Chapter 10: The clever girl always manages to find clues
“The way of inviting people? That’s rather confusing to me,” said Muen, a former villain who only appeared in twenty chapters of the light novel. She had no idea what her previous self’s method of invitation was like.
The memories of the original host were too jumbled, and Muen couldn’t recall anything at all.
“I think it was during the last academy ball,” Selicia reminisced absentmindedly, paying no heed to Muen’s forgetfulness.
“You also wanted to invite someone to dance. It was the daughter of a viscount, if I remember correctly. You said something like that at the time,” Selicia continued, tilting her head with a slight furrow of her beautiful eyebrows.
Although her face still showed no expression, it was evident that she was trying hard to mimic an arrogant and domineering demeanor.
“Woman, rejoice and cheer, for I, this young master, graciously grant you the privilege of dancing with me!”
“…”
“How’s that? Did I do a good job of imitating?”
“…”
Not only did you imitate well, but I swear my toes are about to claw out a three-bedroom apartment!
Muen Campbell, oh Campbell, you’re already insufferable enough, why are you also so cringe-worthy?
The most frustrating thing is acting all cringey in front of so many people, and there you go, running off with your tail between your legs. But what about me? Just social death, right?
“All of that is just a regrettable past. Your Highness, please forget about it,” Muen smiled awkwardly, then hastened her steps to alleviate the embarrassment.
Yet Selicia remained graceful and composed throughout. Even as Muen deliberately sped up her steps and disregarded the rhythm of the music, Selicia never lost control. Instead, Muen found herself being led by Selicia towards the end.
Selicia Leopold, truly an eternal symbol of grace and pride, like a white swan forever soaring above.
Truly deserving of the title of the most difficult woman to capture in the original book, Muen sighed inwardly.
…
As the music ended, so did the dance. Applause erupted around them.
Ignoring the murderous jealousy emanating from a certain protagonist’s eyes, Muen smiled and bowed to the crowd.
Small beads of sweat adorned Muen’s forehead, but Selicia’s expression remained unchanged.
“It seems Your Highness is also tired. How about we find a quiet place to have a drink?”
Capitalizing on the somewhat decent atmosphere, Muen extended another invitation.
“Sure.”
This time, Selicia didn’t even hesitate; she simply nodded in agreement.
Yes! Although her expression remained unchanged, the little person inside Muen was already jumping for joy.
The beginning is always the hardest. As long as the invitation for some alone time succeeds, then half of the mission is already accomplished!
“Sorry, I don’t drink,” Selicia said.
“Huh? It’s just wine, just a little…” Muen tried to persuade.
“I can’t even have wine,” Selicia interrupted, tucking a stray silver strand of hair behind her ear. “My constitution can’t tolerate alcohol, not even a drop.”
In the specially prepared room, Muen, holding a bottle of wine already laced with medicine, couldn’t help but widen her eyes in disbelief.
Can’t drink alcohol?
Red wine won’t work either? How can I administer the medicine myself?
Upon careful consideration, there indeed weren’t any descriptions in the original book about Selicia drinking alcohol, so her inability to drink wasn’t too out of place.
Moreover, Muen Campbell in the original book had successfully drugged Selicia by lacing her tea.
Muen could have followed suit.
But the only problem was that the ** she bought was red in color!
As red as blood!
Wouldn’t it be noticeable when mixed into the tea?
“Is there a problem?” Selicia asked.
“No… no problem at all. It’s just, if Your Highness doesn’t drink wine, then what will you have?” Muen replied.
“Cof-”
“Only black tea,” Muen interrupted.
“?”
“I said, only black tea.” Muen stared into Selicia’s eyes, speaking earnestly. “Due to certain unavoidable circumstances, tonight we only have red wine and black tea available. No other beverages will be provided.”
“Only… black tea?”
Even Selicia, whose expression usually remained as unchanged as an iceberg, couldn’t help but show a hint of confusion.
However, she didn’t immediately jump to any negative conclusions, thinking instead that Muen simply hadn’t prepared properly.
“Then black tea it is,” she said.
“Thank you,” Muen replied, wiping away a cold sweat before hurriedly getting up to prepare.
“Wait,” Selicia suddenly called out, a trace of suspicion flashing through her icy gaze. “You’re personally going to prepare it?”
“Yes, is there a problem?” Muen asked innocently.
“…Nothing,” Selicia shook her head. “I’m just surprised that Master Muen would do something only a servant would do.”
Oh no, she’s becoming suspicious!
Muen’s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure and smiled.
“Well, there’s no help for it. The maidservants at the Duke’s Mansion are all busy tonight, even my personal maid can’t spare a moment. So, I had to handle this small matter myself.”
“I see,” Selicia nodded lightly, seeming to agree. “I look forward to it then, Master Muen’s personally brewed tea.”
“…Truly worthy of Selicia, can’t underestimate her.”
Outside the room, Muen faced the red tea he had brewed with his nonsense skills, wiping away the cold sweat with lingering trepidation.
If his mental fortitude had been a bit weaker just now, he might have really revealed his true colors.
“Who said this step was simple? The parts that aren’t described in the book are the most difficult, you know!”
Muen couldn’t help but grit his teeth. Who knew if this so-called world line correction would be of any use to a supporting character like him? He had almost been in deep trouble because of the sudden emergence of a new plot point with Selicia!
“But now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to go through with it!”
Muen reached into his pocket and pulled out two vials.
“Red tea is also red, so it shouldn’t be noticed. As for this so-called little gift…”
Muen opened the bottle of “gift” that the unscrupulous shopkeeper had given him. Inside was white powder, the kind that could dissolve in water.
“Although I don’t know what it’s for, since the shopkeeper said it would have a miraculous effect when used together, it must be something that enhances its potency.”
“I can’t worry about that now, just put them both in!”
“I can only hope that Selicia will drink it before she notices anything wrong.”
“Hehe, Your Highness, you’re so clever. Don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
With the red tea laced with the concoction, Muen revealed a sinister smile, one even he didn’t realize was so villainous.
…
“Your Highness, your tea,” Muen presented the carefully brewed red tea to Selicia with the grace of a professional waiter.
“Thank you,” Selicia accepted the tea politely, but she didn’t rush to drink it. Instead, she carefully scrutinized the tea.
“Master Muen, your tea… it’s very red,” Selicia remarked.
“Isn’t red tea supposed to be red?” Muen smiled.
“Is it? But the red tea I usually drink is a lighter shade of red,” Selicia observed.
“That could be because of the different origins of the tea leaves. Just like how oranges from the Northdon region are sweeter compared to those from the South Nancy territories, even though they are smaller. Different regions produce red tea with subtle differences in color,” Selicia suggested.
“You make a good point,” Muen agreed.
Selicia still hadn’t taken a sip of the tea. Instead, she raised her ice-blue eyes and fixed them on Muen.
“Then… how about you, Master Muen? Why don’t you have a sip first?”
