279 - The Sugar Pot and the Two Dogs
The list I submitted to Christoph was, naturally, treated with great ceremony. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to immediately move to the work of reviving the secret arts, but since I had set the number of medicines to revive at three, apparently meetings were being held every day to select those three. In particular, the Sedovara Church, whose labor I would absolutely need to borrow for the actual work, seemed to be making intense claims for their rights. They argued that since they were providing the labor, they should be allowed to participate in selecting which secret arts to revive. Christoph saw some reason in this and allowed Sedovara Church personnel to join the meetings, which prolonged the discussions.
"Sooo booored..."
I wanted to finish my work quickly and return to the city of Grenore, but the three medicines to revive still were not being decided, leaving me with time on my hands to complain. Since the work was what it was, Hermine could not come near the parlor during working hours. Because of that, I had been putting on a composed lady's mask lately, but I let my true self show as I grumbled.
"...Perhaps I should just make a working transcription copy for myself?"
When reading through, there were inevitably parts where I wanted to make notes or scrawls. Each time I took notes on separate paper, but it was difficult to later match up the notes with the original sentences. In that case, it would be better to make a transcription copy that I could write in freely. Besides, with a transcription copy, I could lounge around on the bed or tatami and treat it roughly without worry.
"Reading it is one thing, but copying is fast too."
"In my case, I do not need to imitate the handwriting, you see. There is also the matter that as long as I can read it, it is fine."
I wrote the Japanese text in Japanese so I would not mind if someone peeked over my shoulder again. As for the black caterpillar-like corrections, I copied those too as long as the underlying text was legible. With this transcription work, I did not need to worry about handwriting, so I could work while rereading. The first time I read it, I was focused on picking out prescriptions (recipes), so when I read through again, I found things I had not noticed on my first pass. There were many oversights. There were hints for completing prescriptions I had once set aside as incomplete, and some that had not been compiled as prescriptions were actually complete in the notes section.
"About three pages in two hours, I would say?"
"Sometimes I cannot even get through one page in a day..."
This was the difference between someone who could read Japanese and someone who could not. For my part, I felt down that I could only copy three pages in two hours, but copying someone else's writing verbatim took surprisingly long. Jasper's persistence in continuing this kind of work endlessly, even imitating the handwriting, was remarkable.
"If you are going to make a transcription copy anyway, why not make a translated version first?"
"I think that is a good idea too, but once the translation is finished, I will no longer be needed..."
"Being freed from your role, is that not a good thing?"
"If I lose the King's protection, then I will have trouble with my grandfather and suitors next."
Come to think of it, I had not told Jasper about this, so I briefly spoke about what had happened since coming to the capital. Apparently there were nobles who took a liking to this face of mine, sending gifts and love letters, and some even tried to sneak into the detached palace for a night visit, only to be captured. Jasper, who had been making a teasing face around the part about love letters, changed his expression when I mentioned the attempted night visits. While I was at the detached palace as a reincarnator who could read Japanese, I was protected from all kinds of things by the kingdom, but once I became just the daughter of a Merit Peerage, I would be exposed to political marriages and unreasonable demands from those above me.
"Lord Christoph told me to obtain a weapon to protect myself, so I think he will tacitly permit me to be stingy with information."
The very fact that I could read Japanese was my value. I had no other worth. So I would hold onto that value for as long as possible, releasing information bit by bit. This was the best method I could think of for living in peace.
...As a person, I am not so sure about that, though.
Still, even if I translated the research materials, my value would not immediately disappear. Research would be needed to confirm whether the translations were correct, and that would still require my help. I was in favor of reviving the secret arts myself, so as long as my peaceful life was guaranteed, I had no objection to making a translated copy.
"So you actually do think about things properly."
"The 'actually' is unnecessary."
I pouted and protested to Jasper, who was making a surprised face as he joked around. I was somewhat honest to a fault, but I did not think I was that much of an idiot. I had at least some ability to think.
I took a break in between the transcription work for my own use. At least during break time, I cleared the table and had some tea. According to what I had heard from Jasper, when he was at the residence in Grenore, he apparently devoted himself entirely to transcription work and took almost no breaks. He supposedly grudged even mealtimes, wanting to finish the transcription as quickly as possible, and would wolf down vegetable soup boiled until the vegetables were soft, with bread soaked in it.
"What is that? You should have told me sooner. A diet like that cannot be good for you."
"Let me be clear, I was the one who gave those orders to your servants. It is not like I was being abused or treated like a slave."
I could not find the words to respond to Jasper, who insisted it was a decision based purely on rationality. Still, despite all his talk of rationality, he was keeping his hands idle to join me during my breaks, so I could tell that in his own way, he was looking out for me. Realizing that only left me even more at a loss for words, and out of irritation, I dumped three heaping spoonfuls of sugar into Jasper's tea.
"...Hey."
"It is a sugar supplement. For work that uses the mind, sugar is necessary."
"Even so, that is too much. The pastries are already sweet, so why make the tea sweet too?"
