—
The day of the gathering.
Lester was dizzy and somewhat nauseous as the pull of the teleportation array brought him to what he could only assume was somewhere within the Odum Manor.
One moment, he was leaving the gates of his family home and activating the array. The very next second, he felt as if his entire being was sucked into a pipe, shattered into a million pieces, and then reconstructed haphazardly.
Perhaps he should have gone with the flying horses. Lester thought he hated carriages, but it seemed he hated teleportation even more.
He was now standing in front of a glass building.
The glass building was situated in a large garden full of peonies and hydrangeas blooming in a way that likely took dozens of gardeners to properly achieve and maintain. According to the invite, the location of the gathering was written as The Glasshouse of Odum Manor, otherwise named Alouysia’s Sanctuary.
And thank the gods there was a sign that read “Alouysia’s Sanctuary” next to the glass building.
As expected of Brother Naza. Even his invitations were efficient and to the point. No need for check-ins at the front gate.
The door swung open.
The first thing Lester saw were plants. Lots and lots of plants.
Then Brother Naza emerged from the building, holding a glowing stone in one hand and perching the door open in the other.
“Lester,” he greeted, “how was the journey?”
Lester stepped past the door and pretended as if his head wasn’t still spinning. “Are the flying horses still an option?”
Brother Naza’s lips curled slightly. “If you would like. ” He plucked a leaf off of one of the numerous plants in the building and gave it to him. “Here. This will help stop the dizziness.”
The taste of menthol fell on his tongue and Lester couldn’t wait to wash it down with a drink.
He followed Brother Naza as they made their way further into the building.
More plants and watering pipes came into view. Small, fountain structures were scattered, and there were night pearls of varying shades activated on the tall ceiling.
“Don’t touch anything marked with a red sign. Those are poisonous.”
The warning was belated, but Lester thought it made Brother Naza even cooler.
A party in a poison garden?
Lester couldn’t wait to tell his family after this.
They reached the center of the building. Lester saw a large platform with chairs, sofas, and tables, and servants standing on the edge with teapots and dessert carts. He recognized Julius at a glance, but there were also a few other people sitting together in different areas of the platform. Julius was sitting on a lounge sofa all by himself. He looked relaxed as he spoke with a boy who had a smile akin to a sly fox.
Lester felt his hands becoming clammy. He had never been to such a private social event before. The group of people was small enough to be considered Brother Naza’s inner circle and confidant, and Lester was a nobody among them.
They all looked so intimidating, and sharp, even as they sat there speaking to one another. Lester was afraid he would ruin it by being here.
“Everyone, meet Lester.”
Suddenly, all the attention was on him and Lester wanted to melt into the floor.
—
Neo stood up from his seat as he saw the stone for the teleportation array on his end flashing.
It seemed Lester had arrived.
He went to greet the boy, and as expected, Lester was feeling some of the aftereffects of the teleportation array.
There was a reason why he placed the Ginkgo Bila plant by the door, and it was exactly for today’s event.
Tybalt, Royce, and Finneas suffered the same effects when they first arrived, and the only one who refrained from using the array was Julius, whose constitution did not mix well with teleportation.
After feeding Lester a leaf, he guided him toward the party.
Alyousia’s Sanctuary had been converted into a gathering place for their group.
Servants stood around to manage the snacks and drinks, and mismatched coffee tables, chairs, and sofas were spread all over the platform.
The large platform was an additional laboratory space, but Rainier helped him clear the distillers and work tables to make space.
With all the stuff they were shoving into the Glasshouse, they had to bring out the large bonsai tree to make room.
It was currently sunbathing in front of the building.
His father may or may not have teared up when he saw the state of the bonsai tree. He gifted the tree to Neo when he first received the Glasshouse.
Neo didn’t have the heart to tell him the tree served no purpose other than to be a pointless decoration that required high maintenance.
It had grown twice its size in the last four months and hogged up all the space within the Sanctuary.
The baby yew tree he received from Sutton grew deeply upset with the bonsai’s overgrown branches and uprooted itself several times since Neo received it.
Rainier had to re-pot it and place it in the nursery section of the greenhouse after the fifth time…
Neo warned Lester about the poisonous plants as they walked deeper into the building. His other companions were at first uneasy about the location, but Neo had moved all the plants that produced poisonous fumes to another location deep in the Western Garden, so everything else was perfectly safe as long as no one touched anything they shouldn’t.
