17. Yuri's Chaotic Mess
CRASH—CRASH—CRASH—
The sound of Yuri tumbling down the stairs was deafening.
Esika Klaus, who had just stepped onto the stairs, looked down in shock at Yuri, who was rolling all the way to the bottom and lying there.
"Maid Lady!"
Several maids who were passing by stopped and looked at Yuri with startled expressions.
Yuri had thrown herself down the stairs without hesitation, leaving her in a sorry state.
Her head was bleeding from the impact...
"......Hah, Maid Lady."
One maid covered her mouth and stifled her cry.
By their expressions, Yuri could tell that the plan had succeeded.
"What is this! Did you trip and fall?"
Immediately, Yuri looked at the shocked Emilia and raised her hand to wipe her nose.
When she wiped the damp area, blood smeared her hand.
"The Duchess is bleeding from the nose...!"
One clueless servant shouted.
"What? Nosebleed?"
"The Duchess's nose is covered in blood?!"
She wanted to smash their heads right then, but Yuri held back.
And she cried out in pain.
"Hic... hic... Ouch... It hurts so much...! Help me!"
Hearing Yuri's cries, the servants started gathering.
Emilia tried to help her up but Yuri didn't get up and continued sobbing pitifully.
At some point, she pointed at Emilia with her finger and shouted.
"You... bad woman!"
***
"Impossible, Your Highness. I would never do such a thing."
"Emilia pushed me down the stairs. I saw her feed the poison to Your Highness."
Yuri's words, with the bandage wrapped around her head, were far more persuasive than Emilia's intact appearance.
No matter how poisonous the poison was, would she make such a mess while lying?
Liona looked at the two alternately, kneeling in front of her.
"The maid's words are lies. Yes, it's clear that the maid poisoned the Duchess."
"I had the other maids investigate Emilia's room."
"What are you investigating my room for! You witch!"
But soon, maids with pale faces entered carrying empty vials.
Yuri said to Liona with a triumphant face.
"Look. If you investigate the contents inside, you'll know who dared to harbor ill intentions towards the Duchess."
Liona's expression was sour.
"Your Highness! It's all lies! You know how wicked the maid is..."
"Shut up."
A calm rebuke came from Liona.
"Your Highness... I have served you for ten years."
"Whether this is true or false, I cannot afford to be complacent enough to let the seeds of doubt grow beside me."
"Your Highness!"
Emilia's face was white, and her body was trembling.
"Take her away."
Under the Duchess's merciless command, several maids came in from outside.
"Your Highness! It's not me! Yuri... that woman..."
"Emilia's words, don't believe them. Your Highness once grabbed her hair and hit her, and told me about the Duchess's grievances. Haven't you heard?"
Yuri asked the two maids with strong eyes.
Since they had also slandered the Duchess, they had no choice but to agree while trembling.
Emilia was dragged away screaming.
No one would see Emilia in the Klaus mansion from now on.
"Yes. Emilia... slandered the Duchess from behind."
"The maid's words are right."
Liona leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
Her eyebrows were still soaring to the sky, not knowing how high they were.
She found the cause of the inexplicable poisoning. That lowly Emilia!
But there was something she didn't like.
If only Yuri Anesis would confess that she had fed her the poison, and pin it on her as instructed by Esika...
That would be the most advantageous move for Liona.
The real culprit, Emilia, could be dealt with quietly separately.
But Yuri had stirred up the entire house with chaos.
So everyone in the mansion learned that Emilia was the true culprit in the poisoning incident.
Therefore, the plan would fizzle out.
"Was it really...?"
She wouldn't have rolled down the stairs like that after reading this far, right?
Liona opened her hazy eyes and looked at Yuri.
The bandage wrapped around Yuri's forehead was stained with dirty blood.
Liona frowned.
"I have always been loyal to the Duchess, to uproot the roots of those who dare to harm her..."
"Quiet."
Yuri flinched at Liona's words.
