CH 25

Livia looked at the owner of the hand.

Eden Aquilium. 

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes………. Thank you.”

Livia looked up at him, dumbfounded, not expecting Eden to catch her.

By the way–

Someone was always catching her these days..?

Livia felt weirdly unsettled, like she’d unintentionally become an invalid.

“I’m sorry. I heard that Miss ‘Anna Lever’ had an outstanding appearance, so I mistook you for that person.”

Huh? 

Livia stared at him blankly, at a loss for words. 

Was that so?

‘What the hell am I supposed to say here?!’

Livia fought the urge to frown as she mentally rolled through her options for a response. 

‘You have a good eye for people, don’t you? Is that possible? Are you apologizing?’

No matter what Livia said, it was only going to get weirder.

Then she snuck a glance at Anna. Wide-eyed, Anna was looking back and forth between Livia and Eden in disbelief.

‘No wonder.’

Anna’s beauty had been well known since her days at the Academy. Anna herself took great pride in her appearance.

As arrogant as she was, even Livia could admit that she was pretty.

Anna had never once doubted her looks, and now she’d been told to her face that someone had mistaken Livia for her because Livia was prettier. 

Her high pride would have been cracked and shattered.

But it was Eden Aquilium. Anna couldn’t let her anger get the better of her.

“Ha, haha. Even a paladin can be wrong. She…… Livia can’t possibly be me.” 

“You’re right. I have committed a great disrespect. Please forgive me.”

Eden bowed his head to Livia and she quickly waved her hand.

“No, it’s okay.”

“Then…” 

With that, Eden released Livia and turned to Anna. 

Anna’s face turned bright red, even though she was in a bad mood. 

She didn’t forget to give Livia a triumphant glare.

Eden asked politely, “Let me ask you again, are you Miss Lever Anna, daughter of Count Gren Lever?”

*** 

“Yes, that’s right, I am Anna Lever.”

Anna’s heart pounded as she answered. 

Even though her anger at being mistaken for Livia was palpable.

‘I can understand the mistake; he must have been so nervous in front of me.’

And Anna gazed at Eden in ecstasy. Up close, the Eden Aquilium was even more beautiful than she had expected. And his voice was perfect.

If the finest wines were like Cardien, Eden was like light champagne. 

‘This kind of man…’

Eden nodded at Anna’s reply. 

“I see, I found you.”

Anna’s eyes widened at the words, which sounded as sweet as a marriage proposal.

Reflexively, Anna looked at Livia for a reaction.

‘Phew. I know it’s been a while, but this is where you and I stand.’

Anna couldn’t help but giggle at the gut-wrenching pleasure.

Look at that stupid look on her face!

‘She must be so envious of me. Know your place for once, Livia Pellington.’

“Will you hold out your hands?” 

Anna was taken aback by Eden’s request.

Hold out her hands?

‘Are you going to give me a ring?’

But in the aristocratic world, a ring from a member of the opposite sex was tantamount to a marriage proposal. 

‘So fast…….’

Anna was surprised at how fast he was moving, but that’s what won her heart. 

Before extending her hand, Anna studied Cardien’s mood. She had given up on him, but she still had some regrets.

But Cardien didn’t blink at Eden’s proposal. 

On the contrary, his eyes had been fixed on Livia from the start.

It was bad enough that he wasn’t interested in her, but the fact that he was interested in Livia made Anna even angrier.

‘You’re going to regret losing me!’

“Okay!”

Anna immediately held out her hand to Eden.

She wondered if she needed to offer both hands to slip the ring on, but she didn’t give it much thought. 

She extended her hands to Eden, fair hands that had never been exposed to any kind of physical hard work.

Soon he would be slipping the ring on her ring finger.

But what happened next was not what Anna expected. 

Clack.

‘What?’

The cold, heavy iron bound Anna’s wrists.

‘Huh?’

Pure white handcuffs.

They were the tools of the temple, used to escort sinners.

‘Why are these on my hands………’

“Anna Lever, I need you to accompany me to the temple as a person of interest in the case of attempted poisoning of His Majesty the Emperor.” 

