Edited by: bafflinghaze
Countess Astella Moores was a woman who rarely participated in Noble Society.
She appeared one day without any explanation, claiming that the Earl was the father of her son.
A visit to the Magic Tower revealed that the child belonged to the Earl.
Several months later, Earl Moores married Astella Castas and stepped down as the head of the Moores Family.
Close friends of his visited the manor to see him, in fear of a conspiracy. But the truth was, he was still grieving for his late wife despite his remarriage, and would not leave their shared bedroom.
Earl Moores was swallowed by his grief and ignored the present, forgetting he still had a sickly son left by his first love in favor of living in his delusions.
As a result, all responsibilities of the Earldom fell to the current Countess, and so her reputation plummeted.
In the beginning, it was rumored she was the daughter of a humble seamstress and lowly merchant from a rural village in the desert.
She had no backing in the aristocracy, no proper standing or lineage, and no particular talent worth admiring.
But she was beautiful and a little strange, and there was an unnaturalness about her that drew eyes.
It was enough to catch the interests of the higher-ranking families, and those with the proper clearances did a little digging.
Then they found the classified documents.
Whispers floated within the banquets and balls.
If one traced the timeline between the death of the late Countess Lydia and the age of the current Countess’ son, they were met with a discrepancy in the timelines.
Everyone knew the Earl was loyal to his wife. He even defied the previous Earl and wedded the then-servant Lydia after the war.
And yet, there was a three-year age difference between his two sons.
What happened between the Earl Moores and his new wife?
The suspicious passing of Lydia Moores, the arrival of Astella Castas, and the sudden seclusion of Earl Moores after his second marriage…
It smelled of intrigue.
The higher-ranking families were quiet despite the rumors, allowing the whispers to spiral into several directions.
It was better that way, especially after their discovery.
Astella Moores was the heir of the Castas Family, a key player in the criminal underworld.
It was best not to offend, especially when the Castas led the two most infamous criminal organizations in the underworld—The Syndicate and The Iron Lotus.
—
In the Moores Family Manor.
A handsome servant arrived at the Countess’ Garden.
He was a tall man. His hair was ash-grey, and his face was marked with a scar that stretched from his chin to his cheek. His eyes were narrower, his skin darker, as if he used to live somewhere warmer than the mild climates of the Rhine.
It was clear he was not native to the Empire, but the mystique that came with his foreignness made him one of the most attractive men among the Earl’s staff.
The servant moved through the Countess’ Garden, his pace neither fast nor slow. He walked through the gates of the forbidden area that few among the servants were allowed to approach.
The forbidden area was a poison garden grown by the Countess after she married the Earl. It was located deep in the Countess’ Garden, where few wandered.
Few people could enter, as it was fortified by a stone wall, hidden by trees, and situated across a place known as the Hunting Grounds.
The further the servant went into the poison garden, the more hummingbirds began to appear in the treelines.
The hummingbirds shone like jewels under the sun. No one knew where they came from, but once the flowers bloomed in the poison garden, they were a common sight within the forbidden area. They did not venture further than the walls.
The servant arrived at the heart of the poison garden.
Under the bright summer sky, a figure sat beneath a stone pavilion.
“It has started,” the servant said. He kneeled before the figure and presented the missive.
Countess Moores turned to him. Her gaze, a silver abyss with no spark or light, was devoid of warmth.
She took the missive and opened it.
The child has fallen.
Four words brought a small smile to her lips, yet there was no joy in her eyes.
The hummingbirds suddenly drew closer, like bees to honey. They danced around the pavilion, lively and delighted upon seeing the smile on their master’s face. Some approached the servant and pecked his face, leaving bloody dots all over.
The servant was still and took the teasing without so much as a twitch.
The Countess watched them with a bored look on her face.
The hummingbirds feasted on the nectars of the flowers she bred. The garden was the fruit of her labor, grown from her flesh and blood, and sowed with the seeds of death.
Her pets were loyal to her. They viewed her as their mother and did her bidding.
“Send the reward,” the Countess drawled, her voice low with an airy tone and accent uncommon to the Empire.
The servant stiffly lowered his head, indicating he would follow the order.
The Countess checked the hourglass on the pavilion table and noticed the time.
“Have someone bring food for the Earl and his son. Make sure they are taking their medications.”
Again, the servant lowered his head.
“What of Young Master Elliot?”
The Countess turned to her garden. “He can handle himself. You’re dismissed.”
As the cold words fell, the servant swept into a low bow and left promptly.
