Ch.270270. I Already Have a Fiancé?

“You’d better not have any strange ideas.”

In the carriage heading to the Montero family.

I snickered at the warning from the knight escort who sat with his arms crossed heavily.

“What strange ideas am I supposed to be having?”

“Do you know how many people I’ve seen lying to impress our lady?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know.”

“Dozens.”

“So what are you trying to say?”

“Don’t exploit someone’s wounded heart.”

There were two carriages, and I had hoped to ride alone quietly, but Isabel Montero insisted it was dangerous and had one of her knights escort me.

I couldn’t help but sigh at the thought of this uncomfortable companionship continuing for a day and a half.

“Then why don’t you just tell Isabel directly? That you think I’m a con artist.”

“Wouldn’t that hurt the lady’s feelings?”

I snickered again at the knight who was raising his voice.

“What’s your name?”

“…Edmund.”

“Edmund, I understand that you care for Lady Isabel, but can we just travel quietly?”

At that, Edmund clicked his tongue.

“How can you be so shameless despite being of noble birth? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

“Lying to impress the lady.”

“No, what exactly did I lie about?”

“The lady said you offered to examine our lord’s condition!?”

“And what about it?”

Edmund let out a hollow laugh, apparently finding my behavior shameless.

“Ha! You clearly don’t seem to have any abilities!”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“How long do you think I’ve been watching you?”

“You were carrying food at the banquet hall wearing that ill-fitting butterfly tie. Probably since then.”

Edmund flinched in surprise at my nonchalant remark.

“H-how did you…?”

“How could I not notice someone carrying food so unnaturally? Especially with that murderous aura overflowing from you?”

Edmund’s expression showed he truly hadn’t expected this.

He blinked and continued speaking.

“You’re more perceptive than I thought. Anyway, is that all?”

“Why would I go through all this trouble just to lie to Lady Isabel?”

“Well, because you want to impress her.”

“I already have a fiancée, you know?”

“…Pardon?”

“I said I have a fiancée.”

Edmund seemed quite surprised, shifting in his seat.

It’s not even a lie, really.

Well, I haven’t decided which of my two fiancées I’ll marry yet, but still.

“…So you truly approached our lady without any ulterior motives?”

“From the banquet hall, it was Lady Isabel who approached me, not the other way around. Same at the tavern.”

“W-well, that’s true.”

“I understand you hold your lady in high regard, but let’s maintain some courtesy. I’m going with good intentions, so let’s not spoil the mood, shall we?”

Edmund bowed his head with a flushed expression.

“…I apologize if I offended you.”

“It’s fine. More importantly, do you know what kind of magical beast bit Lady Isabel’s father?”

“I-I don’t know. For reference, I was also on that hunting trip…”

“And?”

“I didn’t see him get injured by any magical beast. Though I can’t be certain.”

“So you’re just guessing? I’ll need to see for myself to be sure.”

“Could it be… are you a healing mage?”

“No, but one of my companions is. I’m just going to take a look first.”

“Ah… please take good care of our lord.”

Edmund had become somewhat more compliant now.

After ending our conversation, I closed my eyes briefly, and before I knew it, the carriage had arrived at the Montero territory.

Screech-! Thud-!

We headed straight to the mansion.

Then I saw a middle-aged man running toward us in his socks.

I tilted my head and looked at Isabel.

“Who is that person running toward us?”

“That’s our family’s butler, Hayden. He’s a truly grateful person who has been handling my father’s duties since he fell ill.”

As Isabel finished speaking, Butler Hayden approached, panting, and began to speak.

“M-my lady! Did you return safely? I was so worried when you were later than expected.”

“Ah… we had a meeting and then had a few drinks, so we got a bit delayed. How is father doing? Is he any better?”

Tears welled up in Hayden’s eyes at Isabel’s question.

“…He’s conscious, but there’s still no improvement.”

“I see, still no improvement.”

Butler Hayden wiped his tears with a handkerchief and glanced at me.

Then he turned his gaze back to Isabel.

“Who is this person?”