Most of the servants in the manor were so proud of their Eldest Young Master. This was his first time hosting a party, and while he did decide that the place to gather was the Glasshouse, nothing could beat the time when the Duchess brought the Duke to a Mana Bomb Testing Site for his birthday and forced all their friends to join them. One explosion was already too many, but the Duchess planted over fifty Mana Bombs at the site for the Scavenger Hunt.
The platform was coming into view and Neo noticed that Lester had shrunk in on himself after seeing the other “guests.”
Lester was the youngest of his companions, of course, but their group wasn’t some college fraternity.
Hell, this entire gathering was just because everyone wanted to meet up and talk a little. There was nothing formal or official about it.
Royce brought board games.
Whoever decided to spread rumors about some kind of super secret elite party at the Odum Manor needed to think with their brains and not with their mouth.
“Everyone, meet Lester.”
The introduction was simple and to the point.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Lester, this is Tybalt, Royce, and Finneas. And you already know Julius from our meetings.”
Julius was lounging comfortably on the only chaise they had. He raised his teacup in greeting.
The chaise was by far the most comfortable seat in the Glasshouse, but since he was the person with the worst constitution, he got dibs.
Finneas was a second runner-up in that field of competition, but his seasonal illness passed quickly after resting for a week in his manor. He was once more filled with overwhelming vitality.
Lester looked like he was blue-screening for a second, but recovered enough to bow his head woodenly.
“I am very pleased to meet you.”
There was a brief pause of silence as Tybalt, Finneas, and Royce looked at him curiously.
Julius simply smiled behind the rim of his teacup.
The silence stretched, until finally, Tybalt snickered.
His eyes showed mirth.
Neo sighed.
Walking over, Tybalt assessed Lester with a roguish grin. “He’s so tiny and cute! When you told us he was a swordsman, I was expecting someone with your brother’s temperament!”
Excuse me?
But before Neo could defend Aurelion’s honor, Tybalt swung an arm around Lester’s shoulder and drew him close.
“You don’t need to mind your manners here, Little Letty. I promise we don’t bite.”
“L-Letty? Wait, I’m not little!”
“Hahahaha, say that again when you’re taller.”
Tybalt started to drag Lester over to the coffee table where Royce and Finneas were sitting.
The two of them were playing Un0.
Finneas was losing. Badly.
He threw the cards down. “This is a shitty game!”
“You’re a shitty player!” There was a nerve that was throbbing on the side of Royce’s head.
Tybalt made Lester share a bench with him and turned to Royce.
“Let’s play another game. Something easier for Finny.”
“Are you implying something, Phelan?”
Royce huffed and brought out a tall, rectangular box from the bag of board games he brought with him.
Inside the box, there were wooden blocks. Royce dumped them out and started making sets of threes. He stacked them into a tower and removed one black from the middle carefully. He placed the block on top of the tower.
“This is Jonga. You take out a block with one hand and stack it on top. The game ends when someone makes the tower fall.”
Finneas somehow managed to destroy the tower within three rounds.
—
Neo chose not to participate in the board games, especially once Royce took out the M0n0p01y board. Tybalt partnered up with Lester and the two of them were doing a spectacular job destroying Finneas and Royce.
Neo was sitting across from Julius. “Any words from Elliot?” he asked.
Julius took a slow sip of his tea. “He won’t answer my letters.”
Neo stared at his cup in thought. “I haven’t seen him since our last conversation. I sent him a few messages and an invitation, but he hasn’t responded to any of them.”
Julius raised his head to look at him. “Do you think…” he trailed off, a vague note in his voice.
“What?”
And then it dawned on Neo that they were worried about the same thing.
Elliot was a Moores, but the other half of his bloodline came from the underground syndicates. His silence and lack of presence at the Academy were eerily questionable after several weeks. Sooner or later, something was going to happen. It was a matter of when and where.
Julius shook his head as if he thought about something unthinkable. “No. Maybe it’s just a family issue. I heard his brother was not in good health.”
“I know. Leotine… does he have a similar constitution like yours?”