"The seasoning at the detached palace is actually milder compared to before."
I insisted that when I first came to the capital, the seasoning was heavier. The current seasoning was the result of the cook's daily efforts. They had gradually improved the flavors after learning that I did not care for the previous overly strong seasoning. As I poutingly brought my favorite cheesecake to my mouth, angry that the cook's efforts were being dismissed, Jasper corrected me, saying it was not a complaint about the cook but about the excessive sugar, as he brought the tea to his lips. Even as he complained it was too sweet, he drank it properly, so Jasper was either a sweet tooth or a good-natured person.
"...You put sugar in your tea too."
"I did, yes. Two spoonfuls, though."
I was about to ask what of it when a knock sounded. Rebecca announced Alfred's visit and opened the door, but through the gap in the door, the Black Dog (Oscar) and the Black Shiba (Kokumaro) slipped into the parlor. Since we were working with ink, I had kept them out of the room during transcription work, but they must have noticed it was break time and came in. As I put down my fork to greet the two dogs, the Black Dog flattened his ears. I felt something was strange, and by the time I sensed something was wrong, the Black Dog had taken a running leap onto the table.
"Oscar!? What are you doing!?"
I stood up in surprise, knocking over my chair, and first thought I had to get the Black Dog off the table. I knew what I should do, but the Black Dog's unusual behavior made me vaguely afraid, and I could not bring myself to act. As I could only stare blankly at the table, the Black Dog, not even looking at me, sniffed around the tabletop and knocked over the sugar pot with his nose. Sugar spilled out from it, and behind me, I heard Stina's scream.
"What now?"
As I turned around to see what was next after the Black Dog's intrusion, of all things, the Black Shiba was attacking Stina. He seemed to be persistently trying to bite her arm, but it also looked like he was aiming for her apron pocket. The Black Shiba was biting at Stina's hand as she tried to cover her pocket.
"Kokumaro! What are you doing!? No! Do not bite!"
I was the only one who could not understand what was happening with the two dogs' rampage. Rebecca stepped into the room and pulled me close, blocking my view. By the time I realized I could not see anything, a somewhat loud sound rang out. When I lifted my face from Rebecca's chest to see what the noise was, there was Stina pinned to the floor and Aaron holding her down.
"...What is it? What happened?"
"I will explain later, just take the antidote first."
"Antidote?"
Why an antidote all of a sudden, I thought, turning my face toward Jasper, who should have been on the other side of the table. As for Jasper, who should have been startled by the Black Dog suddenly jumping onto the table, he was having the Black Dog sniff the contents of the cup he was holding.
...He needed me to take the antidote, and he was having Oscar confirm what was in the cup?
What had Jasper said to me before the dogs burst into the room? As I recalled that, I also realized what I had done.
"I, I... poisoned Jasper...?"
"You did not put it in yourself. You just unknowingly added what had been mixed into the sugar pot into the tea."
As he pointed out, I was a victim too, and indeed I had put sugar in my tea and drunk it. He had even asked me just before the dogs came in how many spoonfuls I had added.
"So you noticed when you drank it, Jasper."
"There was something mixed in with the scent that passed through my nose. With this scent, Isekod tea should be enough. You might run a bit of a fever around tonight, but it should not be anything fatal."
While Giselle was collecting the sugar that had spread across the table, Stina was led away with her hands bound. According to the dogs' judgment, the one who had mixed in the poison was Stina, but Stina herself looked like she did not understand why she was being caught. However, when Aaron searched her pocket after she was tied up, a small vial with faint traces of white granules was discovered.
I drank the antidote tea properly as Jasper instructed, but that night I came down with a fever. Thinking about how I had gotten a fever even though I had not been on any long journey, my fever from the other day also seemed suspicious. The day before that, I had been made to drink bitter antidote tea twice, and Valerier had disappeared from the detached palace. There had been no news for me, but surely something had happened.
The next morning, the fever went down just as Jasper had predicted, but I was made to spend another day in bed just in case. Bound to the bed for a whole day and until nearly noon, I grew bored and rolled around in bed like I was swimming. While I was doing that, Alfred came to visit me. I thought this might alleviate the boredom a little, but it was unusual for Aaron, who guarded the door, to come all the way to the bedside with him. It was also strange, if I thought about it, that he had switched guard duty at the door with Giselle halfway.
"According to Stina's testimony, she apparently had no awareness of having poisoned it. She merely thought she was preparing sweeter sugar than usual so that the transcription work, which was mentally taxing, might help relieve fatigue."
The story that began with this opening was, as expected, about what had been happening in the detached palace recently. For the parts that Alfred himself only knew from reports, Aaron supplemented them.
"...So this time, you are going to tell me."
That was the first thing I thought after hearing the whole series of events. The last time, no matter how much I persisted, they would not tell me, but this time, even if it felt somewhat obscured, I could tell they were telling me properly.
"We judged it was better not to hide things from you anymore, Tina. You are no longer at an age where you can just be protected by adults."