“This is Levan Pandera, whom I met at the gathering I attended.”

Clearly surprised, Butler Hayden looked back and forth between Isabel and me with wide eyes.

“H-has my lady made a friend?”

“Hayden, you know Elina, don’t you?”

“Lady Elina Parseche?”

“Yes, he’s also acquainted with Elina.”

Butler Hayden bowed politely to me.

I returned the gesture with equal courtesy.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Hayden, the butler of the Montero family.”

“Hello. I am Levan Pandera. It’s an honor to visit the Montero family.”

“We have an esteemed guest. Let me guide you to the reception room instead of standing here.”

As Hayden was about to lead us to the reception room, Isabel Montero hurriedly blocked the way.

“I-I think we should first visit my father with Levan.”

“…With this gentleman?”

“Yes, Levan offered to examine my father’s condition.”

Hayden tilted his head in confusion.

“Is Levan a physician or a mage?”

“No, but his companion is a healing mage with considerable knowledge about poisons. He said he would check if treatment is possible and then call his companion.”

“Ah… I see.”

Butler Hayden glanced at me again, seemingly unconvinced.

Does he also think, like Edmund, that I lied to create a connection with Isabel?

My head throbbed at the misunderstandings that kept piling up even when I did nothing, but I decided it was better to show rather than explain.

“Could we see the lord quickly?”

“…Very well.”

We entered the mansion through the murmuring knights, and with Hayden’s guidance, we were soon able to see the head of the Montero family.

“This is my father.”

Isabel Montero shed tears again at the sight of her father lying weakly in bed.

I slowly approached him.

Then.

I called for Edmund, the knight who was waiting outside the room and whom I somewhat knew.

“Edmund!”

Startled at being called, Edmund hurriedly entered the room.

I whispered quietly in his ear, and he was shocked.

“Why do you need that?”

“It’s necessary for the treatment, so could you bring it for me?”

“Ah, understood.”

After confirming that Edmund had hurriedly left the room, I stroked my chin and began to speak.

“Well, the lord is not suffering from magical beast poison.”

Butler Hayden, who had entered the room with us, gaped in astonishment.

Of course, the most surprised was Isabel Montero.

“W-what do you mean? You’re making a judgment just by looking at him!?”

This was the same poisoning symptom that Ariella, the Poison Lady’s sister, had experienced.

There were a few more suspicious points, but I decided to be as sparing with my words as possible.

“There is no magical beast with poison that would render someone this immobile.”

“W-we know that, but couldn’t it be poison from a magical beast that hasn’t been discovered yet?”

“That’s possible, but from what I can see, he appears to be poisoned with a synthetic toxin.”

“Synthetic toxin…?”

The reason Ariella was poisoned was because of her sister, the Poison Lady.

The Poison Lady regularly handled many poisons and attempted various syntheses.

One day, curious about what her sister was doing, Ariella secretly entered the Poison Lady’s laboratory and inhaled the vapors floating in the air, which was the direct cause of her poisoning.

In the original story, after Ariella died, even the Poison Lady, who had strong resistance to toxins, eventually became poisoned.

Writhing in agony, she tried to end her life by chewing on the Cheoneoncho [天偃草], a plant famous for its toxicity.

Well, thanks to the miraculous interaction of the poisons neutralizing each other in her body, the Poison Lady miraculously survived.

“Yes, he’s been poisoned with a synthetic toxin created by a person.”

“T-that can’t be…”

“When he was first poisoned, he could still walk normally, right?”

“Ah… yes. He was in pain, but he could walk. It was about a month later that he became unable to move.”

“And now he can’t speak, only remaining conscious?”

Ariella, too, despite being poisoned, walked into the Lake estate mansion on her own.

That was because she never went near the Poison Lady’s laboratory after being poisoned.

However, Isabel’s father is now bedridden and immobile.

This means someone is poisoning him periodically.

At that moment, I heard a slight movement behind me.

Turning my head, I saw Butler Hayden slowly slipping out of the room.

Raising my voice casually while twitching my eyebrows, I said:

“Butler Hayden, please stop right there.”