“Wha-wh- what do you mean?!”

A person of interest in the case of the attempted poisoning of the Emperor?!

It was unheard of and unreported.

Anna exclaimed in contemplation, but Eden didn’t bat an eye and continued calmly. 

“We have discovered that your father, Count Gren Lever, smuggled the poisonous herb Akavan and attempted to poison His Majesty.”

“That can’t…… be true, there must be some kind of misunderstanding!”

“You mean you don’t know anything about it?”

“Yes, not only do I not know, but it’s ridiculous – a poisonous plant?! There’s no way my father would have smuggled such a horrible thing! Something must be wrong!”

It was the moment when Anna turned red-faced and shouted. 

Knock, knock.

A heavy knock cut through the tense room.

All eyes turned to the door. 

Winston spoke urgently, snapping, “Who is it? I told you no one was to approach this place!” 

A calm reply came from the other side of the door.

“It’s Chelsea.”

“Chelsea?”

Winston looked puzzled at the unexpected figure.

Soon Winston’s expression turned cold.

“Come back later–”

But Winston didn’t finish his sentence. 

“Let her in.”

Cardien’s voice interrupted him.

Winston turned, startled, but he didn’t question it, and opened the door. 

Indeed, Cardien had not been keeping him company for nothing. 

Chelsea stepped inside.

After locking eyes with Livia for a brief moment upon entering, Chelsea bowed before Winston and spoke. 

“I apologize for the unexpected visit. I came to see you about something I thought you should know about.”

“It would have to be worth breaking my orders to stay away.” 

“Yes.”

Chelsea’s sudden appearance broke the tense atmosphere. 

Or, more accurately, froze the atmosphere. 

Livia glanced at Anna while pretending not to. 

Anna, looking like a dead person, was trembling excessively as she looked at Chelsea.

After a moment, Chelsea held out a small pouch.

“Miss Anna Lever gave this to me.”

“What?”

Winston stared at the pouch, wide-eyed while Chelsea continued calmly. 

“She also told me to hide this pouch in Miss Pellington’s room and not to say anything about it, but I somehow knew better and brought it here myself. I guess it’s……” 

Chelsea, her voice trailing off, looked at Anna.

Biting her lower lip, Anna glared at Chelsea with a venomous glare.

“I think you said that without realizing that I am Miss Pellington’s personal maid.” 

“No!!!” Anna shouted, scared to let Chelsea complete her sentence. 

“I don’t know anything about such a pouch!”

“Then we’ll just have to check the contents of this pocket,” Livia declared. 

Anna’s head snapped in Livia’s direction. 

Livia didn’t take her eyes off her and said, “Then we can find out who the real owner of this pouch is.”

“Livia Pellington, you……!”

Anna glared at Livia like she was going to kill her.

Livia returned the glare with a silent one. 

It was then.

“Funny.” 

There was only one person who could have spoken in such a carefree tone in this situation.

Livia turned her head slowly.

‘Cardien Mercedes……..’

He was staring right at her.

Not just now, but from the moment she had stepped into this room, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her.

As soon as the pouch reached Cardien, Anna’s escape route would disappear completely. 

“Let me see for myself.”

Winston reached into the pouch and pulled out the contents.

It was just dried blades of grass.

After examining it and smelling it, Winston turned his head with a slightly puzzled expression. 

“…….Master, to my eyes, it’s just an ordinary dried tea leaf. I don’t see anything unusual about it.” 

“See! I’ve been telling you I know nothing about it!” Anna exclaimed, her face instantly brightening. 

“Sir Knight.”

Eden’s gaze snapped up at Livia’s call. Looking into his blue eyes, she spoke calmly.

“I would like the knight to confirm again.”

“…….This is an internal affair of the Duke’s. Is there any point in me checking?” 

He had a point. 

But……. 

“Yes,” Livia replied without hesitation. “I think you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

Eden’s expression wavered for a moment at her words. 

Soon enough, he looked back at Cardien and asked, “Do you mind if I intervene, Duke?”