Free Web NovelChapter 35: 35. Monitoring the situation
It was the first time Kaileon had set foot in the Duke’s main castle. Everything was clearly magnificent and filled with luxurious items—just as grand as the castles from Europe’s royal era. With its distinctive, beautiful carvings, every corner of the building was a work of art. However, there were a few things that set it apart—of course, because this was a different world—namely, the building materials.
Kai didn’t know much about construction, cement, and such, but he knew that the materials used in the Duke’s castle were of the highest quality.
It was clear that the castle had been built decades ago—or perhaps even a century ago. Yet it didn’t look old at all; it was still incredibly sturdy, even if an earthquake were to strike.
Or maybe that’s the reason.
Nagreize is a country with a tropical climate; even neighboring countries like Maustrine and Verde have several active volcanoes. Arslan itself has a large active volcano called Mount Bromarze, but it’s located in the border region. Because of this, Mount Bromarze belongs to both Arslan and Maustrine and is also accessible from Verde.
Earthquakes used to happen frequently in the past, Keith said as Kai was learning about their region. According to Keith, buildings in Nagreize are indeed designed with structural strength in mind, precisely because natural disasters like earthquakes occur often.
However, Kai didn’t come to the castle to admire the architecture or study it. Instead, he came to the castle because he had to welcome the maids arriving from the Kingdom of Nagreize. In addition, Kai would be able to observe the Duke and Duchess’s conversation more clearly.
Kai was already in the Duke’s office, busy with his smartphone. Aery had connected his smartphone to the magical recording orb, which had been embedded in the wall of the Duchess’s room.
Kai could finally sit back and relax after he’d confiscated all the candy the Duke had given to his assistant—Nathan and the others. Nathan said he hadn’t had time to eat the candy because he was so busy. But he was glad that his busyness had kept him from the danger of eating it.
Kai, who had initially been sitting casually with his back reclined against the large sofa in the Duke’s office, now sat up straight after finally seeing the Duke enter the Duchess’s room for a private conversation. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Kai adjusted the earphones in his ears so he could hear more clearly.
Duke got straight to the point of their conversation, cutting off the Duchess’s small talk. In fact, Duke had to wait for the Duchess to prepare tea and snacks.
The Duchess’s room, as seen from the angle where the magic recording device was installed, was very spacious.
Her bed was large and luxurious; there was a spacious area for all her dresses and accessories, as well as a spot for tea, next to a large window—and that was where they were sitting. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
"Do you know that these two items are made from the same ingredients, Duchess?" asked the Duke, holding up a brown pill and a dark purple candy.
The Duchess furrowed her brow, looking very nervous.
"R-really? Aren’t these health pills from the kingdom, Duke? And I got this candy from the kingdom, too," replied Nathalia.
"I just found out that this chocolate pill contains a dangerous ingredient, and it turns out the candy you gave me is dangerous too. You have to be careful, Nathalia... if consumed regularly, this candy could poison me—oh wait, or could it be that you..."
"No, Duke!" Nathalia hurriedly replied nervously, "I... just found out about this too, s-so—oh! Look, I have a container of the same candy too; I just found out it’s dangerous as well. No wonder I didn’t like that guy named Akelos! He’s way too greedy, isn’t he?" Nathalia added hurriedly.
Hendry chuckled softly, "Haha, you’re right—that means we’ve been tricked. Give me all those candies; I’ll keep them safe. I’m afraid you might eat them by accident."
"Haha, thanks, Duke. I’ll give them all to you. By the way, please enjoy the tea—I brewed it myself," said Nathalia, flashing the sweetest smile she could muster.
Nathalia was indeed one of the most beautiful women in the Kingdom of Nagreize; everyone knew that. In fact, back then, Hendry hadn’t harbored any ill thoughts toward her because of her kind-looking face. It turned out Nathalia was quite the actress.
Hendry also knew that Nathalia was acting right now. There was no way she didn’t know anything about those candies, because, in fact, they weren’t sold openly in the kingdom. Nathalia must have gotten them from the Queen or Princess Annabelle—two people who were very close to Akelos. You could say that Akelos was the one being used by the Queen and Princess Annabelle.
Actually, before speaking with Kaileon a short while ago, Hendry had long suspected that Nathalia wanted to do something similar to what happened to Princess Angeline.