Once the servant was gone, the Countess stood from her chair.
There was an allure as she moved like a serpent in a pit.
“My lovelies,” she called.
A swarm of hummingbirds flew toward her with vigor.
The Countess seemingly softened as they perched on her arms and shoulders.
She opened a drawer from under the stone table and brought a bottle of Yellow Trileaves wine.
She poured the wine into a glass and placed it in the center.
“Go on. Feed.”
The hummingbirds swarmed the glass eagerly.
But one stayed behind, remaining perched on the Countess’ shoulder.
Its color was bolder than the rest of its sisters and brothers, a deeper emerald green than the rest.
It has already partaken in the wine previously.
The Countess raised her hand.
The hummingbird flew from her shoulder and landed on the open palm.
She strokes its head with her thumb. “You know what to do, lovely.”
The hummingbird raised its wings and disappeared toward the treelines and beyond the stone walls, leaving a trail of fragrance that could only be found in the poison garden.
The Countess watched it go with a muted gaze
—
“Young Master Nazareth, pardon the intrusion.”
Ethel Thomas quietly opened the door to the eldest young master’s bedroom and slowly walked inside.
There was an anxious fluttering in her gut as she moved closer to the bed. It was nerves, according to Nuriel, her current mentor. The eldest young master was intimidating at first, but she would get used to it eventually.
Perhaps it was because Ethel was more sensitive than the average person, but she had not, in fact, gotten used to the eldest young master’s overwhelming presence as of yet.
With Rainier, her previous mentor, sulking in his room after getting demoted—gods, it was like watching her roommate after a breakup all over again—, Ethel took on some of his previous roles.
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.
Did she mention he had been the eldest young master’s personal servant?
Arse-biscuits.
Of all the options she had, why did she choose service?
After the tea party from hell, all the servants were put on rotation when it came to serving the eldest young master.
Ethel, thank the gods, was not Rainier’s replacement. While she did have to check in more often with the eldest young master, her more experienced colleagues took on the laborious task of nursing him.
Higher-ranking and Capable servants were ordered to be on alert since the previous event. More often than not, Ethel’s hands had been going to her weapon more times than she could count whenever she heard a noise in the West Wing.
All the while, rumors spread among the normal servants and seasonal hires.
The juiciest one Ethel stumbled upon starred Rainier as the protagonist to justify his disappearance from the servant rotation. Something about unrequited love, murder-suicide revenge, an arranged marriage, and being a substitute for a white moonlight. Anyway, according to that rumor, Rainier was now in a dungeon underneath the manor and being tortured by the Duchess.
Ethel was a smart girl. She stayed quiet as the rumors ran rampant.
There was no way she wanted to get involved with any of… that.
It was better to keep her head down for the time being—
“Ethel, when you check in with the Eldest Young Master today, bring him his medicine.”
“…”
“Ethel?”
“… Arse biscuits.”
“Um… is that a yes?”
“… Fine.”
—which did nothing for her. She now found herself doing a little more when it came to the eldest young master. She was walking at a snail’s pace toward the bed.
Her coworkers made fun of her, but she staunchly believed her fear of the eldest young master was justified. It wasn’t only his presence that intimidated her, but the things he did to Rainier that made her absolutely terrified.
Just look at Rainier!
Exhibit A, the blindfold.
Exhibit B, the marks peeking out from the blindfold.
Exhibit C, the marks she saw when he removed the blindfold on the day of the poisoning.
Whatever sadomasochistic thing was happening between Rainier and the eldest young master should stay between Rainier and the eldest young master.
Ethel had been here for less than a month and the number of times she watched them stare into each other’s eyes was way too many.
They were a little too obvious and a little too open about their feelings for one another, and needed to keep their private moments private.
And by the gods, when they took off the eldest young master’s shirt and everyone saw the marks below his collarbone? Matching tattoos? Really?!
Ethel wanted to be a piece of decoration whenever the two of them were in a room.
She broke away from her thoughts when she heard a wet cough.
Arse-biscuits… kill her now.
Willing her shame and embarrassment away, Ethel stepped in front of the eldest young master’s bedside.
“Young Master Nazareth, I’ve brought your medicine.”
Vermillion eyes cracked open, reminding Ethel of a lion awakened from slumber.
There was a fogginess to the eldest young master’s gaze that spoke of how delirious he was.
Adding onto the fact that the room was dark and the air was heavy with the bitterness of medicine and the tang of iron, the eldest young master was at his weakest state.
