A Cruel Beast's Leash

“I just remembered you,” he began. “You’re Miss Herman. You’re already here, so I can’t just let you walk away. Please wait a moment. I finished talking with Miss Layne, so I was just about to leave. I won’t be bothering you two.”

Emma could also remember who he was. It was the doctor whom Laute had told her to contact whenever she felt sick or injured on the first day she’d arrived at Van Wert Castle. Monte was the resident doctor of Van Wert Castle. They said that he’d originally worked for the Muns family but moved here to follow Countess Karina. He was an outsider but quite well versed in medicine, so most of the aristocrats saw Monte for medical treatment.

“Then I shall prepare your medicine for this month,” Layna said to Monte.

“Yes. Thank you,” Monte replied, passing a subtle glance with Layna. He then gave Emma a short nod and left.

Layna suggested that Emma now sit in the empty seat. She blinked at her with a sour look in her eyes. “Miss Herman. This is so sudden. What is going on?” she said.

“Uh…”

Emma hesitated, then sat down at the table and drank Layna’s red panmint tea. The more she drank the warm, smooth tea, the more desperate she became for luphenyl tea. Her favorite. If only she could get her hands on it… then she’d feel comfortable.

“What brings you here?” Layna asked again.

“Oh..”

Even though her teacup was emptied, the chaotic atmosphere in which the other customer had left hadn’t yet subsided. Up until a moment ago, Emma had planned to ask about the red matgal, but after meeting Monte her senses were heightened as if someone had poured ice water over her head.

‘Doctor Monte is Countess Karina’s vassal. The Muns family. Countess Karina hired Layna.’

Strictly speaking, they were all Countess Karina’s people. Moreover, Layna was in the position of supplying Monte with medicinal herbs. Given this relationship, it seemed inappropriate to let the topic of ‘red matgal’ pass through her lips. Emma thought of what to say next as she stared down at her empty teacup. Then, she started a conversation about how she’d looked around the garden earlier.

“How was it? I put my heart and soul into it,” Layna smiled.

“They were fresh, and growing fast. It was amazing how they grew through the seasons!” Emma complimented Layna’s cultivating skills as they chatted.

“Heh-heh,” Layna chuckled, “I have my own secret.”

No one turned down a compliment. Praise in particular was very rare for a person who was not famous in a closed and isolated environment. When a proud, inconceivable smile appeared on Layna’s face, Emma continued the casual conversation.

Before long, the afternoon sun was setting. Emma told her that she would visit her again later and leisurely got up from her chair. However, the calmness she showed to Layna was a disguise. In fact, Emma felt heavily unsettled inside.

‘The drinking water in the cabin was cleverly mixed with red matgal. And Irvan drank that…’ Emma’s forehead wrinkled. ‘Layna supplied Monte with medicine. So…’

As she walked forward to organize her rambling thoughts, she felt like the facts in her head were gradually sloshing around in her head.

‘The alchemy lab!’

Monte was definitely the one who used the empty alchemy lab. Layna had been hired to manage and cultivate medicinal herbs, so the one who actually used the herbs could only be Doctor Monte.

‘Red matgal, and there is also bucktree in the alchemy lab….’

Emma thought hard. What on earth had Monte made in the alchemy lab? Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been a good thing since Irvan had been kept in the dark. She also couldn’t think of anything about bucktree.

‘Bucktree, bucktree…’ she repeated the ominous name in her head like a mantra. Emma’s suspicion only deepened as the shadows grew longer in the gloomy Van Wert Castle.

***

This time at the dinner hall, Emma wasn’t at the same table as Countess Karina. She didn’t even sit where the aristocrats and veterans sat. She was given a seat far away from the upper table. It was at the center table where most of the knights and bureaucrats sat, and the countess spoke directly to Emma, regardless of the distance.

“Miss Herman, how is it staying in the annex?”

Emma quietly let out a long sigh when she emphasized the word ‘annex’ as if she wanted everyone to hear. The incident when Emma said she didn’t want to attend the dinner seemed to have made Karina upset. Karina hadn’t been direct with her before, but today, she seemed determined to reveal to the world that she was an outsider who lived with Irvan.

As Countess Karina had intended, those who had heard the word ‘annex’ began to chatter, hands covering their mouths, eyes full of malice and gossip. Soon the words bed, stamina, and m*aning were whispered under the table.

“…thanks to your consideration I am getting along fine, Lady Karina,” she said.

“Is that so? There are no separate handmaidens for the annex, so I was worried that I didn’t treat you well, but I guess you’re fine.” Countess Karina continued gracefully, lifting her wine glass. “Did you live like that at home as well? So simple?”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

Countess Karina’s eyes widened at Emma’s reply, and the corners of her mouth raised unexpectedly. “Really? There wasn’t anyone to look after you?”