CH 25

Stop the evil deeds of Prince Laurus.

I must settle my past.

To do that, I decided to gather what I need.

“First, we need a truth serum. The usual kind you drink won’t fool him.”

“Yeah. That’s why we’re not using a drinkable one this time. We’ll use one that you have to smell.”

There are potions that work without swallowing.

What we’re going to prepare is a potion that only works by smelling it.

Let’s make it so that the effect disappears when it dissolves in liquid.

That way, even if someone accidentally ingests it, there will be no harm.

The only thing left is how to get him to smell it naturally, but I already have an idea about that.

“Then it’s time for confession. I’ll take care of that.”

“Can you do it?”

“Yeah, I’m still a prince, you know. Even the king of a neighboring country can’t completely ignore my words. Normally, it wouldn’t work, but this time, I’ll use my position to the fullest.”

Yuren-kun, who said that, had an unusually wicked look on his face.

He looked like a child who was up to no good.

“Anyway, leave it to us. Aria, please focus on making the potions.”

“Okay.”

“It’s not even three days, but can you do it?”

“Of course.”

Once I decided to do it, I would give it my all.

I will do my best so that I won’t regret no matter what the outcome is.

That’s all I’m thinking about right now.

And three days later, on the fateful day——

Prince Laurus visited the royal castle again, as if nothing had happened.

What was different from that day was that Hisui-san and Laura-san were not there.

Now, in this room, there were only three of us – me, Yuren-kun, and Laurus-sama.

We faced each other in the same room as three days ago and greeted each other with a smile.

“Hey, Aria, did you accept the request?”

“Yes.”

I handed him the potions I had made—three bottles filled with transparent liquid, neatly lined up on the table.

“That’s amazing. You made three of them?”

“Yes. However, there is one thing to note. This potion is powerful, but its effectiveness will weaken if exposed to air. Therefore, I sealed them immediately after making them. But even then, the effectiveness will eventually weaken over time.”

“I see, if you use it, as soon as possible… right?”

Prince Laurus grinned.

So far, it doesn’t seem like he’s suspicious.

“Yes. When checking for the effectiveness, please confirm the fragrance when you open the lid. If the sweet fragrance is strong, the effects are still strong. Just mix it into the liquid and use it.”

“Got it. Thank you for your detailed explanation. You really are a talented person.”

“…Thank you very much.”

I don’t need those words right now, but I’ll accept them honestly.

Naturally, so as not to give any hint.

While showing a little bit of fear.

“Well, then I’ll take my leave. Oh, by the way, I think I’ll rely on you again, so please take care of me then.”

“…”

I don’t respond to that.

It’s more believable if I show my distress.

In fact, I’m not thinking about the next time and I have no intention of accepting.

This is the end.

Prince Laurus leaves the room.

“Now all that’s left is to pray.”

“Yes.”

Please let his misdeeds be known to the people of Mayquin.

❂❂❂❂❂❂

After returning to the royal castle, Laurus decided to test the poison he acquired.

His target was the king.

After assassinating his brother, he plotted to become the king himself by assassinating his father.

His target was at night.

The king was old and took medicine before sleeping.

He planned to mix the transparent poison into the water that he drank at that time.

He went to the place where the medicine was prepared, and there was nothing unusual.

For this day, he had been pretending to be a son who was worried about his father and preparing medicine.

His reputation was not bad with those around him, and there was no one in the castle who doubted him.

“The scent, huh…yes, it’s properly sweet.”

He followed the instructions he was given and mixed the poison in the water.

Since it was transparent, it could not be seen even if it was mixed.

The scent also disappeared when mixed with water.

Now it was in a state of just having to make the king drink it, so he called one of the servants.

“I apologize, but could you deliver this medicine to my father? I was planning to do it myself today, but I’m a little tired.”

“Understood.”

The servant received it without suspicion.

Even if he is poisoned, it will be the servants who are suspected, not Laurus himself.

As long as it is not known that Aria provided the poison, Laurus will not be suspected.

Because he played such a character in public, he felt he was perfect.

However, the next day, Laurus was summoned by the king and went to the throne room.

(What is going on?)

The poison did not work.

According to plan, the king should have died overnight.

(If the effect has weakened over time, then let’s make another poison.)

The king told Laurus.

“Laurus, there is something I want to ask you.”

“What is it, father?”

“…I received a warning from someone. That someone is after my life.”