And yet, it did little to ease her nerves.
The medicine that was given to her was a tonic. Ethel needed to somehow get the eldest young master to drink it.
Which meant she had to help him or else he would choke.
Thankfully, the eldest young master was more or less a limpet.
If the limpet was boobytrapped.
“Please drink, Young Master Nazareth.”
Ethel carefully brought the tonic to the eldest young master’s lips. She supported his back with one arm while the other held the medicine.
She then quickly tucked him back into the bed.
Great, now he just needed to be wiped down and changed for the day, and that was thankfully not her responsibility.
“Rest well, Young Master Nazareth.”
Ethel quietly cleaned up the bedroom.
During this time, another maidservant came in with some hydrangeas from the garden to replace the already wilted flowers in the bedroom.
According to her other colleagues, Rainier used to bring in flowers all the time for the eldest young master.
“What’s this?”
Ethel paused as she was picking up the old flower vase. She noticed that it was filled with…
“Dandelions?”
She and the other maidservant exchanged a glance.
It was quite… ordinary.
Did the eldest young master like dandelions?
She silently threw the flowers out and gave the vase to the other maidservant, who refilled it with clean water and placed the hydrangeas inside.
Ethel went to open the window.
Tying the curtains together, the dark and gloomy bedroom was suddenly filled with light. A fresh breeze drifted inside, making the air a little more comfortable.
She placed the vase on the window.
“Please excuse us, Young Master Nazareth.”
Both Ethel and the other maidservant bowed near the foot of the bed and left the room.
—
Neo woke up again.
This was one of the few moments he was conscious, as rare as it was the last few days.
He felt trapped in a never-ending dream, full of visions and unspeakable memories.
It was like being submerged in water and not having the means to breathe. Many would call it drowning, yet breath came easy to him despite the tightness in his lungs.
The healers stabilized the poison in his body from wreaking havoc on the first day and helped him flush out most of the Ricin Flower remnants.
He was thankful the dose wasn’t large, or else he would have suffered longer.
It was also a saving grace that the poisoning happened in the Sanctuary.
The healers used some of his Green Camelia to combat the poison.
The plant was growing abundantly at the back of the Sanctuary, so there was no need for a trip to the apothecary.
Green Camelia was a universal poison stabilizer for any poison under level seven of the toxicity scale. It was a tea plant common within the warmer regions of the Zhongguo Empire.
Neo bought seeds and grew them in case of emergencies.
When he recognized the sweet taste of Ricin Flower on his tongue, it was endgame for him. Being sent into a near-coma was written in the stars when he took a second sip.
Ricin Flower was fast-acting the moment it was ingested.
Neo got himself immune to it in his Third Year.
Right now, he was not immune, so he knew he was fucked.
He couldn’t remember what happened after warning Rainier, but he felt himself being jostled around after swallowing the Green Camellia at some point, so at least he wouldn’t have to suffer the full symptoms of Ricin Flower poisoning.
The poison was more vicious than a debt collector, but not life-threatening.
Ironically, it was one of Nazareth’s go-to poison for anyone who annoyed him.
Ricin flower didn’t kill, but it did ruin people for several weeks.
Not to mention the anemia that followed.
This was karma.
Neo could feel himself being pulled back into unconsciousness.
Weakly, he took a breath and fell back into the world of dreams, where a long-forgotten melody awaited him.
—
“We’ve arrived, Master Julius.”
A carriage with the Elysium Family crest pulled up in front of the Moores Manor.
The guards at the gate recognized the crest and bowed.
Julius stayed in the carriage but turned to the guards below.
“Send for Elliot Moores.”
The order was swiftly carried out.
A few minutes later, a boy with ash-brown hair appeared at the gate.
He scrutinized Julius almost unwillingly and said, slowly, “Julius, what a pleasure to see you.”
It was not, in fact, a pleasure.
Julius raised an elegant brow.
“Elliot,” he greeted, “I wish there was a better reason for my visit, but I’m afraid I need to speak with you urgently. Come.”
The carriage driver opened the door.
Elliot scowled, “No.”
Julius waved his hand. His own personal guards surrounded them.
Truthfully speaking, he was not giving Elliot a choice in the matter. The other boy could either come willingly, or he would use force.
Elliot glared at him. His protest lacked any real heat, just frustration by Julius’ methods.
He turned to the servants guarding the gates, “Tell Mother I will be back by dinner.”
“Yes, Young Master Elliot.”
Elliot entered the carriage.
