21.

The carriage began to move slowly. Beyond the window, the peaceful evening scenery, painted by the setting sun, started to fade into the distance.

As I gazed at the scenery endlessly, a rustling sound came from the pie box resting on my knees.

I lowered my gaze to the pie box.

‘This cherry pie… I’ll share it in half with Lucian and Brigitte.’

My rationality began to calculate.

After all, I had promised to buy a snack for Lucian when I returned.

‘I hope it suits their tastes.’

That way, I might be able to score some points with them.

Yet, for some reason, I felt short of breath.

“Phew.”

Unconsciously, I let out a long sigh.

* * *

I finally returned to Rose Cross boarding School, but something felt off.

For some reason, the school seemed oddly chaotic…

Just as a maidservant hurriedly passed me, I stopped her.

“What’s going on?”

“Um, M-Miss Elze,” the maidservant stammered, her face turning pale as soon as she met my gaze.

“Th-the special student in solitary confinement, that is…”

For a moment, I questioned my hearing. Could it be Lucian she was talking about?

“Why is there a special student in solitary confinement?”

I tried my best to maintain composure, but it seemed that I wasn’t entirely successful. My voice carried a sharp edge as I inquired.

“The student… he is under my supervision.”

“Miss Elze, it’s just that…”

The maidservant, her throat parched, cautiously continued.

I listened attentively to her explanation and reached a conclusion.

‘Victor, that damn scoundrel.’

I ground my teeth.

The maidservant might have tried to sugarcoat the situation as much as possible, but the circumstances were clear. While I was away, there was a clash between Lucian and Victor.

Victor dared to defy the steward, presumably over a dispute with Lucian…

“…and he introduced Nyx to the special student.”

I tightly suppressed the rising anger.

Nyx.

The drug named after the goddess of the night was a clandestine substance used exclusively within Rose Cross Residential School. This was not entirely surprising, considering that Nyx had originally been a substance used by Dante to subdue the members of the underworld.

To be more precise, it was a diluted version of the substance used on hostile organization members. When administered in lower doses, it induced drowsiness and obedience, while higher doses led to increased lethargy. In return, the person’s senses became extremely sensitive, causing them to experience pain more acutely during torture.

In many ways, it was an excellent drug for subduing individuals. However, it came with rare but severe side effects.

The most significant one being…

‘One could easily become a fool if Nyx is mishandled.’

Using it once or twice in a controlled manner was usually safe. But administering it regularly couldn’t guarantee the individual’s safety.

And people with an inherent resistance to Nyx could be severely affected even with just a single dose.

So at the school, they were extremely cautious with the use of Nyx.

‘Let’s calm down. It’s unlikely that Lucian suffered any significant harm.’

I took a deep breath.

The original Lucian had been administered Nyx multiple times by the original Elze.

He had repeatedly attempted to escape and had been quite confrontational with the school’s staff.

Yet, Lucian always came out unscathed.

So he should be fine this time as well.

‘Surely he’s fine… but what should I do? I feel like I’m about to explode in anger.’

Whether Victor had harmed Lucian, jeopardizing his life, or if Lucian just disliked the current situation, I couldn’t be sure.

However, one thing was clear: anyone who laid a finger on Lucian needed to be dealt with.

I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them.

‘Alright, let’s start by assessing the situation with my own eyes.’

Watching the nervous maid quickly lower her head, I swiftly passed by her.

* * *

Armed with an antidote, I immediately headed for Lucian’s isolation chamber.

As I got closer to the vicinity of the isolation chamber, I could see more and more attendants gathering.

Their bewildered glances and hushed voices added to my unease.

I had one thing clear: anyone who had harmed Lucian would be dealt with.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before I entered the scene.

“Make way.”

I pushed through the crowd, which had been clearly taken aback.

And then…

“Oh, dear.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim.

I bit my lip until it bled.

The first person to come into my sight was Lucian, sprawled on the floor.

There was no trace of his usual vigilance, the sharpness in his gaze. His eyes were closed weakly, his face pale as if carved from marble, and his breathing shallow to an eerie extent.

Victor, who stood beside Lucian, turned to me with a bewildered expression.

“Lady Elze.”

However, I didn’t respond to his call.

More precisely, I was too furious to have the composure to answer.

Thump, thump, thump.

I approached Victor with heavy steps, and I struck his cheek forcefully.

Slap!

Victor’s head snapped around, and a trickle of red blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

I growled lowly.

“How dare you administe Nyx to my special student without my permission?”

“That’s…”

Victor stammered.

“Up until now, I thought you crossed the line without knowing your place, but do you think this time you went too far?” Victor retorted, raising his head.

“I’m a steward too!”

Victor seemed genuinely wronged. His eyes brimmed with anger as he poured his voice out.

“This student rebelled against me!”

“And then?”

“That’s why!”

Victor’s defense was punctuated by spittle escaping from his mouth.

“A steward like you must be able to accept a student’s rebellion without any complaints?”

“When you punish, can’t you do it while ensuring the student doesn’t suffer a severe injury? Do you even have that much judgment?”

I rebuked Victor coldly.

“Just in case any side effects occur due to Nyx, I suppose you won’t be able to take responsibility with just your insignificant life?”

Staring directly into Victor’s bewildered pupils, I issued a command.

“Get lost, Victor.”

Victor gritted his teeth but couldn’t bring himself to refuse my order.

I added, “Furthermore, if anyone else has harmed my special student in any way…”

My voice in my ears was unnaturally calm, as if it was the calm before a storm.

I smiled brightly.

‘…They’ll never see the sun again starting tomorrow.’

The staff froze, then began to slowly back away, their eyes darting around to check their surroundings as they dispersed.

I approached Lucian.

His pale face kept catching my eyes.

‘In the original story, Victor didn’t particularly torment Lucian, so I thought it would be fine.’

It seemed like that wasn’t the case now.

And probably because…

‘I showed kindness to Lucian.’

Victor might detest anyone who shows me kindness.

Considering Victor’s inferiority complex toward nobles…

‘I definitely shouldn’t leave Victor alone like this.’

Thankfully, we had just concluded our deal with Benedict.

I opened the cap of the antidote in my hand.

Then I furrowed my brow.

‘Oh, I forgot the syringe.’

I had been in such a hurry that I didn’t have a chance to think about that.

I tasted the antidote, then gently frowned.

But it’s okay; I can work around it.

I administered the antidote orally and pressed my lips to Lucian’s.