“No, he is naturally frail and his time is limited. That’s why many people think Elliot’s going to succeed as the next Viscount.”
Neo felt an uncomfortable tightness in his stomach. “Elliot’s family…”
He and Julius both stopped talking.
The two of them knew of Elliot’s deepest desires.
And the Moores Family…
How unfortunate it was to be unloved.
—
Aurelion and Guinivere joined the gathering an hour later.
They both brought their own chairs.
“Aurelion, Guinivere, this is Lester and Julius.”
Both his siblings bowed their heads awkwardly.
They have met Finneas, Royce, and Tybalt, but the companions he tethered himself to were more or less secret alliances. This was the first time Lester and Julius were properly introduced to his siblings.
Aurelion opted to join the M0n0p01y game, but Guinivere was content to sit beside Neo.
Neo had Rainier bring her a cup of tea and some desserts before he turned his attention back to Julius.
“The wedding anniversary is next month. Will you join us?”
“Wedding Anniversary?”
“Mother and father’s.”
Julius shook his head, “I have another… treatment,” he said, carefully, “scheduled two weeks from now. I may be on bedrest until late summer.”
“I will visit,” Neo said shortly, knowing not to pry when it came to the numerous treatments Julius needed to undergo.
“What about the Unification Banquet? It’s at the end of summer, and everyone and their grandmothers go to that one.” Surprisingly, it was Finneas who joined in on their conversation. He was currently holding a hand of cards, and Neo was deeply perplexed by why.
“Oh, we’ve moved on to Go Fish,” Royce said with a tired face. “Your brother bankrupted everyone.”
Sitting beside him, Aurelion merely frowned, but Neo could tell he was smug about the win.
Guinivere swallowed a spoonful of chocolate mousse and turned to Neo. “Anna and Mary plan to use the banquet to find suitors—”
“No.” “When you’re older.”
The simultaneous response from both Odum brothers was instinctive.
Neo looked at his sister solemnly. “Most boys do not fit your standards, and the banquet will only encourage them to think they have a chance. Wait a few more years.”
Aurelion didn’t say anything. His answer was still a resounding “no.”
Guinevere frowned and shoved another spoonful of mousse into her mouth.
Eventually, the conversation went back to the events everyone was required to attend for the social season.
Julius was given a pass since he had the constitution of a zooplankton, but for everyone else in the room, they were expecting a busy holiday.
“My family got invited to so many balls this year, and some are out of the country. My feet are going to die.” Royce looked like he wanted to cry.
The atmosphere was peaceful. This get-together was a good idea.
“More tea, Master Nazareth?”
A maidservant suddenly approached him with a teapot. Her posture was straight, and her movements graceful. If not for the slight squeak in her voice as she spoke, Neo wouldn’t have noticed she was nervous.
He nodded to her and held out his cup for her to pour tea.
A steady stream fell into his cup and she backed away with a slightly rigid bow.
Neo watched as she went back toward the edge of the platform. Rainier appeared behind him right after with a slice of cake.
“Still training?” Neo discreetly glanced at the maidservant.
Rainier handed him a fork and smiled. “We’re working on it.”
‘Working on it’ referred to Ethel Thomas, the maidservant.
She was a mousy-looking girl with round glasses and braided pigtails. According to Rainier, she recently graduated from the Servant Academy.
Her character reference was flawless and she was able to impress the hiring staff. The Headmaster of the Servant Academy and several professors also wrote all her recommendation letters.
Even Neo could tell she was skilled, despite the initial nerves. Her presence in the Glasshouse spoke for itself. Within a few weeks, she managed to climb the servant rankings and was now trusted to serve for this gathering.
Ethel was competent, yes.
The only problem was her self-esteem.
“We’re working on it,” Rainier said again as if he was reading Neo’s thoughts. His smile widened into something akin to amusement.
Neo returned it with a smile of his own.
He took a sip of tea and—oh.
The flavor was clean and there was a sweet aftertaste. Neo knew that the tea leaves he ordered for the gathering were either on the fruity side or the fragrant side since his friends had mixed palates.
He couldn’t tell which this was, but Ethel somehow worked her magic to make something that suited his taste perfectly.
She and Rainier should form an alliance. This was very good tea.
He took another sip to guess what it was.
There was something about the sweetness that reminded him of a scent—wait.