—
The carriage circled the rural country roads of the Moores territory. There was no destination in mind, and Elliot didn’t think Julius had one in the first place. Getting in the carriage was just an excuse to prevent him from leaving the conversation.
Elliot faced Julius with his shoulders tensed.
Julius was staring out the window with a seemingly bored face. “You have been avoiding us.”
The silence was broken by this statement. Vermillion eyes turned to him with a pointed focus that made Elliot squirm.
“I’ve been busy.” Damn, the excuse was even weaker out loud.
Julius was unreadable.
“Have you checked the state of the bond recently?”
Elliot didn’t expect him to ask about the tie.
At the mention of it, he subconsciously reached into himself and felt the bond tied around his lifestrand.
The part of it reserved for Nazareth’s oath was… cracked?
He looked back at Julius and saw that the other’s expression was stiff like stone.
“Three days ago, Nazareth was poisoned.”
Elliot paused.
Nazareth?
His mind scrambled.
Of all people… Nazareth?
“You’re joking.”
The expression on his face must have been stupid because Julius was now staring at him with pity.
“They found the poison in his drink. It was during the tea party we were invited to.”
There was a certain tone Julius took on when he said ‘we’, and Elliot didn’t know how to feel about that.
“I… didn’t mean to ignore all of you.”
He laced his fingers together with discomfort. “Mother wanted me to stay at home. She says it’s time to learn more about the family.”
In a voice smaller than before, he admitted, “Leotine is getting worse.”
His mother pulled him out of school for training. It felt too soon, but with the way things were going, their time was limited.
“Mother loves Leotine. She would do anything for him. I know she’s training me to take the burden off of him, but it’s the first time she’s ever put her focus on me. You know how much that means for me, Julius.”
Julius didn’t respond, but his expression morphed into one of realization and then sadness.
Elliot felt his nails dig into his palms. His mother loved Leotine more. This was a universal truth no one would argue against. But who wouldn’t love Leotine? He was frail and sick, but there was something bright and loving within him.
“I won’t be invisible anymore when Leotine dies—”
“Don’t you dare.”
Elliot pursed his lips and lowered his head with shame.
“You don’t mean that, Elliot.”
He pretended he was deaf.
“Elliot, look at me.”
He refused.
“Elliot, I am still here.” A cold hand reached out and held his chin. It was a firm hold that didn’t hurt or bruise. Elliot could easily break away, but he would hurt Julius instead.
His gaze was filled with remorse when he met Julius’ gaze.
“Elliot, your mother is a bitch, and I mean that in the nicest way.”
“… What?”
“Your mother is a bitch.”
And here he thought they were having an actual, meaningful conversation.
“Don’t insult my mother.”
“Are you serious?”
“Come on, she’s not that bad.”
“I disagree with that statement.”
“Julius!” Elliot couldn’t keep himself from smiling, just ever so slightly.
Julius reached over and moved some stray hairs from his face, “You will be a good Earl, Elliot. Hundreds of times better than your mother and father.”
Elliot felt his cheeks turn warm at the gentle approval.
Everything was happening too fast and too much, but he knew Julius would be fair.
—
The Odum Manor was quiet at dusk.
There was little movement besides the servants patrolling outside and within its walls.
The eldest Odum child slept, his breathing wet and laborious. It was unsettling to watch him suffer, but there was little that would help ease the pain.
The night was warm and humid. To prevent his bedroom from becoming stuffy, the servants cracked the windows open.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a green little hummingbird appeared in the Western Garden and waited patiently for the signal.
The patrolling guards walking beneath the eldest Odum child’s bedroom walked past.
There was a small beam of light that shot over to the windows, showing the hummingbird the way in.
Before the next group of servants passed, the hummingbird darted inside.
It flew around the room, observing the interior curiously. There were hydrangeas in a jar and a tonic with Green Camelia extract on the bedside table.
The hummingbird flew over to the figure on the bed whose head was buried beneath blankets.
This would not do.
The small and practically weightless bird tried to dig its way under but to no avail.
It puffed up its feathers and pecked at what it could only assume was the head in irritation.
“You’re a stupid thing, aren’t you?”
The hummingbird was grabbed out of midair before it could escape.
“Honestly.”
A hand reached down and turned the blanket over.
“Young Master Nazareth, I’ve brought your medicine.”
The eldest Odum child opened his eyes, but there was a lack of clarity to them.
The tonic was uncorked and brought to his lips.
Once the tonic was drunk, he was laid back down.
