Chapter 7
I paused and turned my head to the source of the voice. Standing close to the window next to the bed was a man with tanned skin, who I now recognized as Yann.
He was Valentina's younger brother and the head of the Dallas Myer Club. I hadn't seen him since my return, so I was curious why he was here.
"What happened?"
"You were poisoned. Do you remember?"
"I think so."
"I'm quite adept at these things, so I tried to save you instead of relying on those medical professionals who only know how to waste ink. You were in a critical condition all night long."
"...All night long. That sounds ridiculously short."
Yann, whose attention seemed to be on the floor, slowly raised his head. His eyes, similar to Valentina's, a shade of unclear green, glanced at me meaningfully before quickly looking down again.
"It's thanks to the strong Lady."
"I'm not some noble young lady. If it wasn't for this terribly made poison, I wouldn't recover so quickly."
"Is the possibility of it being an amateur enough? Especially in a place like that."
"Maybe an amateur could have infiltrated the event you were overseeing... Or, do you think it was a planned and staged act?"
Only then did Yann step away from the wall and face me directly. I could now see him clearly, bathed in sunlight that streamed through the window.
His tousled caramel-colored hair, boyish pale face, and the randomly unbuttoned collar of his shirt.
"What would you do if I admit that I made it all up?"
"Let's leave the clumsy pranks aside. They're not amusing."
"How can you be so sure? What if it wasn't just a prank?"
"Because you're Benya's friend. Just like Benya wouldn't do anything to harm your sister, you wouldn't do anything to hurt him."
The young lord of the underworld raised his hand and touched the dark red scar on his neck, as if aware of its presence. Then he sighed deeply and muttered in an embarrassed tone.
"This is what that Hyung did."
"..."
"Anyway... you're right. I didn't mean to tease you. I just wanted to confirm what you said."
"This pair of siblings... Is Valen alright?"
I said with a lazy smile. Yann stared at me for a moment and then lowered his gaze again.
"She's had her fair share of troubles, but she's okay. We can't deny our responsibility for not fulfilling our duties properly. It's our fault, just like that day."
"It's a bit different. The cocktail I drank could have been consumed by anyone at the table."
"Do you think it was a random attack? That they didn't care if anyone there got poisoned?"
"Well... It's clear that assassination wasn't their main objective."
An unusual light flickered in his green eyes. Perhaps the thought that his older sister might have been the one poisoned caused tension in his bronzed temples.
"You speak as if it's not your own business, but you could have died. No matter how small the attempt..."
"There's enough room for it to be considered a self-fabricated scenario. I woke up unharmed, and now... I have every reason to bare my fangs."
"So, you're really acting like it's someone else's concern... Huh, do you have any idea who might be behind this?"
Well, I didn't show it, but I was also confused. Since it didn't happen in the original work, it wasn't easy to guess who was behind it.
If it was someone from their family's rival faction, they would have likely chosen to eliminate me. This kind of test was no joke.
While lost in thought, I heard Yann's subdued voice. Looking at him now, his voice had a husky quality, unlike his appearance.
"If something had gone wrong with you, those snake bastards would have been completely unhinged. Now that the truth is out, whoever is behind this won't wish for your death anymore. If they can't directly harm those two, what's the point of going against them and trying to gain something if what they sought to benefit from could be reduced to ashes? It's just..."
"It's just...?"
"It's just... Now, I wonder what you want to happen from all of this."
That's a good question. I tucked my flowing hair behind my ear and laughed.
"If I tell you, will it come true? Why are you curious about that?"
"If I know about it, we can make a plan. We can make a plan for what my friend will do in the future."
"You underestimate your friend. Do you think he'll blindly follow what I want?"
"It's not about underestimating him; it's about seeing things as they are. Because he can and will destroy the most dangerous humans in the world for you."
"It's too grand to say he'll 'destroy' them. All I want is for him to smile like he used to. It's not something that can be solved that easily, so most likely, I'm just going to hunt them down."
After a moment of silence, he smiled. Like his sister's smile, it was both meaningful and oddly cheerful.
"It can't be like this..."
At that moment...
"M-Miss Sasha?!"
Mr. Chaplin, who had just pushed through the door and entered, widened his eyes and then let out an earthquake-like roar. And,
"S-Sasha?!"
The next moment, I found myself enveloped in the tight bear hug of our giant blue bear. Oh, I can't breathe!
"Sasha!"
"O-Oppa, I need to breathe..."
"Sasha! Our Sasha!"
"Now, hold on, I can't breathe..."
"I-I thought you were going to die... Sniff, how scary it was. I'm really glad!"
Lethias was wailing and hugging me so tightly that I was suffocating. I barely managed to raise my head and patted him on the back, gasping for breath. Oh, our bear.
"I'm okay, Oppa. Everything's fine. I survived once again."
"Waaaah."
"I'm really fine. Hey, stop crying."
After a while, with the butler standing by the door and the Chief Aide who ran after him, still throwing tears at me, Lethias finally stopped crying and calmed down a bit.
I felt quite bad for everyone's dark circles extending down to their jaws.
"How did it end last night?"
Lethias was in no condition to answer, so Mr. Chaplin spoke instead. The kind butler wiped his teary eyes with a handkerchief adorned with delicate lace.
"It was a bloodbath."
"..."
"I'm just kidding. This old man is just too emotional..."
Even a joke sounded serious in this family. Come to think of it, the butler had quite a nerve too. Mr. Pavel, who was no less courageous, then told me what had really happened.
"Thanks to the Crown Prince personally calming down those in attendance, there was no major disturbance. More than that, I'm so glad you woke up safely, Miss Sasha. I've never seen him so agitated before."
I see. Assad... Benya...
Lethias, tears streaming down his face as he used the hem of the blanket to wipe them away, turned to Yann, who stood quietly beside him.
"Phew, even someone like you can be pretty useless..."
"Why don't you just acknowledge and praise me for a job well done? It's really a shame that this gorgeous neck of mine got bruised."
"You should be grateful that it didn't turn out worse, so why are you complaining? Honestly, did you guys even do the right thing?"
"This is too much! How do we even know if some clueless noble thought it was a love potion?"
He entertained the idea that it might be a love potion – a plausible hypothesis. I'd rather be at ease with that thought.
"Sasha, are you really okay? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm really okay. Just a little dizzy, but nothing major. How's Benya doing? Lady Orsini and Princess Parke must have been so surprised."
"Is it time for you to worry about others?"
"But the party got ruined because of me. It's an event I've been looking forward to..."
"Why do you think it's because of you? It's because of some scoundrel who wouldn't mind us tearing them apart. I just want to catch that person and make them beg for mercy, no, I'll make them fill that they were neither dead nor alive!"
At this chilling declaration worthy of his nickname, the three vassals in the back exchanged glances quietly, and simultaneously made sounds resembling groans.
"First of all, please refrain from hitting people too hard..."
"You guys are making a lot of noise! Get out of here! You're all useless!"
"Why am I useless? I was the one who stayed up all night and saved the Lady."
"And this old man stayed up all night attending to that scoundrel of a man."
"I stayed up all night keeping watch, Your Excellency."
"If I have to say it one more time..."
"Young master?"
The atmosphere in the room, which had been somewhat relaxed, instantly shifted. I could sense him even before I opened my eyes.
Benya carefully made his way past the supporting vassals and approached the bed where I was sitting.
"Sasha."
I widened my eyes and looked up at him. The mood was darker and sharper than usual. He appeared tired, angry, and at times, even sad. It pained my heart to see him like this.
"Hello, latecomer. Once again, you're late."
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