“——?!”

Laurus reacted briefly, but then quickly regained composure.

“This is a serious matter! We need to increase security immediately!”

“…Is it you, Laurus?”

“Father?”

“Are you trying to kill me?”

Suspicious and sad eyes.

The king was filled with disbelief at the thought that his own son had tried to kill him.

(…Have Aria and the others done something? I can’t believe they would do something foolish like that.)

Laurus sneered in his mind.

As usual, he tried to deny it with sincerity and vigor.

But——

“Yes, that’s right Father! I intended to kill you by poisoning you. So why are you still alive? Please die quickly and hand over the throne to me.”

The words that came out of his mouth were different.

(——What? What the?)

“If it’s the truth…then you also killed your own brother.”

“It’s the truth. I killed him. There was a Transmutation Master who was easy to handle and just right, so I threatened her to make the poison for me.”

(Why did I confess? I didn’t intend to spill it.)

Laurus was confused.

The truth serum he smelled had the effect of reversing his true feelings and facade.

The effect lasts for a day.

For just one day, he cannot hide his real intentions.

Then a letter arrived from the prince of the neighboring country.

Everything went according to their plan.

“Aria was an excellent Transmutation Master! But that was unacceptable. She always went against what I said. So, I gave the data to her sister and had her do the transmutation instead. Her sister is obedient and good. Her talent is less than her older sister, though.”

The collaborator was Celica.

He even spoke before being asked.

The multitude of hidden truths overflowed and could no longer be stopped.

“Seriously, everyone is useless. I wish all the useless people would just disappear. Even you, father.”

“Laurus…arrest this person!”

“What, what are you doing? Father! What did I do?”

“You fool! You are no longer my son!”

Laurus is confused.

The effect of the truth serum made the truth and pretense mix.

He wouldn’t even know which one is real.

It’s all retribution.

The seeds he sowed were tangled in the grown vine and tripped him.

A few days later, the second prince was announced dead.

Few people knew the truth.

But this sealed one wickedness.

Quiet talk: Another person’s end

While Laurus was falling into the trap of the two conspirators and exposing his own guilt before the king, the other accomplice was tossing and turning in the laboratory.

“It never ends…What the hell is this?!”

She slammed the table, causing the pile of documents on it to collapse.

Frustrated with herself, she swept away the remaining documents with her arm.

“I can’t take this anymore! This is too much for one person to handle. Only a true genius can endure this——”

She thought of her sister’s extraordinary talent when she had that thought.

She bit her lip with regret.

The main reason she hated her sister was jealousy.

She realized it herself.

As a fellow Transmutation Master, she noticed her sister’s exceptional talent and the effort she put in every day to match it.

When she realized it, there was already a significant gap between them.

The time of birth doesn’t matter.

Talent and effort.

Both were inferior in herself, and she couldn’t replace her sister.

“What the hell…are you still getting in my way even though you’re gone?”

With that realization, her inferiority complex grew stronger.

You may have already noticed, but she has forgotten her past mistake.

It was just to take revenge on her sister in the heat of the moment.

She was involved in someone’s death just to comfort her own inferiority complex.

“Excuse me! Court Transmutation Master Celica Lawrence.”

“Huh? W-What is it?”

The collectors came late.

Rugged-looking knights enter her laboratory.

Two of the three knights stand on Celica’s left and right.

“You are suspected of being involved in the assassination of the first prince! We would like you to tell the truth in front of His Majesty.”

“W-What?”

Finally, she remembers.

Her guilt.

“W-Wait, please!”

“Please  come with me. His Majesty and the former Second Prince are already waiting.”

“Former?”

“Yes.”

She can’t keep up with understanding.

It can’t be helped.

No one could have predicted it.

Even revealing the fact that the Second Prince assassinated his own kin.

Without knowing anything, she is grabbed by the arms by the two knights and pulled away.

“Please come quickly. It is better to make a defense as soon as possible. However, at the point when the former second prince confessed… it does not change that you are a serious criminal.”

“I-I can’t believe it…”

She lost the strength to resist and was taken away willingly.

Reaping what she sowed.

When she chose to frame her sister as a way to compensate for her inferiority complex, she had already sealed her fate.

True geniuses who work hard and achieve results are rewarded in the end.

Will she reflect on her actions after experiencing the consequences firsthand?

However, it is too late to expect anything from her in this life…