“R…ain…”
The back of his throat went dry, and his mouth felt numb and weighty.
Then the room started to spin before he even realized it.
The antidote…
“Young Master?”
“I… need…”
Neo suddenly lost strength in his fingers and he dropped the teacup.
Crash!
The taste of iron quickly filled his mouth.
“Young Master…!”
Neo puts his hand over his lips in confusion. There was something trickling down his chin. When he pulled back his hand, it was sticky and red.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Drops of blood fell onto his lap, soaking his pants, and probably spilling down his shirt.
A loud scream echoed through the room.
Guinevere stared at him with terror.
“Brother!”
He could hear them calling his name, but they sounded so far away.
Rainier’s face dawned with horror.
“Nazareth…” Slowly, Neo turned to Julius, whose eyes were wide with fear.
He blinked and all of a sudden, Rainier was in front of him, his arms pressing him against the chair, and his entire body wounded protectively around him.
His blindfold was off, Neo noted stupidly.
Large sewing needles, of all things, appeared between his fingers
Rainier’s face was so close, and he smelled soap and something earthy, and yet, he was not looking at Neo. His head was turned and his cornflower blue eyes sharpened into something dangerous, predatorial, as they flickered back and forth.
The room fell into an uproar.
A servant ran out to get the Duke and Duchess while the remaining servants pulled out their respective weapons.
They formed an orbit around Neo and his siblings while a barrier array activated beneath the platform.
No one could get in… or get out.
“H-hey!” Julius was pulled from the chaise and directly pushed into a chair beside Finneas.
“Oi!” Finneas stabilized Julius but not before shooting the servant who manhandled him a dirty look.
Neo didn’t miss the way they rounded up his companions and circled them.
“Cup…”
He tried to tell Rainier. His head was spinning and the blood flowing through his veins felt like ice.
“… C… up…”
Rainier’s gaze went to the shattered teacup on the ground.
“… Cu…p,” Neo tried again, willing his eyes to speak for him as leaned closer.
Blood poured out of his lips as he forced himself to speak.
There was so much blood, and he was starting to wonder where it was all coming from.
“Ri… cin…” Neo whispered.
From their close proximity, he could see the way Rainier’s breathing quickened.
Neo looked into his eyes.
I trust you. He tried to convey, even as black spots began to dot his vision. You know what to do.
The last thing he saw was Rainier’s eyes, the way they lit up in understanding before alarm contorted his features
“Young Master…!”
Neo felt like someone had stuffed him with cotton and drowned him in glue.
The world was fading around him and he was drowning in all the noise.
And then, there was nothing.
—
The front door of the Odum manor slammed open, the force of it causing the entrance to shake.
“Where is my son!?”
Gareth and Vespera were on a warpath.
They had both been in the Imperial Palace when the fastest warhawk in Vespera’s collection arrived out of nowhere with a message from home.
Urgent. The Eldest Young Master fell. Suspect unknown.
Fell, as in their son was incapacitated.
Fell, like soldiers who died in war.
Fell, which was used if a line of defense was broken through.
It was like with Aurelion all over again.
The first time he fell to his elder brother… the second… the third… the fourth… and so on.
Each and every time, Vespera and Gareth ran as if hellhounds were at their heel.
But this time, it was different.
Nazareth fell.
Nazareth, who was resilient and in control.
If he fell, then that meant so much more.
There was a threat to the Odum House, one that even their eldest couldn’t handle.
Vespera and Gareth left the palace in due haste, forgoing the carriage in favor of Vespera’s prize war stallion, Stygian.
The two of them managed to shorten the three-hour trip from the Palace to the Manor down to an hour and a half due to Vespera’s quick maneuvers and illegal horseback riding skills.
The Odum had gone under lockdown, no one was allowed to leave, including their son’s guests.
Servants, from the ones who appeared at night and in shadows, to the scullery maids in the kitchens, roamed the halls and within them like bloodhounds.
Their orders were received. Capture and interrogate. Do not be kind.
Gareth and Vespera set off toward the West Wing. When they arrived, it was pure chaos.
“Get the bucket! He needs the vomit inducer!”
“Young Master, please—”
“Lean him over! He will choke!”
“He’s not breathing! Bring me—”
“Blood replenishers are out! Decant more!”
