WTSP - 17

“Wait a moment.”

Perhaps sensing the bewilderment on my face, Brilline gently released my wrist with an expression of calm.

Lena, who had been watching the scene unfold, gasped and quickly covered her mouth in shock.

“Your Highness!”

“Shh. It’s nothing. Lena, wasn’t it? Could you bring me a sugar spoon?”

“Yes, yes? Do you mean this one?”

As Brilline opened the teapot lid, she gestured with her fingertips toward Lena.

Still checking if I was injured, Lena handed her the silver spoon that had been resting on the cabinet.

With a slight tilt of her head, the empress peered into the contents of the teapot before dipping the tip of the spoon into the tea. What on earth was she thinking? Her actions were completely unreadable.

“Just as I thought.”

“Your Majesty? What exactly are you…?”

“It’s poison. Though I’m not certain which tea leaves were used.”

Brilline smiled brightly, showing no signs of distress, and held up the discolored silver spoon for me to see.

Poison! Staring at the spoon’s blackened tip, like rotten coal, my heart raced uncontrollably.

Why would Serdelius send me poisoned tea? To kill me? My mind swirled with confusion.

‘Just yesterday, everything seemed fine...’

I hadn’t noticed any warning signs. In fact, he had shown interest in me—interest I interpreted positively. Was I foolish to have trusted him?

But Serdelius had no reason to kill me. What could he possibly gain from eliminating a powerless concubine from a baronial family?

‘Could this be because of Pompoo’s attack?’

I had no idea what expression to wear. The fever raging through my body only seemed to intensify.

Meanwhile, Brilline, who had just saved me from death’s door, wore an astonishingly serene expression—as if such incidents were routine for her.

Swallowing my trembling breath, I asked her:

“How did you know? That there was poison in this tea?”

“Call it intuition. Thanks to my background, I’ve witnessed many things like this.”

Did she instinctively sense the poison in the tea?

Her statement felt hard to believe unless she was lying to cover her tracks—a hastily made excuse, perhaps.

But if Brilline herself was the culprit behind the poisoning, why would she bother saving me?

To calm my chaotic thoughts, I slapped my cheeks lightly. Surprisingly, my racing heartbeat began to slow slightly.

“The emperor wouldn’t have sent this. Someone must have switched it along the way.”

Brilline spoke with unwavering certainty as she set the silver spoon down.

How could she be so sure? No matter how I thought about it, there were too many strange things about her.

But I didn’t want to suspect Serdelius either. At least, the Serdelius Carlot I knew wouldn’t resort to such petty methods. When had he ever cared about others’ opinions?

‘If anything, he’d have just cut off my head outright. He’s always done things his own way.’

With that realization, Brilline’s explanation suddenly seemed quite plausible.

So then, who could it be? I racked my brain, trying to think of anyone who might hold a grudge against Ophelia. But few came to mind—after all, I had only recently become an empress and left the manor.

At most, a handful of noble families who looked down on the Merediths.

Pushing aside my shock, I analyzed the situation with a cool head.

Aside from Serdelius and Brilline, I barely knew anyone else in the palace. There was Uriel, the villainess, but she had no reason to target me, a mere concubine.

‘Though her declaration of war at the Founding Anniversary Banquet does linger in my mind...’

Uriel wasn’t simple-minded enough to use such an uncertain method.

Moreover, tampering with tea given by the emperor was far too risky. Not only would it harm Ophelia, but it would also be seen as an act of defiance against the emperor by a ducal house.

“So then, I can’t think of anyone…”

“Think back to someone you’ve had a recent conflict with. Even someone you briefly crossed paths with.”

The dramatic events unfolding around me felt straight out of a romantic fantasy novel.

At that moment, following Brilline’s advice, I carefully sifted through my memories—and suddenly, one person’s face came to mind. Could it really be him?

“I’m not sure, but there’s someone I suspect.”

“Then gather evidence first, before they even try to deny it. The more cunning their nature, the better they’ll slip away.”

After offering her quiet advice, Brilline rose gracefully, smoothing her dress. Had she experienced something like this since ascending to the position of empress?

After seeing her off, I returned to my room and pressed my palm against my forehead.

Right now, my cold wasn’t the priority.

Isn’t this what happens in romance fantasy novels? Extreme professions and all.