Namely, to slowly poison the Duke so that he would die quickly and his son, Justine, could ascend to the throne.
Although Hendry himself thought this was utterly ridiculous, since he knew full well that the position would eventually be handed over to Justine anyway. However, Nathalia must have had a different line of thinking, especially after seeing how Kaileon had suddenly changed.
Hearing about Kaileon’s incredible power after he gained it, Nathalia must have panicked.
And sure enough, the gem in the center of the ring Hendry was wearing suddenly changed color when brought close to the tea Nathalia had prepared.
It was the ring Kaileon had given Hendry before he met Nathalia. According to Kaileon, it was a ring capable of detecting poison by its scent. The ring also reacted when held near the candy Nathalia had given Hendry.
Hendry didn’t drink it right away; instead, he looked back at Nathalia and said,
"Oh, Duchess, what about that cake you told me about? Is it really that good that you bought it from Kaileon? Didn’t you say you didn’t like him?" Hendry asked.
Nathalia flinched slightly; she was taken aback by Hendry’s words, but then she tried to stay calm.
"Ahem, would you like to try some, Duke? And also... I don’t hate Kaileon; I’m just a little strict with him. I only want what’s best for him. In fact, I’m going to partner with Kaileon to open a clothing store in the capital... not in the capital of Nagreize, but in the empire. What do you think, Duke? Let Jessica handle it later—our daughter is just as smart as I am, and I’m sure she’ll succeed," said Nathalia. The woman’s mood brightened after discussing the matter with Hendry.
She went to get two slices of cheesecake topped with blueberry jam to share with Hendry.
Hendry, for his part, took the opportunity to swap his teacup with the Duchess’s.
In the Duchess’s teacup, the gem in her ring had returned to normal—transparent. That meant no poison was detected.
"Try this, Duke... it’s really delicious! Why doesn’t Kaileon just sell it?" said Nathalia, who didn’t suspect Hendry in the least; she also sipped her tea with a completely normal expression.
"Kaileon sells it at his shop, the one in front of the public market. He said it’s on the second floor," replied Duke.
Hearing that, Nathalia became very curious. She hadn’t seen the shop yet, but several noble girls had been talking about it earlier that morning. Since those girls had plans with Jessica—a shopping trip—they wanted to go to Kaileon’s shop instead.
It turned out Kaileon also sold cheesecake. Instead of being happy, Nathalia suddenly felt uneasy.
Kaileon really wasn’t as dumb as she’d thought.
Back to Kai, who was sitting comfortably on the sofa in Duke’s study. He was alone there, watching Duke and the Duchess as they ate their cheesecake.
But then he heard a strange sound. It sounded like someone was trying to sneak into Duke’s study. Indeed, Kaileon was the only one in the room; neither Nathan nor the others were there because they were busy with other tasks.
Kai hid inside a closet, waiting for whoever was about to enter.
A maid entered, moving in a suspicious manner.
The maid looked around cautiously, making sure no one was there. Once she was certain, she headed to the pantry.
Indeed, in the Duke’s office, there were all kinds of snacks to keep him company while he worked.
There were also several tins of tea that he usually brewed while working.
The maid opened a jar of cookies and poured a strange powder into it. She also put that strange powder into the tea tins.
Kai didn’t do anything except record the
maid with his smartphone.
After the maid left, Duke Arslan arrived.
"Kaileon? You’re still here—oh, what were you doing in that closet?" Hendry was surprised to see Kai emerge from the closet.
Then Kai showed him a video of the maid who had just come in.
"This is the maid who usually brings me food..." Hendry muttered.
Kai then set up his smartphone to resume monitoring the situation in the Duchess’s room.
The maid had already arrived at the Duchess’s room.
"I’ve sprinkled it on the snacks and tea the Duke usually drinks, Duchess," the maid said to the Duchess.
The Duchess smiled, then gave the maid a few silver coins.
"Are you sure no one saw you?" Nathalia asked.
The maid nodded, "The Duke’s assistant is out; I know their entire schedule, Duchess."
Nathalia laughed happily, "Good... I failed to poison him with candy, so from now on, it’s your job to put that powder in every meal the Duke eats, understand?"
The maid nodded, "Yes, Duchess."