Their son’s bedroom was surrounded by a team of healers scrambling around like headless chickens.
Nazareth was on the bed, his eyes closed and his face pale as he was moved by the healers. Each breath he took was wet and short.
“Your Grace!” The head healer noticed Gareth and Vespera and approached them carefully.
Gareth’s face was frozen over, but the healer wasn’t intimidated.
He was a medic during the Lesser Krieg War and had looked death in the eyes several times. The Duke was a father, not a reaper.
“We have managed to stabilize his condition. One of the servants found poison in his drink, so we presume he was the intended target—”
“Eugh…Ugh… Ack!”
Blood sprayed all over the bed as Nazareth coughed.
“Where is the bucket?!” A healer who was holding him in a sitting position shouted at another.
Nazareth’s hands went to his mouth to stop the flow, but it kept trickling out from between his fingers.
Another healer pushed the bucket onto his lap and gently took his hand away despite Nazareth trying to pull away.
“Don’t worry, dear. Just let it out, alright? Come on, let it all out. There you go, you’re doing so good, love.”
The room smelled heavily of blood and blood replenishers.
Gareth watched the healer coax his son. His son leaned over the bucket and heaved into it.
“… What is happening to him?”
“It is one of the side effects of the poison, Your Grace,” the head healer answered.
Vespera turned to him. “Our child will suffer through the night?”
“A week, Your Grace. It will take a week for the effects to wear off.”
Before the Duke and Duchess could kill him, Nazareth let out a broken sob.
Gareth and Vespera were immediately beside him.
—
Guinivere and Aurelion wanted to be in the room, but the servants ushered them away.
Rainier brought them to the room next door.
It was Nazareth’s office.
From here, they could hear what was happening on the other side of the wall.
The two of them sat on the sofa and waited.
Some servants stood guard in the room.
No one had said anything to them, yet.
They were there.
They were right there. Guinivere had sat next to him.
And yet…
The infallible older brother was reduced to a state of bloody coughs and choking cries.
Aurelions’ eyes grew red, and his lips trembled ever so slightly.
Guinivere bit her lips a little too hard and the hands she had clasped together started to shake.
They were fine.
Nazareth will be fine.
It will be fine.
—
Royce was utterly drained from that shitshow of a tea party.
It was evening when he arrived home.
The people in Odum Manor separated them and brought him to a dark room somewhere.
Then, the interrogations started.
“What were you doing during the incident?”
“Who were you talking to?”
“Did you see what happened?”
“What is your relationship with the Young Master Nazareth?”
After a lengthy Q and A, the servants searched him. All they found was the chain whip he wore on his clothes, but nothing that could prove Royce was the one to poison Neo.
Poison Neo.
Royce still couldn’t wrap his head around that idea.
He went straight to his bedroom and locked the door.
Worry ate at Royce’s heart as his mind raced.
Neo always had a plan. He always did.
But Royce now had doubts.
They needed to consider Neo’s current position.
He’d been… he’d been damseled.
Basically damseled.
And there was no prince. Not in this story. Only careful planning and whatever knowledge he could leave them with.
Fuck my life.
Royce carded his fingers through his hair, making a mess of it as the cogs in his head spun at jackrabbit speed.
There were so many variables to consider, so many suspects from a long list of people they offended. Royce couldn’t handle this alone.
He couldn’t deduce himself out of a paper bag, but Tybalt could. His deductive reasoning was on par with Scutland Yard investigators.
Then there was Finneas, with all the magical resources at his fingertips. He was the one who could see the layouts of any space and guide them through danger behind the literal crystal ball.
And Royce would do what he did best, before the Regression—track them down and bring them in.
Whoever was aiming for Neo’s life was a fool.
Their group always made sure to pay back their debts with extra interest.
The mirror on Royce’s table started to glow just as he thought this.
Two of the gemstones on it, the tiger-eye and the amethyst, flashed like a pulse.
He saw Tybalt and Finneas on the other side of the mirror, staring back at him. They both looked grim.
Royce had no doubt his expression was the same.
“What do we do?”
—
“How could you let this happen?”
Rainier kept his head low as he was questioned.
The servants who were working in the Glasshouse had all been confined to their respective rooms to await their summons by the Duke and Duchess.