---

“Poooom, Puung, Pu…”

“No, Pompoo. Just wait a bit. I’m busy right now—I can’t play with you.”

It had already been four hours. My body burned with fever, yet I didn’t stop reading through the documents. Flipping through what must have been hundreds of pages was exhausting work.

Feeling neglected, Pompoo sat with his back turned to me, visibly sulking. Lena, who had brought all these documents to my room, wore a worried expression.

“Your Highness, please rest today and start investigating tomorrow. I beg you.”

“Sorry, Lena. I need to figure this out today.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to inform His Majesty? If multiple people investigate, we’ll find the culprit much faster…!”

“You don’t know Serdel’s temper. Ah, I’ve finished reading these. Could you move them over there?”

Reluctantly, Lena complied with my request.

After consulting with the head gardener of the imperial garden about the tea leaves, I discovered the flower in question was called Gearmant. A flower I’d never heard of in Korea.

According to the gardener, this variety only bloomed in the Carlot Empire and was highly toxic, so it wasn’t cultivated in the imperial gardens. Moreover, due to its potential for misuse, its cultivation was legally prohibited.

Before he could ask why I was inquiring, I left the garden and headed to the archive where all records of the empire were kept.

‘I need to confirm if anyone has cultivated or obtained Gearmant.’

I gathered every document related to the Count of Phainus and Baron Poinen and returned to my room.

Phainus—never did I imagine I’d remember this name again.

These were the only people who had recently harbored ill will toward me. Those fools who had belittled and insulted Sir Rovair, the deputy commander of the royal guard, simply because he was a noble.

Though I had no concrete evidence yet, I strongly suspected they were the culprits. I had thought they learned their lesson during that incident at the training grounds, but perhaps I was mistaken.

‘After all, they suffered every possible humiliation in front of the soldiers.’

My guess was that the connection was stronger with Phainus than with Poinen’s twin brothers.

So I meticulously scanned every document related to the founding of the Phainus household and their current projects. If my instincts were correct, there would surely be some mention of Gearmant.

“At this rate, I’ll still be looking through this tomorrow… Ugh, my head hurts.”

Even after taking medicine and resting all day, staring at densely packed text made my head throb. I rubbed my tired eyelids with my fingertips and exhaled deeply.

Pompoo, who had been playing with his tail while ignoring me, tilted his head and looked at me curiously.

“Poroong?”

“Yeah, I’m a little dizzy, but I’m okay. Are you hungry?”

Now that I thought about it, what did spirits eat? Did they live off dew? Or, being a snow spirit, maybe ice…?

Once the random thoughts started, they spiraled endlessly, growing more tangled.

At that moment, Pompoo, who had been rolling around on the papers with an inscrutable expression, picked up a sheet of paper in his mouth.

Distracted by my wandering thoughts, I was startled when I saw him chewing on the paper and quickly scooped him up.

No matter how hungry he was, eating paper wasn’t allowed!

Before I could scold him, a familiar word on the paper caught my eye.

“Huh?”

“Poom, Poo, Porong….”

“Pompoo! Did you find this for me?”

“Pom?”

Finally. Clutching the paper Pompoo had been chewing, I sprang to my feet and quickly read through it. Without realizing it, a smile spread across my face.

This was it. Circumstantial evidence and physical proof—I was certain now. All that remained was a direct confrontation.

Startled by my sudden reaction, Pompoo looked confused. Somehow, the paper he had been gnawing on had become crucial evidence.

Accidentally praised, Pompoo basked in the affection with his usual shameless attitude.

Truly, the world’s most brazen spirit.

After giving this adorable fluffball a quick kiss, I called out loudly for Lena.

“Lena, summon Count Phainus and his second son to the empress’s quarters immediately.”

“Yes, Your Highness? Right now? You’re unwell—you should rest!”

“It’s fine. This will be over quickly if they don’t try to deny it.”

“Our empress has truly changed since entering the palace.”

With a resigned sigh, Lena shrugged and added:

“But I’ll always be on your side, Your Highness.”

After gently touching my forehead, she left the room.

“Cough, cough.”

Perhaps due to the release of tension, a series of small coughs escaped me. Ugh, after this is over, I really need to sleep for 24 hours straight.

Like an athlete before a match, I locked eyes with my reflection in the mirror. The white-haired woman staring back at me wore a firmer expression than ever before.

You’ve picked the wrong opponent to mess with.