Chapter 13

Linburton, the Grand Duchess Seres’s knight commander and chief aide, was known to be one of the busiest men in the entire duchy.

And yet, lately, he had been running into Melissa almost every single day.

‘I must be incredibly lucky.’

While Melissa was quietly feeling grateful for her good fortune, Linburton’s face was steadily twisting into a grimace.

Why is she smiling again?

Could it be that she has figured out my plan and is mocking me?

‘…No.’

That couldn’t be.

If she had realized it, she would have glared at him sharply or sneered with disdain, not grinned like an oblivious fool.

Still, if she looked that cheerful, that meant all the traps he had prepared this morning had failed completely.

In his mind, Linburton recalled the document he had written a week ago, 101 Ways to Expel Melissa, or simply, The MEP Method.

Today’s attempt had been number thirty-six. The Star Coral Scatter.

To avoid Demius’s notice, Linburton had personally stolen Melissa’s shoes and clothes, carefully inserted pieces of sharp star coral inside by hand, and ordered a clueless servant to return them to her room.

Yet there she was, perfectly fine.

‘That little stray cat.’

He rubbed his chest, which had begun to ache faintly from the stress.

Even while constantly dodging Demius’s suspicious gaze, he had been putting all his effort into executing each step of the MEP plan, only to keep failing.

Could it be that the plan was flawed from the very start?

As doubt began to gnaw at him, Linburton forced himself to regain focus and tightened his grip on the small basket in his hands.

‘No. Not this time.’

This one would not fail.
He would make sure of it personally.

Lifting the corners of his mouth into a forced smile, he spoke.

“I am relieved to hear that. Since we happened to meet, would you like to try one of these?”

“What is it?”

Melissa blinked curiously, her eyes widening as Linburton lifted the cloth covering the basket.

“Cookies.”

“Oh my.”

Her eyes filled with warmth.

“Are these for me?”

“I am merely sharing them with whoever I happen to meet by chance.”

A lie not even a dog would believe.

But since she would never eat them if she knew she was the target, Linburton delivered the excuse as smoothly as possible.

“How kind of you.”

Melissa looked genuinely touched.

To think he carried cookies around just to share with others, he was truly a kind person.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

She reached into the basket with cheerful enthusiasm and picked up a cookie.

Crinkle.

The cookie moved through the air toward her mouth, and Linburton’s gaze followed its every motion.

Crunch.

The sound of it breaking between her teeth made the corners of his mouth lift into a triumphant smile.

‘Foolish girl.’

She hadn’t even thought to question whether it might be poisoned.

Of course, he hadn’t used any real poison. He couldn’t risk anything that might stain the Grand Duchess’s honor or spark a scandal.

But what he had added could be considered worse than poison, depending on one’s tolerance.

As a faintly wicked smile crept over Linburton’s face, Melissa’s eyes went wide and a small gasp escaped her lips.

“Oh my!”

Her reaction was immediate.

Linburton’s satisfaction deepened.

But then, Melissa’s eyes sparkled.

“This tastes amazing!”

Her cheeks flushed with excitement.

“It’s so spicy that my mouth feels hot, yet it has a tangy flavor like lemon, and there’s this strong, rich, almost smoky taste that’s oddly addictive. I’ve never eaten anything like this before!”

Clasping her hands together, she described the flavor with delight before turning to Linburton and pleading earnestly.

“Please, could you share the recipe with me?”

…What?

Linburton froze, utterly dumbfounded.

Those cookies contained things no sane person would ever consider edible, from fiery hot peppers that made one cry after a single sniff to bizarre fruits with unbearable odors and even ground-up fermented fish aged for years.

It was practically a punishment in edible form.

And yet she was praising it?

‘Did the cook swap the ingredients by mistake?’

His suspicion seemed reasonable enough, so Linburton broke off a tiny piece of cookie and put it in his mouth.

“…Ugh!”

The moment it touched his tongue, he nearly gagged.

He forced himself to swallow, feeling his throat and stomach burn as if they were screaming in protest.

How was she still standing?

As Linburton struggled to keep his composure, Melissa suddenly clapped her hands as if remembering something.

“Ah, I have something for you too.”

Originally, it had been meant for Demius, but she could always make another one later.

Rummaging through her bag, Melissa pulled something out and handed it to him.

“A small gift, in return.”

“A… gift?”

Linburton’s expression turned wary.

It was a small cloth pouch, neatly tied with a ribbon and patterned with delicate flowers.

“What is this?”

She smiled shyly.

“I made it with the ingredients you gave me a few days ago.”

…Ingredients?

He blinked in confusion. He had never given her anything of the sort.

‘Wait. Think, Linburton. Think carefully.’

Melissa wasn’t the type to tell outright lies.

He retraced the past few days in his mind, and suddenly went pale.

No way. It couldn’t be…

Grabbing the pouch in alarm, he tugged at the ribbon. It came loose with a soft flutter.

“Ah!”

The moment he glimpsed something dark and twitching inside, he let out a strangled scream.

Melissa gasped in delight.

“Oh, you like it that much?”

Blushing, she cupped her cheek.

“It turned out better than I expected, didn’t it?”

Linburton’s eyes trembled violently as he stared at what sat in his palm.

A grotesque, once-living thing squirmed faintly against the floral fabric.

Thin antennae, spiky legs, and dry, crumpled bodies.

Dozens of insects wriggled faintly inside the pouch.

“W-What is this…?”

“A present!”

…A present?

As he stared, trembling, a sudden realization hit him.

The MEP list flashed through his mind until his thoughts stopped on one entry.

Number twenty-eight: The Insect Toss.

Two days ago, under the pretense of pest control, he had entered Demius’s quarters, only to find Melissa there. Startled but unwilling to waste the opportunity, he had released a box full of insects into the room.

‘Oops, I must have dropped them!’

He had pretended it was an accident, though he had smirked in satisfaction as the creatures scattered across the room.

Forgive me, young master.

It was all for your future.

He had been certain Melissa would be terrified, as she had covered her mouth and gasped.

‘If you need help cleaning up, I can send someone later.’

He had planned to send servants that evening, just before Demius returned.

But apparently, she hadn’t needed any help.

‘Oh no, it’s fine. Thank you!’

Thank you, she’d said.

Linburton had scoffed at her politeness at the time, shuddering as he remembered carrying that box and hearing the faint scratching from inside.

But now he realized she hadn’t just been polite.

She had meant it.