And then, a little while after that, Lord Lucien lost consciousness when he returned to the Marquis of Crocode’s mansion. Of course, neither I nor Liliana was suspected.
The last time, I carelessly left something behind at the royal palace and happened to be at the very place where the Crown Prince collapsed. Because of that, I was placed in a position where I was suspected of poisoning him. But this time, I did not leave anything behind, and the Crown Prince did not collapse.
(I should not be fated to be executed anymore because of this… but still, I cannot let my guard down yet.)
Eventually, when two months had passed.
I received word from the Marquis of Crocode’s family that Lord Lucien had regained consciousness. As his fiancée, I had to go visit him, but I made various excuses and put it off until the very last minute.
(Ah… my heart is heavy. The me right now truly hates Lord Lucien. However, unless there is a very good reason, breaking off an engagement is not so easy… It looks like it is about time for me to go.)
I let out a soft sigh inside my chest. With a dark mood, I visited the Marquis of Crocode’s residence. The Marquis and Marchioness of Crocode welcomed me and immediately guided me to the parlor.
I am sitting on the sofa facing Lord Lucien. His complexion is still not good. He looked so lacking in vitality that I could understand it if someone told me he was just recovering from an illness.
Black tea and sweets were prepared on the table. Lord Lucien picked at a sweet and took a sip of the black tea. However, every single one of his movements was awkward; each time he carried a sweet to his mouth as if chewing carefully and swallowed the black tea, his face twisted slightly.
That behavior was certainly not that of a “recovered person.” I quietly watched him.
“Ah, this is the worst. Absolutely nothing has any taste, no matter what I eat or drink. This black tea and these sweets, nothing has any taste. I cannot enjoy the aroma either. Even though it has been quite a while since I regained consciousness, why is this happening? It is already too hard.”
I lowered the corners of my eyebrows and pretended to sympathize with him. But inwardly, I do not sympathize at all. After all, in my previous life, he was one of the people who drove me to my death.
“Oh, how pitiful. Lord Lucien used to be a gourmet, so it must be all the more painful for you. If that is the case, you cannot enjoy your favorite steak or sautéed fish at all, can you? What about your favorite champagne or wine?”
What I said was a little mean, but I asked back to make sure. By doing this, Lord Lucien will realize how very miserable his current situation is.
“Ah, neither meat nor fish tastes like anything. Bread and vegetables, nothing has any taste. Whether my sense of taste has changed or what, no matter what alcohol I drink, I cannot find it delicious at all.”
He must have received quite a shock, as he repeatedly emphasized that things had no taste. For him, it must feel as though one of the greatest pleasures in life has been stolen away.
“My, how pitiful. But I think your sense of taste will return eventually. Otherwise, it would be a very hard life, wouldn’t it? For the taste of food to be unknown for a lifetime… when there are so many delicious things overflowing in this world…”
I smiled gently as if to comfort him. While thinking it truly does not matter at all. I deliberately chose words that would tear at his heart.
(Because I died by poison back then. How much I suffered, how sad I was… Compared to that, having no sense of taste is nothing at all. Even so, it is a huge deal for Lord Lucien, right? If so, pity yourself and despair to your heart’s content.)
On the way back to the Duke of Valentia’s mansion. While the carriage was cutting straight through the middle of a wide field, that voice was heard again.
“Lady Setsurin. Me, me! Please pick me.”
“Lady Setsurin. Pick me and dry me too. I can return your sense of taste to normal.”
The medicinal herbs growing in the field spoke while swaying gently in the breeze. For some reason, even the names of those medicinal herbs were coming to my mind now.
“It is strange. It seems I am gradually starting to understand the difference between medicinal herbs and ordinary grass. The voice just now is certainly a medicinal herb with the effect of returning the sense of taste to normal. …But I do not need it this time. Because I do not intend to cure Lord Lucien.”
When I muttered that, the voices of the medicinal herbs became quiet.