Actually, I was the Real One

As expected, the lace was from a maid’s apron.
However, what they didn’t expect was the existence of the person wearing it. 

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Emily, who had fit herself in the closet, smiled sheepishly. 

Emily: “Hi, Sylvia? How are you, Mason?”

Sylvia: “Are you kidding me? Get out now!”

Emily: “Ow, ow, ow! My ears are going to fall off! It hurts!” 

Sylvia: “Are you doing something with the food? What are you doing here?!”

Emily: “I-I’ll tell you once you let go.”

Sylvia: “Ugh.”

Sylvia sighed and let go of Emily’s ear.
Emily took the opportunity to fully crawl out of the closet.

She shrugged and scratched her head.

Emily: “Well, I was hungry and wanted something to eat.
I came to the kitchen but no one was here.”

Sylvia: “So, you were stealing food, but someone came in, and you hid?”

Emily: “Huh, how did you know?”

Sylvia: “This isn’t the first time it happened! A few days ago, you were caught stealing cookie dough!”

Emily: “Heeey, please turn a blind eye this time.
Please? I didn’t eat much lunch, so I was starving.”

Emily pouted and widened her eyes as she whined, trying to gain sympathy.

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Instead, Sylvia hit her several times and continued to scold her.

Sylvia: “I told you not to make excuses like that and eat well when it’s mealtime!”

Emily: “Ow ow ow ow!”

In the end, Sylvia pinched Emily’s ear again.
As she tried to escape, a piece of paper fell from her clothes.

‘What is that?’

Mason’s eyes were fixed on the note.

He quickly picked it up to avoid catching the attention of Sylvia, who had been nagging Emily, and Emily, who was crying.

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Then he hid it in his pocket.

Mason: “I’ll go ahead.
The head maid told me to go quickly.”

Sylvia: “Okay.
Carry on.”

Emily: “Then I’ll…”

Sylvia: “Don’t you dare sneak away!”

Sylvia grabbed Emily’s again and went on another tirade, so Mason hurried out of the kitchen.

‘What is this?’

After making sure no one was around, he pulled out the piece of paper from his sleeve.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a piece of paper but a paper bag. 

An envelope folded in a triangle, just like a prescription from the apothecary.

When Mason opened the packet, it was empty.
However, the little powder that remained inside gave him a clue about what it was.

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‘Did you keep something like medicine…?’

At that moment, Mason recalled when Keira received something from the unidentified man.

‘The effect is certain.
Don’t worry.’

‘They will die slowly as if they succumbed from a fever.
You don’t have to worry about getting caught.’

Goosebumps ran down his spine.

Now that Lady Cosette was sick, was Keira trying to disguise her minions and kill her?

‘Ah, everyone left the kitchen when she called for them.’

Since he moved in, it was the first time Mason had heard her scolding the employees about her food.

A stranger handed her a questionable object, and then she summoned the whole kitchen staff while Emily, who entered the kitchen, hastily hid before getting caught.

Was all of this really a coincidence?

‘W-what should I do?’

His whole body trembled.
Since he was used to always following his superiors’ orders, he had no idea what he should do next.

The one person he wanted to consult was far away in the Imperial Palace. 

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As he worried about what to do…

“Mason!”

Mason: “Ack!”

“Were you daydreaming so much that you didn’t answer me no matter how much I called?”

A puzzled voice drew closer.
When Mason turned, he saw Paula walking toward him.

Paula: “You took too long, so I came to find you.
Everything’s ready.
Get out of here quickly.”

Mason: “A-already?”

He hadn’t even thought about how to act yet…

Mason’s eyes began to tremble with fear.

Paula: “Yes.
His Grace might get angry if you make him wait for you.
Go quickly.”

“…”

Paula: “Why aren’t you moving?”

Mason: “Y-yes… T-Then, I’ll be on my way.”

Mason grabbed the silk tightly and moved forward.

He couldn’t even fathom what was inside it. 

‘What should I do? It may be dangerous, so shall I inform the people around me first?’

But right now, Lady Cosette wasn’t here, was she? What would he do if he hastily informed her and Lady Keira did something to him? 

‘First, I have to tell the Grand Duke secretly…’

However, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded to get a chance for a simple servant to have a private encounter with the Grand Duke. 

He moved mechanically, trembling.

“Oh, Mason, come quickly.”

As he approached the main gate, he saw two carriages waiting. 

Robert placed the vial on the carriage compartment and pushed Mason’s back.
Mason almost got on the carriage and left without saying anything, but…

Mason: “S-sir, I have something to tell you…”

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Robert: “Is it important? If not, tell me later.
Her Ladyship and His Grace will be coming soon.”

Mason: “Ah, w-wait!”

It wouldn’t make sense if the schedule of the Grand Duke and his daughter was delayed because of one servant. 

Robert hastily pushed Mason into the carriage. 

Bang–!

Mason couldn’t help but stare blankly at the door that closed right in front of him. 

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He could always open this door right now and investigate the vial.

But what if he got it wrong? 

It was obvious that he would not be able to handle the aftermath on his own.

‘It would be better to ask Lady Cosette for her opinion than to make a big deal out of my judgment.’

He’d have the opportunity to tell her once they’ve arrived at the Imperial Palace.
The carriage departed as Mason made his decision.

“Why aren’t you sitting, Mason?”

“You might get hurt.”

“…”

The maids in the carriage with him pulled Mason to sit. 

His throat felt parched.
His mind was in such chaos that he couldn’t even say a word of thanks. 

His back was wet with cold sweat.

“No matter how angry you are, how can you let a person get to that point? I’m worried about what they think of this outside the Palace.”

“…”

Arabella couldn’t even remember how many times she’s heard that in two days.
At this point, it’s hard work to pretend to be remorseful.

She let the nagging in one ear and out the other as she robotically admitted fault.

Bella: “I was wrong, Grandmother.”

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“Besides, there is no evidence that Miss Cosette was directly involved, is there? You shouldn’t be suspicious of people, Bella.” 

“…”

Only a handful of people in this Palace could rebuke Bella, the Emperor’s eldest daughter. 

The old lady in front of her–the former Empress and her grandmother, the Empress Dowager–was one of the few characters she couldn’t disobey.

As old as her deep wrinkles, the Empress Dowager was notorious for not going out at all.

It annoyed Bella even more that her grandmother passed by as Cosette fainted.

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‘No, it can’t be a coincidence.’

Bella thought, biting her lips.

‘She must have noticed Grandmother watching and did it on purpose.
If Grandmother asks me to forgive her, I’ll have no choice but to do it.’

She recalled Cosette’s genuinely sad expression as she offered Keira an apology.
If she had enough acting skills, it would have been a piece of cake to pretend to faint.

“When Lady Cosette wakes up, tell her you forgive her, okay?”

“…”

Perhaps her grandmother didn’t know the seriousness of the incident because she didn’t see it in person. 

When Bella didn’t answer, the Empress Dowager’s voice became stern.

“Arabella.”

“…Alright.”

“Okay.
I’m glad we’re clear.”

Even though it was clear that Bella would hear her nagging from her grandmother, there was another reason why she dared to come to the eighth Palace.

To greet her guests.

When he heard that Cosette had collapsed, the Grand Duke said he would visit himself.

‘That was quick.’

They still took care of the woman who badly tarnished the family name.
If it were Bella, she would have turned a blind eye for days.

Not long after, news came that the Grand Duke and Lady Keira had entered the Palace, so Bella went to Cosette’s room to greet them.