22.
What Judith had requested of the Master was nothing out of the ordinary. She simply wanted him to infiltrate the area near the Duke’s room and report when he drank the tea prepared by Bart. That way, she could time her own entrance, cup in hand, to coincide with his.
Of course, she had assumed it would take some time to figure out the daily routine of Ben Mayous, the Duke. But to her surprise, the Master had uncovered it quite quickly.
‘He says he drinks it while handling official duties after breakfast.’
‘Oh my, how did you find that out already?’
‘I was wandering around the mansion and heard the maids talking.’
‘Oh, good.’
‘But what are you planning to do?’
‘Fortunately, we have one more personal physician here, don’t we?’
Judith winked at the Master.
‘And a highly capable one at that.’
She figured that if it were Hyude, who was touted as a genius, he would surely be able to uncover something. Even if he couldn’t, it would serve as a warning from her to Bart.
‘Judith.’
‘Yes?’
‘Surely you aren’t suspecting Bart? Bart is a skilled man who has been loyal to the Mayous Ducal House for a long time. I can vouch for his loyalty.’
‘Pardon?’
‘His loyalty, at the very least, is remarkable…’
‘Hmm.’
Judith looked at the Master and clicked her tongue.
‘Master. You really don’t know anything about the Mayous Ducal House.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Just do the job I gave you properly.’
‘…….’
That morning, Bart had treated Judith with indifference, offering her the tea. It was obvious he had no interest in her; he likely thought she was someone who would be gone in a few months anyway.
Judith refrained from drinking the tea. As soon as she received the signal from the Master, she called for a maid and headed to the office under the guise of an afternoon tea invitation.
“This… is a bit strange.”
After feigning a sip, Judith widened her eyes.
“Something is wrong. Duke, please do not drink that tea for now… and call the other physician, Hyude.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Duke,” Judith said calmly. “Because of the debt my parents left behind, I spent my time working as a visiting tutor here and there. Among those places, there was a household that ran a medicinal herb shop.”
It was a pre-meditated excuse.
“I worked there for a long time and became quite close with the owner, so I picked up a bit of common knowledge. In many cases, herbalists know more about medicinal herbs than doctors do.”
Ben’s eyes grew sharp.
“But this tea… it smells like a poisonous herb I caught a glimpse of back then. I can’t quite remember the name… but if you don’t mind, I’d like to smell the Duke’s tea as well.”
Judith took Ben’s cup and sniffed it intently. She looked grave as she muttered, “This scent is definitely… a poisonous herb. I heard it’s a plant that might make your body feel better at first, but eventually leads to death.”
At Judith’s words, Ben did not hesitate. Given it was a matter of health, he could not simply overlook it.
He pulled the bell cord and summoned Hyude, the young physician.
Hyude entered, blinking in confusion. “A poisonous herb, you say?”
Since Judith had already finished her tea, Hyude had to analyze the remnants in Ben’s cup.
“In the first place, poisonous herbs are not even permitted within the Mayous Ducal Mansion. Of course, mixing certain herbs can produce an effect similar to that of a toxin, but…”
Interrupting Hyude’s muttering, Judith pressed, “Can’t we see Bart’s prescription?”
“That would be highly improper. Besides, Bart is a senior far above me.”
Hyude tilted his head, still skeptical. Judith leaned in, her expression full of feigned curiosity.
“But still. They say that drinking this tea improves one’s complexion and grants strength. However, Young Duke Karl didn’t seem to be benefiting at all.”
“Pardon?”
“Just yesterday, he was completely drained of energy. I even heard he is losing weight.”
Hyude looked bewildered. Judith widened her eyes.
“If his condition were truly improving, why would he be taking stomach medicine every single day?”
That was when it happened.
“……Ah.”
Hyude’s face went pale with realization. “Wait a moment. I think I missed that. Could I also get some of the tea the Duchess drank?”
Since Bart might deny everything, they decided to proceed in secret.
Fortunately, Isabella had not yet finished her cup. She hurried into the office, holding her tea.
“Hmm… surely…”
As Judith explained, Hyude withdrew several reagents from his bag, performing a series of rapid experiments on the tea from both cups.
Before long, his voice trembled.
“……Good heavens……”
He looked up, terrified. “Duke, it is indeed poison.”
“What?”
“In this combination, it manifests very slowly. Dandelion roots were added to mask the scent, which is why I missed it as well.”
None of them understood the medical jargon, but the weight of his discovery was clear.
“You may feel as though your body is improving at first. But if taken over a period of five years or more, it is certainly fatal.”
“Good heavens……”
Isabella trembled from head to toe.
“Then, does that mean Judith was right?”
“Yes,” Hyude said dismally. “The exact same blend is in both your teas. It is highly suspicious, considering you both have entirely different constitutions.”
“Ha…”
“However, the medicine likely didn’t work well on Young Duke Karl because the stomach medicine I prescribe him contains an antidote.”
“An antidote?”
“Yes. It is a rare desert herb discovered in a recent paper; those unaware of the latest research wouldn’t recognize its efficacy. It is excellent at neutralizing this specific poison.”
Everything suddenly made sense: why the Duke and Duchess felt better, and why only Karl remained physically weak.
‘And the reason the two of them would suddenly die later on!’
Ben gritted his teeth. Maintaining his composure, he asked Hyude, “Then… are we already in a state of being poisoned?”
“Since there are no abnormal signals in your body yet, it is not too late to detoxify.”
As soon as Hyude spoke, Judith let out a shuddering sigh of relief. This had been her greatest fear—that she might have been too late, that they might have been irrevocably ruined.
“That is… such a relief,” Judith muttered, overcome with emotion. “I was so worried… I’m so glad it can be detoxified…”
Ben stared at her, his expression unreadable. Finally, he let out a faint, weary sigh.
“Thank you.”
His voice was cold, but his gaze was no longer frigid.
“……Thank you,” he repeated, his voice hoarse as he stood. “I shall offer my formal thanks… after I interrogate Bart.”
It was done. Only then did Judith’s heart finally begin to settle.
* * *
That night, Ben entered Isabella’s room. She was pacing, agitated, and ran to him immediately.
“Dear! What did he say? Did he confess?”
“No,” Ben shook his head. “But when I presented the evidence, he didn’t deny it either.”
“……Oh my……”
“It is true that he attempted to poison us.”
Isabella’s legs gave out, and she sank to the floor. Their long-time physician, trusted implicitly, had been systematically poisoning them.
There was no personal resentment between them, which meant someone else was pulling the strings.
“I will have to dig deeper,” Ben muttered. Isabella pressed her forehead against her hand, letting out a long, shuddering sigh.
“In any case, we would have been in big trouble if it weren’t for Judith.”
“That is true,” Ben replied lowly. “Since we would have been strangers in a few months anyway, there was no need for her to stir up controversy by relaying information that wasn’t even certain.”
They hadn’t built a great bond, and she wasn’t a doctor. She had risked everything on knowledge picked up from an herb shop. Had she been wrong, she would have faced severe consequences.
“She is an upright child,” Isabella said quietly. “We have already received so much from her.”
“……I suppose so.”
Ben rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
“Even if she divorces Ekian, we must take responsibility for her. We should see to it that she is linked to a family of Count status, at the very least, rather than just a Baron’s.”