She thought the woman would be pleased, but that woman just shook her head. There was a sense of resignation in her voice. Her beautiful purple eyes looked empty and lifeless.
“Why? You obviously wanted to go out…”
“Would you like to read the bottle over there?”
Apollonia picked up a small bottle in the other corner of the cabin.
‘Long-distance death curse ’
“This is…”
The woman nodded and pointed to the bottles next to her one by one.
‘Burning pain’
‘Miserable death’
‘Truth serum’
“…Those are the things I made by the Viscount’s order. I refused it at first, but…”
Apollonia finally figured out why that woman couldn’t shake the sadness on her face.
“I will be sentenced to death for making illegal drugs.”
Sorcery and magic drugs were strongly controlled by the imperial family. Those who made and distributed such items without permission were severely punished because they were dangerous.
That woman was dead the moment her deeds were known to anyone. Not to mention to a man as clean and fair as Gunter.
“What does the truth serum do?” asked Apollonia, holding a bottle that would make Petra go crazy. It was a miraculous drug that had never been heard before. But the woman’s expression drastically darkened.
“…As I said, it was the Viscount’s order. He wanted me to create drugs that don’t exist in the world.”
Apollonia shook her head. Everything was unbelievable. Then the sadness on the woman’s face deepened a little.
“You must know how drugs work. Yes, I did it slightly differently from what the Viscount requested.”
“Then…”
“There’s no such thing as a drug that could naturally make people spit out the truth. There’s not so much a drug could do to control someone’s consciousness. So the drugs ‘actually throw up the truth’.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s a drug that makes you feel tear-jerking pain. The most extreme thing a human being can feel, so they can’t help but throw up the truth.”
Her unconventional ideas were perfect to complement her talent. Apollonia’s hair stood on end while admiring her. Despite uttering such eerie words, tears flowed down from the woman’s jewel-like eyes.
Apollonia asked a question that she was reluctant to ask.
“…Has it ever been used?”
The woman averted her eyes as if she didn’t want to talk about it. Her lips quivered for a long time, but eventually answered Apollonia’s question.
“Viscount Diamann asked me to make those drugs again and again.”
Apollonia suddenly recalled what she had heard from her maternal grandfather a long time ago.
‘A talent that you can’t control is a curse and a disaster.’
“Where did Her Highness go?”
“I don’t know. I’m not familiar with this area.”
As Apollonia’s head was filled with complicated things, the knights’ voices were heard nearby. Apparently, they came out to look for Apollonia. Apollonia and the woman looked at each other with bewildered eyes.
“If the Imperial Knights see this, you will never be able to escape the death penalty.”
Even though her circumstances were beyond her control, the woman’s creations were still both harmful and illegal. Besides, her beauty made it obvious she was a Bella, and ordinary people feared and condemned that.
What would happen next was obvious. This woman, who was only a stranger in Lishan, would be executed as a witch. The viscount’s servants would lie, saying that the witch seduced him to the point of losing his mind, and he would in turn be exempted from punishment. Even other Bellas wouldn’t dare say anything to protect her.
“The old woman said her eldest grandson was torn apart, eventually collapsing due to the excruciating pain.”
If what the old woman said was true, this woman’s talent had harmed other people. Since Apollonia hadn’t made a public appearance, she couldn’t protect that woman either.
The woman looked despondent.
“I was going to die anyway. I’m glad things turned out this way.”
The woman tried to smile even when her tears fell. She was limping a little as she rose to her feet and walked toward Apollonia. Her disability didn’t seem to be inflicted by the viscount, as she seemed to be used to it. Just how many hardships did this woman experience in her life?
“Can you buy me some time? So I can prepare for a comfortable death?”
Her will to live was already gone. Apollonia caught sight of a sword in the corner of the cabin. The woman was looking in the same direction.
“Just in case, I’ve got a spell next to me.”
The woman smiled bitterly. It was not for self-defense. At last, Apollonia was able to realize that she had been thinking of suicide for a long time.
What would Grandpa have done in this situation?
Without a doubt, he would have killed that woman right away. Whether it was done directly or through a proxy like Gunter, those who were dangerous and harmful should be exterminated right away. Grandpa would have nipped it in the bud, however…
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