He was the first to go.
“I have no excuses.”
The Duke leveled him with an icy glare. “You are his personal servant. His safety should have been your priority.”
“I know, Your Grace.”
Rainier remembered checking with the kitchen. The food was safe to drink, and the tea…
“Ri… cin…”
Ricin.
Ricin Flower was mixed with the tea.
The healers looked faint when he told them of what the Young Master said before he fell.
There was a cold silence that stretched on between him and the Duke.
Neither of them said anything for a long while.
It took everything for Rainier not to fidget. He forced his posture ramrod.
The Duke’s gaze fell on the mark on his face, and Rainier saw a flash of pity.
“Do you like serving my son, Rainier?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“…”
The Duke, in an uncharacteristic move that surprised even Rainier, covered his eyes in resignation and sighed.
“I am stripping you of your title as Nazareth’s personal servant from today onward.”
“…”
“Report to the Butler starting tomorrow. He will give you a list of new responsibilities. You’re dismissed.”
Rainier stepped out of the office and slowly made his way back to his room.
His chest felt empty, hollowed out by an invisible knife.
He was prepared for consequences, but not this.
No, never this.
This was all a nightmare and he desperately wanted to wake up.
—
“That was harsh.”
“I know.”
“Nazareth will reinstate him as his servant once he retains his health.”
“I know.”
“Then why bother?”
Each word his wife uttered was like an arrow striking his heart.
Gareth was weak against her,
“Let it be a lesson. Nazareth is dependent on him from what we’ve seen. I am not suspicious of Rainier, but with their history, he could be pulled into a conspiracy before we find the true culprit. For now, we will remove him from the situation and keep him from getting involved by having him spend time re-evaluating his relationship with our son.”
“Re-evaluate? You want them to be more than friends?”
“No!”
Vespera gave him a pointed look.
She couldn’t understand his reasoning, even though it was clear he put a lot of thought into making this decision. Nazareth and Rainier seemed fine to her, but it clearly rankled on her husband’s mind.
“No one is getting married! I’m just saying that for now, let Rainier think he must prove that we can trust him to take care of Nazareth.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Beloved!”
Vespera ignored him. She took a delicate sip of her wine—gods knew she needed more than this to handle the coming future—and brought out another servant file from her desk.
“Send in Ethel Thomas.”
—
Step 41. Throw a tea party and invoke chaos and panic. Child, everything will change from here on.
The author has something to say:
What a great way to start off the volume, am I right?
Thank you, liliroilvareich for the lovely fanart! Please check it out on the fanart page. The link is in my profile.
To my first readers from way back when, if you guys are still reading this, thank you all for your support and for continuing to stick with me despite my revisions and slow updates. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I would not have continued on if you guys hadn’t messaged me with all sorts of ideas and incredible feedback.
liliroilvareich
Memorable tea party
I clapped with glee to see an update—and what a first chapter for the new arc—trying to kill off Neo! Hahahahaha. Thanks for the latest 🤣❤️🤣❤️🤣❤️
He CRIED! Oh my heart, poor Neo
Destruction onto the culprit!! Destruction!!!
Thanks for the chapter!
So excited for the start of a new volume!!! It went off with a blast, I’d say!!
Thanks for the chapter!! ❤️❤️❤️
The volume definitely started of great, very intense! Poor Neo Q^Q
Thank you for the chapter ❤️❤️❤️
RawR wahhh is it the underground????? Neo get well!! Your friends are going to track down the culprit and be pulled to another angtst action(hope so hahahahah)
Thank you for the update 💕
I knew it! There’s something amiss! The book is roo lovey-dovey! And here i lt is! The Actiooaoon!
Oh god this feels so surreal, I have been reading this story since the day it was first uploaded on webnovel. This feels like a dream!!!!! God I love this novel so much! I hope you will continue to write this amazing story!!!
Neooo babbyyy no dont cry hnggg.
I belive we’ve finally cough up to this point I’m so happy 😭😭😭
I was not expecting Neo to be poisoned that shocked me!
Thank you for the chapter! I’ll always follow this and wait for updates no matter how long I have to wait!
OMG the series start again yaay 🎉🎉🎉
And what a way to start new season by ✨️poisoning the MC✨️