Chapter 22.2

For the next three days, Livi threw herself into work without a moment’s rest. She prepared lists of the food and medical supplies needed for the campaign, ensuring nothing was missing, and ordered extra medicines in case of emergencies.

When the day of departure finally arrived, Livi woke up earlier than usual and sat before her vanity.

The reflection staring back at her was covered in red marks from her neck down to the swell beneath her chemise. The older marks were just beginning to fade, but new crimson blossoms had bloomed over them. Every one of them was left by Dominic’s relentless mouth the night before.

She still burned with anger at the memory of his shameless face telling her she should thank him for leaving his marks on her before departing. The fact that she couldn’t rake her nails across that face only made the fury worse.

Livi forced herself to calm the boiling in her chest and dabbed white powder along her neck. It didn’t erase the marks completely, but after careful blending, they were faint enough not to stand out unless someone looked closely.

Only then did Livi pull the bell cord to summon the maids. When they entered and found her already awake, they stared in surprise.

“Madam, aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine. More importantly, I need to go up onto the ramparts. Can you help me get dressed?”

The maids faltered in confusion.

“Um, but… the master said you should rest indoors today, madam. That you would be exhausted…”

“I said I’m fine. Bring a dress.”

Livi dismissed their worried words and hurried to get dressed.

The moment she stepped outside, a loud trumpet blast echoed across the grounds. She quickened her pace and climbed the steps to the ramparts with the maids following behind.

Below, soldiers stood ready at the castle gate, preparing to open it.

“It looks like they’ll depart any moment now,” one maid murmured.

Livi nodded and looked down.

At the very back were the servants pulling the supply carts. In front of them marched the foot soldiers, and ahead rode the knights. Livi let her gaze travel even farther forward.

Dominic was at the very front of the procession. He calmly mounted on his horse, wearing the exact same armor he’d worn when he first arrived at the House of Marquis Joseph. barely managed to hold back the nausea rising in her stomach as she silently fixed her eyes on him.

The maids, noticing where she was looking, immediately burst into excited chatter.

“I heard the master’s armor was forged from refined adidium. Just look at that black sheen, madam.”

“They say no iron blade can leave so much as a scratch on it!”

“All right, that’s enough. Quiet…”

Livi had only meant to hush the maids because she was tired, but suddenly the chatter cut off altogether. Puzzled, she turned. The maids stood with their mouths snapped shut, a strained stiffness in their expressions. Under their eyes lingered an anxiety they couldn’t hide.

Only then did Livi realize her mistake.

Even if it wasn’t a dangerous battle, it was still a battle. No one knew who would live or die among those leaving today.

She softened her voice.

“…Everyone will return safely.”

“Of course, madam. With the master leading them, at least everyone can feel a bit more at ease.”

“He always brings back news of victory!”

Even amid their unease, the maids’ faith in Dominic was unwavering.

Livi stared at their trusting eyes, then quietly looked away. A bitter weight settled in her chest that felt cold and immovable.

She watched the soldiers march out until they were no bigger than the tip of her nail.
Dominic’s armor had been polished all morning by the servants, and it shone a deep blue whenever it caught the sunlight.

The way it glinted and vanished into the distance reminded her of the flames that had consumed her family’s mansion.

* * *

Once Dominic was gone, the citadel fell quiet, as if the grand departure ceremony had never happened. The servants resumed their daily routines, and the remaining knights fortified their defenses.

And Livi began gathering Goldshade.

Goldshade was a medicinal herb typically commonly prescribed to noblewomen who suffered from dizziness. When properly dried and steeped in hot water, it eased headaches, but it was so expensive that most would never see it in their lifetime.

‘Goldshade can be fatal to someone with an allergy to sage.’

Livi had learned this truth through the death of her cousin, Princess Arabella. The princess had gone south for a retreat and, unaware, drank tea containing Goldshade.

By the time the imperial physician arrived, it was already too late. She died in less than two days, and the imperial family quietly buried the incident as though it had never happened.

The imperial bloodline had always carried a sage allergy. This meant that by mixing Goldshade into food, one could specifically target and kill a member of the imperial family.

Because it wasn’t a poison, magic couldn’t detect it beforehand, so keeping the princess’s true cause of death confidential had been the only possible choice.

It was Livi’s mother who had been the one to inform her of this. On the day she returned from Arabella’s funeral mass, her mother had called her daughter over and listed foods and ingredients she must avoid.

— The imperial blood that flows through me has surely passed on to you as well, Livi. So be careful. Avoid these things, but never let anyone notice you’re avoiding them. If you become crown princess someday, there may be those who try to harm you…

Her mother had stroked her hair, worried that her daughter might be murdered. She could never have imagined that Livi would one day stand on the opposite side.

Isn’t that right, Mother?

Livi murmured to herself as she scooped out about two-thirds of the dried Goldshade from the teapot and stuffed it into a cloth pouch. Then she poured the tea brewed with the remaining leaves into a withered potted plant.

The runoff water that drained into the saucer turned muddy, its original golden tint completely gone.

And yet, how ridiculous was it that this mercenary duke had a rare allergy found only among the imperial family? If that maid hadn’t rattled off his preferences a few days ago, she’d still be searching for a different poison. She’d gotten lucky.

When he returned from the battlefield, Livi planned to mix it into his food when the time was right. Dominic’s death might throw things into momentary chaos, but in the end, it would be better for the knights and servants of Celsion as well.

Dominic Celsion was a madman, and no one knew whom he would choose to toy with next.

Dominic Celsion, a hero? Livi let out a snort.

There are names even a son of a bitch doesn’t deserve. She would sooner bow to a pig in a barn and call it “Your Imperial Majesty” than praise him.

A knock on the door cut through Livi’s muttering.