In other words, I was starting to be treated a little more like an adult. Until now, it was fine for me to just be protected by the adults, but from now on, I would need to be careful on my own as well.
"Since we decided to speak without hiding things, there is some slightly unfortunate news for you, Tina."
After a pause, the story Alfred told me was of the death of Stina's maid. Stina worked at the detached palace as my lady's attendant, but she was also a noble's daughter. Naturally, she had her own maid attending to her, supporting her work and daily life. That maid, after Stina was taken into custody, apparently drank poison and died.
"Does that mean it was not Stina who brought in the poison, but that her maid deceived Stina into mixing it in?"
"We do not know. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that before we could investigate the context of those events, she fled."
They were about to investigate the background, but while they had detained the maid they believed to be the perpetrator, the maid serving under that maid drank poison and died. If you considered which looked more suspicious, most people would think the maid was the suspicious one. In fact, Stina, who had become the actual perpetrator, had no awareness at all of having mixed in poison.
"We are tracking them with dogs, but I would not expect too much."
"Even a dog's nose cannot do it?"
"Even if we trace the source of the medicine, if an intermediary was used, once that person is cut off, it is over."
I tilted my head at his rather strange choice of words. We were supposed to be searching for the culprit, but the way Alfred said it made it sound like the culprit was already decided. It felt like he was operating under the premise that the culprit had used an intermediary to pass the poison to the maid, and was using the dogs' noses to trace the route by which the poison was delivered.
"Is the culprit Lord Alfred has in mind someone you know?"
"If you have read the report (that document) His Majesty gave you, then you should know that poisons have been used in the royal castle for a long time, right?"
The way he obscured it with "that document" must have been referring to the report on the queen's condition. Since the contents of the report were given to me even in secret from Leonardo, he probably obscured his words a bit with Aaron present.
...The queen's poison, that is the one, right? The one where even though she and everyone around her are careful, it somehow still gets administered, and the route is unknown.
The report had described Evelina's condition, Aurelia's diagnosis, the progress of medication, and so on, but regarding the culprit, it said the investigation was ongoing, or that when they were one step away from capture, the person committed suicide. There should have been no record of a living culprit being captured.
"Lord Alfred, do you know who the culprit is?"
If Alfred knew, then perhaps Christoph and Felicia knew too. Maybe it was someone they knew but could not capture.
"It is infuriating that we cannot capture them due to lack of evidence, but I have a suspect in mind. Considering the same methods are being used, the person who has been spreading poison in the royal castle for over twenty years is likely the same culprit."
"If you suspect them that much, can you not catch them?"
"Because the charge is what it is. If we capture the culprit, of course it would be a death sentence. But this involves human lives. We cannot have it turn out to be a false accusation."
Though he was convinced they were all but guilty, they could not close in because the culprit would not let them get decisive evidence. I could feel that frustration from Alfred.
...But, indeed. No matter how suspicious someone is, it is a problem if it turns out to be a mistake.
Even in my previous life, there had been cases where someone executed on false charges was later found to be innocent, and then the real culprit was discovered. No matter how suspicious, even if the victim was one's own wife or mother, without solid evidence, they were not a culprit but a suspect. I felt frustrated that there must be some way to handle this, but this was something to respect. That Christoph and Alfred were not tyrants who abused their power.
"...May I ask who it is you suspect?"
"A person who would be my second elder brother."
If it was Alfred's brother, that would be a prince. Since he said second elder brother, he must mean the Second Prince Chadwick.
"Um, setting aside the queen, I do not recall doing anything to warrant being poisoned by the Second Prince..."
"That one is just a thrill-seeker. There is no reason. He does whatever he finds amusing."
Alfred described his brother as someone who would probably poison me just because his father (Christoph) was concerned about me. For the Second Prince, the title of being a valuable reincarnator who could read Japanese would not be a reason to exclude me from his targets. Rather, he would probably find it amusing precisely because it would trouble his father and those around him, and start actively poisoning me.
...What a ridiculously troublesome idiot.
Even if they could not capture him as a culprit, could they not at least detain him as a suspect and lock him away somewhere? When I asked that quite bluntly, I was told that he was so thorough that he would not let them catch even a tail to detain him as a suspect.
...On the contrary, if there is that cleanly no evidence, why does Lord Alfred think his brother is the culprit?
Apparently it was not just Alfred. Even Christoph thought the Second Prince was the culprit. If he truly had not left any evidence at all, he would not even be suspected.
...But I think I might understand now why Gloriana-sama left early during the tea party the other day.
According to the royal family tree Hermine had taught me, Elvis and the Second Prince were brothers born of the same mother, just a year apart. Gloriana, who was also present, probably thought that her own son was the one poisoning Queen Evelina. She might not have wanted to hear painful talk about her son's misdeeds.
And so, the shadow of the Second Prince, who has existed since Chapter 1, has begun to loom. The reason Felicia-sama was so determined a few chapters ago, saying "I will find the evidence," was because she had a suspect in mind.