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He definitely seems to have a completely opposite personality from Cerden. It's not just their appearances that are different.
"Oh, did you bring that to eat with us?"
"No."
I hugged the cookie tin and shook my head vigorously. The thought of eating all of this alone is dizzying, but I can't help it.
"This is for Evelyn. And Veronica and..."
I don't know what to call the Empress. She is the Empress, after all, so Empress Majesty? Is five years old an appropriate age to know such things? Maybe it's okay to just call her by her name.
The Empress smiled again, as if she knew I was worried about what to call her.
"Just call me Mother. Can you do that, Ver?"
I nodded with a determined expression.
"Yes, Mother!"
The Empress burst into a pleasant laugh at my energetic words. She pointed to my cookie tin.
"That looks like a lot. Did you really bring all of that just for Evelyn?"
"Yes, it's for Evelyn!"
I nodded emphatically. The Empress, as if she couldn't help it, ordered separate refreshments for herself and Veronica. Veronica, as if used to it, watched me the entire time I ate the cookies. The Empress, however, looked at me with a slightly curious expression.
When I slowly finished all the cookies, the Empress said with a surprised expression,
"You really like cookies!"
"Uung. Because cookies are yummy. Evelyn likes yummy things."
Ugh. I feel like I'm going to throw up. I barely swallowed it down. I felt like everything inside me was about to come up. They were delicious, but I felt indigestion because I had overeaten. But I couldn't just get up and leave, so I stayed a little longer.
And when I returned to my palace.
"Uwaaaack!"
I ended up getting a terrible stomachache. Cherryna and Rosie patted my back as if it were a nuisance.
"What did you eat so foolishly again?"
"I don't know, my stomach hurts. Ugh, I feel nauseous!"
I can't give up acting, even in this situation. I had no energy at all because I was so sick. Ha, really. It's hard to make a living. I lay down on the bed, completely limp.
"I told you not to eat like a pig, didn't I? Geez, really. How many cookies did you eat?"
"I'm not a pig! I didn't eat that much!"
"I'll call a doctor, so stay here quietly. Okay?"
"I don't want a doctor!"
If a doctor comes, they'll diagnose me with overeating. They won't even detect the poison. Knowing that I took poison, would they really call a doctor they haven't even bribed?
What's the point of seeing a doctor anyway? It's a waste of time. I have no expectation that they'll give me the right medicine. They might even give me more poison. A drug to make me obedient? Something like that might exist.
"Oh, alright. Instead, you have to rest well. Okay? We have to have fun tomorrow."
Cherryna said in a softened voice.
"Okay. I'll sleep."
Only then did Cherryna and Rosie leave the bedroom, leaving me alone.
I took slow, deep breaths.
My stomach started to ache slightly.
"Ah..."
Even if the poison doesn't work, it still hurts. I bit my lip tightly. Curling up into a ball seemed to ease the pain a little. Let's go to sleep quickly.
I'll get better faster if I sleep. I forced my eyes shut.
I barely fell asleep with my uncomfortable stomach.
I want to eat kimchi... something spicy, or even mala tang...
* * *
Cerden heard that Evelyn had eaten so many cookies that she got sick, and he collected the cookie tin. Now, all of Evelyn's suspicious behavior bothers him.
It seemed like there was another secret hidden. The Evelyn that Cerden knew wasn't the type to be so gluttonous. She likes sweets, but she has a small appetite.
He recalled the conversation he had with his mother after a long time. The words the Empress said with a pitiful face.
'Oh my. She got sick? It's no wonder she got sick after eating all those cookies by herself.'
'By herself, you said she ate them all?'
'Yes, that's right. So, we were going to prepare the cookies for her next time.'
Poison was found in the cookie tin that Evelyn received from the Empress's palace this time as well. There was a reason why Evelyn stubbornly ate all those cookies by herself.
"That large amount."
Cerden sighed and put down the cookie tin.
What kind of fight is Evelyn fighting alone? Cerden doesn't know if Evelyn is an enemy or an ally, but the important thing is that he's starting to feel sorry for her. Cerden headed towards Evelyn's palace under the cover of darkness.
He stared at Evelyn, who was curled up in bed, pale and asleep, for a long time. Her face was particularly pale. He slowly brushed away the cold sweat on her forehead.
She groaned and turned over, her expression slightly distorted. It must hurt. Cerden moved his lips.
"You're really strange."
Cerden reached out his hand, but withdrew it before it touched Evelyn. He gazed at Evelyn, who was sleeping with an innocent face, unaware of anything. She was frowning even in her sleep, as if she was having a bad dream.
Just as Cerden doesn't trust Evelyn, Evelyn doesn't trust Cerden either.
'...Everything you've done so far has only been helpful to me.'
Even so, he can't trust Evelyn, wondering if that too is a lie. Deep-rooted distrust was rooted deep in Cerden's heart. Cerden clicked his tongue softly and placed a small chocolate on the table. It was something Evelyn particularly liked.
"Get well soon."
At least Evelyn doesn't suit being sick. Evelyn was someone who looked best with a bright smile.
And Cerden had become accustomed to Evelyn's smiling face.
Cerden's gaze towards Evelyn was softer than ever before. The venomous look in his eyes had changed to a gentle moonlight. Cerden brushed Evelyn's forehead once more.
"Don't be sick."
A pitiful and unfortunate woman.
Cerden let out a slow sigh.
* * *
Ugh. But I feel a little better now that I threw up everything. The greasy feeling has subsided, and my head doesn't hurt. I don't feel nauseous anymore either.
I staggered out of bed and drank some water.
There was a chocolate I had never seen before on the table where the water bottle was placed.
"What is this?"
I stared intently at the chocolate. There's no way the chocolate grew legs and came to find me. Someone must have visited me secretly. In fact, there's only one person who would come into my room so confidently and leave chocolate.
Cerden.
"What's your intention, Cerden."
Of course, there was no answer. Could it be poisoned? Does he finally want to poison me because he doesn't like me? No, that can't be. If that were the case, he wouldn't have just left the chocolate.
After staring at the chocolate for a while, I came to a conclusion.
"Still, I guess he was worried because I was sick."
Yeah, I worked so hard. Trying to eat all those cookies by myself. The reason I got sick yesterday was probably because of the poison in those cookies. Ugh, I should avoid going there often if possible. Or is there a way to secretly dispose of the cookies?
I sighed softly and unwrapped the chocolate and put it in my mouth.
I definitely thought I wouldn't want to eat anything sweet for a while, but strangely, it tasted good. It felt like there was medicine in the melting chocolate, making my stomach feel lighter and my head clearer.
I lay back down on the bed.
My days are spectacular. And the thought that came to my mind was that if I only defend like this, I might get tired and fall behind. It seemed like I needed to attack to some extent. It would be best to return a valid hit if possible.
And I can't let my identity be revealed.
What could be the way?
"Is it to catch the culprit red-handed after all."
If I find the assassin who entered the imperial palace, wouldn't Spelman be more cautious? The assassin itself could be evidence. And what if I subtly spread the rumor that the assassin was hired by Spelman?
Sounds good?
Then all that's left is to find the assassin. Still, they said there are many who are after Cerden, so there must be more than one or two assassins. I just need to catch one of them.
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