Chapter 9
“I am Director Arnold.”
In a very elaborately decorated office.
Everywhere she looked, there were expensive-looking ornaments.
In the center of the room sat a man in his mid-forties, smiling brightly in a chair that looked more extravagant than anything else.
“You’re the guardian of Yulia, I see?”
“……”
“What brings you here without any notice?”
“……”
“Um…”
“……”
However, that smile did not last long.
Director Arnold was busy wiping the cold sweat that was trickling down his face.
“Excuse me, but why do you have that?”
The person sitting in front of him was Ceres.
The gaze that simply maintained silence while staring at him was incredibly burdensome.
And…
‘More than anything, that!’
Seeing the soup bowl in her hand, Arnold had to force an awkward smile.
He immediately recognized what that soup was.
“I’m worried it might get taken away.”
“Pardon?”
“Because it’s evidence.”
“…Evidence?”
Director Arnold’s expression froze further. His mouth felt parched.
Could it be that she had sensed something?
‘No, no!’
He tore his gaze away from the soup and tried to shake off the rising anxiety.
Calming his trembling eyes, he put on a bright smile out of habit.
“As you know, our nursing home limits the entry of outsiders as much as possible for the mental stability of the patients.”
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“Why do you limit it?”
“Well, as I just mentioned, it’s for the patients’ stability…”
“Does my sister not feel stable when she sees me?”
“Th-That’s not it, but…”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s more of a concern than a problem…?”
Sweeping the cold sweat from his brow, Arnold found himself in a confusing situation.
‘Why am I flustered?’
He had dealt with countless guardians until now.
Among them, there were nobles and wealthy merchants aplenty.
But why? Why did he feel so cornered by such a young lady?
‘Why does it feel so natural to speak informally?’
He had heard it was a baron family, but hadn’t it been said to be just in name?
Were they not merely nobility struggling with their finances…?
‘But why does she seem like that?’
Contrary to what he had heard, the woman in front of him had an air about her that could be mistaken for royalty.
Her casual demeanor was remarkably natural, and her behavior exuded the ease typical of the privileged.
“I saw the invoice.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
Snapped back to reality by Ceres’s voice, Director Arnold regained his focus.
“So, I’m a bit curious.”
“Feel free to ask anything.”
Ceres then dropped the soup bowl she was holding onto the table with a thud.
“How exactly is Yulia doing?”
“Well, you know better than I do, but her condition is currently one where we cannot determine the illness accurately. Her vitality is gradually declining, and the frequency of her fainting spells is increasing day by day. She doesn’t wake up for long either.”
“I heard you used Elpia leaves. What’s the reason?”
“Um? Elpia leaves? That’s because she has a high fever…”
“And what about using Delia roots?”
“Th-That’s to replenish her energy since she’s in a significantly weakened state…”
“Don’t you know the side effects of Delia roots? You used a herb that raises the body’s heat together with the Elpia leaves, which are meant to reduce fever?”
“Y-Yes?”
“What’s the reason for using Bross berries?”
“B-Bross berries? T-That’s because… the child was injured and needed to stop the bleeding…”
“I also saw you used Elcho leaves. One is excellent for stopping bleeding, and the other is known to circulate blood rapidly. You know that, right? What do you think will happen when you use those two herbs together?”
“Um…”
What is this woman?
Arnold felt cold sweat streaming down his back.
What kind of woman was this who knew so much about the herbs, of which he himself was uncertain of their effects?
Even after that, Ceres’s questions continued, but Director Arnold couldn’t muster a single proper answer.
“Wow.”
At Ceres’s sudden exclamation, Arnold flinched and cast her a puzzled look.
“I suddenly have someone I want to see desperately after a long time.”
“Pardon?”
“I’d like to see the face of whatever idiot taught you to be like this. Who did you learn from?”
“Th-That’s not proper…”
“This.”
With her face flushed, Arnold couldn’t finish his sentence again.
Ceres had picked up the soup she had just put down once more.
“I’m really curious, you know?”
“W-What do you mean?”
As his gaze involuntarily shifted to the soup, Arnold’s expression wavered.
Without taking her eyes off his, Ceres slowly continued.
“I wonder which bastard told you to poison this?”
“E-Excuse me?”
“Or why you wanted to poison my sister?”
“……!”
Does she really knows?
Director Arnold’s face turned pale in an instant. His eyes, shaking like there was an earthquake, took a long time to steady before he stumbled through his words.
“W-What do you mean! P-Poison!”
“Clumsy.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re managing your expression poorly.”
“O-Oh, no! There’s absolutely no reason to use poison!”
“Exactly what I’m saying. Why would you use poison on a mere seven-year-old child?”
“I swear there’s no poison in it!”
“Is that so?”
As he vigorously shook his head, claiming his innocence, Ceres extended the bowl she held forward.
“Then eat it.”
“…What?”
“I said eat it.”
“…Ah!”
Startled for a moment, Arnold quickly regained his composure.
“Do you think I can’t eat it? I can eat as much as I want!”
In an attempt to prove his innocence, Arnold snatched the bowl from Ceres and brought the spoon to his mouth without hesitation.
But that momentum didn’t last long.
Hearing Ceres’s next words, the man’s face froze instantly.
“By the way, do you know? The poison in that soup. When it enters a male body, the effects change.”
“…Change?”
“If it enters a female body, it gradually weakens her strength, increases her sleeping time, and ultimately makes her sleep forever. But for a male….”
“…For a male?”
Arnold swallowed hard without realizing it.
Seeing him like that, Ceres’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“If only a small amount enters the body, it becomes extremely poisonous. It’s instant death.”
“……!”
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to eat?”
“N-No way!”
The hand holding the spoon trembled violently.
His gaze towards the soup also shook in equal measure.
‘She didn’t say that!’
Just as she had stated, there was indeed something mixed into the soup.
The symptoms were accurate.
A drug that gradually weakens the body and destroys health.
But he had never heard that it could cause instant death.
It had been said that if taken in small amounts consistently over time, it could be harmful, but it wouldn’t pose any problems if taken once or twice.
So why was he so boldly holding the spoon and lifting it to his mouth?
But instant death?
Was the effect different when it entered a male body?
“It’s a lie! That drug has no such effect…!”
Arnold, who had been shouting without thinking, abruptly shut his mouth and realized his mistake.
‘Tsk.’
Seeing him belatedly checking his words, Ceres clicked her tongue internally.
‘Is he an idiot?’
He seemed even less clever than she expected.
‘Just a light tap, and he spills everything.’
What was so flimsy about him?
“If what you say is true, then it wouldn’t matter at all if you didn’t put anything in the food, would it?”
“Th-That…”
“Eat it.”
Shake, shake.
“Eat it.”
Shake, shake, shake.
“Should I put it directly into your mouth?”
Shake, shake, shake, shake!
Having thrown the spoon far away, Arnold was now frantically shaking his head with both hands tightly over his mouth.
Ceres, looking at Arnold with disdain, opened her mouth again.
“By the way, I have one more thing I’m curious about.”
Her gaze shifted to Arnold’s hands, which were desperately trying to keep his mouth shut.
“What is your relationship with my aunt Agne?”
“……!”
Arnold’s complexion turned pale once again.
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