The maids who had been frozen stiff also stiffened their bodies more.
"I don't want to see such a miserable sight, so get out."
Under Liona's words, Yuri lowered her head deeply.
Good.
At least, avoiding being the true culprit of the poisoning incident and dragged to hell with Esika's ankle, according to Liona's plan.
If that were the case, even if Liona pardoned her, she would never be able to hope for Kalian's goodwill.
Yuri was prepared to roll down even steeper stairs for her goal.
"...Understood, Duchess. Then I will take my leave."
After greeting, she turned and left limping.
Of course, there was no guilt in her mind about Emilia.
The relief of having navigated the crisis well, and a desperate desire to achieve her goal no matter what, burned inside her.
'Damn it hurts. Esika, this is all your fault!'
And the muscles all over her body were screaming.
***
The legendary medicine made by mixing fresh gold with frog elixir and seven lizard tails had increased the speed of internal energy cultivation.
'Even if it looks like this, the Daoist has been involved in the medicine making.'
She had received direct instruction from the nomads in her childhood and learned the formulas for mixing various medicines.
The important thing was not the form but the effective ingredients, and it was not difficult for her with good eyesight to know which food had effective ingredients similar to those of the martial world.
So, as long as Hemos didn't mix the ingredients roughly like before or use other materials to make it a mess... it would become a decent medicine.
'For now, this is enough to not have difficulty in practicing martial arts.'
Esika sat in the cross-legged position in the room and did qi circulation and meditation.
Compared to before taking the medicine, the flow of internal energy was smoother.
"What kind of effect is this... Making such things with precious and strange ingredients."
He was still doubtful, but now he was making the medicine as Esika taught with sincerity.
Hemos was now loyal to her.
Knock, knock.
While concentrating on qi circulation and meditation, a knock sounded from outside.
It was a slightly dull sound different from Sella's.
At the same time as frowning and raising or turning her body, someone opened the door.
"......."
The Duke of Klaus, wearing a white uniform. His tall figure cast a long shadow into the room, making his facial features more distinct in the dim light.
Brown hair swayed in the wind coming through the open window.
Only the purple eyes like the night sky shone brightly.
An unpleasant face.
"What is the matter."
The moment their eyes met, her heart turned cold.
As if seeing the unwelcome visitor's face she didn't want.
"......."
Thud, thud.
Kalian walked silently in front of Esika.
And stood facing her, looking at her.
'Wine smell'
Esika frowned slightly at Kalian's stiffly furrowed eyebrows and slightly twisted lips, and his fierce eyes.
"If you have nothing to say, how about leaving? I want to rest."
And at that moment, Kalian grabbed Esika's wrist.
Facing the cold eyes of Esika, Kalian gritted his teeth.
And asked with a cold voice or a boiling voice.
"......I am angry with you. Is this it."
Kalian's words, as if provoking suddenly, made Esika dumbfounded.
"I don't know what you're talking about at all."
"...Are you asking if I did this on purpose."
"..........."
Esika's attitude of frowning and looking at her as if seeing a strange person made Kalian angry.
Esika Klaus had not gone a single day without following Kalian.
She was a woman who, no matter how you hurt her with words, would shed a few tears, but appear the next day with a bright, thoughtless smile.
But the current Esika was avoiding Kalian continuously.
She had suddenly changed from having no interest at all from the beginning, and just like this, with such a cold expression...
Moreover.
Thud—
Because the grip on her wrist was strong, Esika, who had been frowning, moved Kalian's hand by shaking his wrist and shook off his hand.
A firm rejection gesture without any lingering attachment, as if escaping from her.
A storm raged in Kalian's eyes.
"I wonder why His Highness the Duke is doing this to me."
"......What?"
"From the beginning, you didn't have any interest in me. But coming all the way to my room and deliberately provoking me..."
The red lips that were glistening made Kalian's throat itch for a moment.
"Could it be that you have developed an interest in me?"