“He’s all yours.”
The hummingbird found itself alone in the bedroom once more.
Its target’s head was now exposed.
Good.
A purple liquid started dripping out of its beak and pooled slightly on the pillow.
The hummingbird did not possess a mouth that belonged to a real hummingbird. Rather, its beak was like a needle. A syringe needle with a thin tube.
It inserted its beak into its target’s neck, releasing Yellow Trileaves and its own venom into the bloodstream.
Yellow Trileaves, Ricin Flower, Green Camelia, and the nectars of the poison garden were now within the eldest Odum child.
The hummingbird carefully extracted its beak and pecked the wound close.
Its soft head nuzzled the wound as if asking for forgiveness before it flew away.
—
A team of healers was once again called to the Odum Manor.
In the bedroom of the eldest young master, there was chaos.
A bucket was lying on the bedside, filled to the brim as everyone tried to stop the bleeding.
There was so much blood, and it was everywhere. The room was awash with red.
It took from evening to dawn before the healers could stabilize Nazareth.
He required a transfusion. The blood loss was too great and he hadn’t even recovered from the previous poisoning.
Nazareth’s conditions worsened and the healers didn’t know what to do.
The Duke issued an order for all non-Capable Servants to stay in their rooms. The Duchess left for the Imperial Palace on horseback.
Nazareth fell into a coma.
It was a dark time for the Odum Family.
—
Neo was standing on the cliff again, with the roaring waves and the unforgiving rain.
Then he was a body on the ground, found by the research institution.
Clark was already calling the higher-ups to notify them of a donation.
And then Aurelion appeared and stabbed Clark with a sword.
This was surprisingly not the worst nightmare he’d had since being poisoned.
Maybe one of the weirdest, but not the worst—
An unbearable pain coursed through his body like electricity.
All of a sudden, pain was at the forefront of his mind.
He sucked in a breath and found himself awake.
“Eugh… Eugk…!”
Hot flashes and the slow trickling of what he knew was his own blood oozing from the seven orifices on his face unsettled him.
Gods…
“Ughk!” Neo bit down on a cry as pain laced through his veins.
It felt like he was going to explode!
There was screaming and yelling, followed by rapid footsteps and more yelling.
Someone grabbed him by the shoulder—
—
Guinivere and Aurelion were once again in Nazareth’s office.
They both emitted a presence akin to ice as they sat on the sofa.
“Pardon the intrusion,” Rainier stepped into the room with a smile that wasn’t a smile.
He wasn’t wearing his blindfold.
“How is my brother?”
“The healers have started the transfusion spell. Master Gareth is the donor.”
“I see.”
“… They don’t know if he’ll wake up…”
No one said a word after that.
—
A hummingbird flew into a pavilion and landed on the shoulder of its master.
“You did very well, lovely. Go join the rest of your siblings.”
It preened at the praise and flitted toward the nesting trees, rejoining its hive.
Astella’s turned her face toward the moon.
It was full and round, surrounded by stars.
The night was beautiful and she did something unforgivable.
Astella closed her eyes.
“Close your eyes and make a wish, Stella. The seeds will spread your heart’s desire.”
She brought the dandelion to her lips and blew.
—
Step 42. Try to survive a second attempt on your life while everyone else is still figuring out what to do about the first.
The author has something to say:
Green Camelia is inspired by Green Tea leaves. Ricin Flower is inspired by the Castor Oil Plant. Yellow Trileaves is inspired by Sweet Clover. Emerald Hummingbirds are inspired by Chlorostilbon hummingbirds.
No mah babbbyy what is his bitch doing whyyyyyy stahpppp no
Thank you so much for the chapter
So much going on.
Second attempt so soon… Thanks for the update ❤️❤️❤️
arghhhh the cliffhanger!!!!
Great writing, as always, but… I CAUGHT UPPPPP!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!! 😭
Somehow, because of all these cliché “MC is in danger”, I can remain calm while seeing the MC get poisoned. Like, wtf. Awesome hummingbirds idea though.
Sorry, accidentally replied here
I-i have no words
Sob..
Gurl I think I might be tripping but is this bitch neo’s supposedly dead mom?
Man I’m so scared and excited at the same time, this is the point beyond which even us old readers don’t know what is going to happen ;-;
Please be well Neo, my baby!
Since I already subscribe to the theory that Lester and Neo are related, I’m just going to run crazy with it and wonder if Elliot’s scum mom poisoned Lester too….
Whoops, meant Julius and Neo!