Chapter 25 – It’s Not Like Today Is the Only Chance

The place Evelyn followed the Duchess of Valentino to was the oldest gallery in the entire ducal estate.

For most noble families, galleries were a place to store old heirlooms and family treasures, but the Valentino family’s collection, dating all the way back to the founding of Baltian, was nothing short of majestic.

‘Is it really okay for me to be here?’

Evelyn wetted her lips with a hesitant expression.

Until now, the only places she had visited in the duke’s residence were Axion’s room, the parlor, and the terraces. She glanced around nervously and was about to take a step back when—

“Lady Evelyn, would you come here for a moment?”

“Yes!”

At the Duchess’s call, she responded right away and headed towards the display cases. Inside were all sorts of items, from dazzling jewelry to rare sacred relics. At a glance, the whole room felt more like a museum than a private gallery.

“I was going to choose something myself, but I think it’s more important that the person receiving it actually likes it.”

“I’m really fine with anything…”

As the Duchess invited her to pick something she liked, Evelyn quickly began scanning the display.

‘I should pick the smallest thing here, the smallest one.’

Not wanting to disregard the Duchess’s kindness, she settled on what looked like the most modest-looking accessory she could find.

“Thank you for your kindness, Duchess. I’ll take this hairpin!”

She felt quietly proud of herself for finding such a tiny, unassuming item until Axion approached her before she realized it, his eyes filled with interest.

“I didn’t expect you to have such a sharp eye.”

Startled by the unexpected compliment from her fiancé, Evelyn tilted her head, confused.

“What do you mean by that?”

Before Axion could reply, the Duchess answered with a satisfied smile.

“The hairpin Lady Evelyn picked is a keepsake from the very first duchess.”

“….!”

Evelyn’s cheerful face fell in an instant.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

“No matter how I think about it, this just doesn’t feel right.”

Evelyn, looking visibly troubled, grumbled as she shot a sulky glare at her fiancé across from her in the carriage.

“What doesn’t?”

She knew full well that he understood what she meant, which made his feigned ignorance all the more irritating. Then, letting out a deep sigh, as if the earth would swallow her whole, she spoke, her voice tinged with resentment.

“How could I possibly keep the first duchess’s keepsake? You should’ve warned me beforehand!”

Who would’ve imagined that such a simple-looking hairpin would be such a priceless, meaningful heirloom?

Axion, with a languid smile on his lips, glanced at the box she was holding so dearly and answered.

“Why not? I think it suits you.”

‘Is he messing with me right now?’

Right then, as the carriage pulled up in front of the marquis’s house, Evelyn quickly stepped out and thrust the box back at him.

“This is way too much for me, so take it back!”

“….?”

Axion, caught off guard as she pushed the box into his hands, showed a rare look of bewilderment.

“The first duchess’s keepsake is supposed to belong to the next duchess, isn’t it?”

At her firm words, he raised his perfectly shaped eyebrows.

“Well, it’s not like today is the only chance.”

“Huh? What did you say just now?”

“Nothing.”

With a casual shrug, Axion replied in his usual indifferent tone.

Relieved to have returned the hairpin, Evelyn’s face looked brighter than usual, completely oblivious to what her fiancé was really thinking.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

The air in the conservatory’s laboratory was thick with the pungent scent of simmering herbs. Evelyn stood with a serious expression, staring at a flask filled with poison.

“Hmm, looks like it’s been brewed well.”

They say that in order to develop an antidote to a deadly poison, you first have to understand the poison itself.

While researching antidotes, she had personally cultivated a poisonous herb called ‘Dirkworth.’ After years of effort, she finally discovered that Dirkworth’s properties closely resembled the lethal poison from the original story. Still, the plant was notoriously difficult to grow due to its demanding environmental needs, making growing anything but easy.

Since she had only just succeeded in growing it properly, she made sure to examine it carefully to make sure nothing was damaged.

“They said it needs to mature for at least ten days.”