A Villainess pulled out the Sword instead of the Hero.

 “…Why do you think that?” “If that were the case, you would have offered some tea leaves to the Old King before he died.” 

Kellive continued, absentmindedly rubbing the handle of his teacup lightly.

 “My father trusted Duke Fay quite a bit.” 

The longer he spoke, the more the Duke of Fay fell silent.

 

He knew he wouldn’t be a fool to blurt out the fact that a family with healing powers couldn’t provide any help when the late King was bedridden.

 

He dared to say it was his power.

 

As Kellive watched the Duke of Fay’s violet eyes waver with anguish and conflict, he sipped his tea.

 

As the distinctive bitter flavor hit his nose, a warmth spread from his heart to his entire body.

 

Unbeknownst to Duke Fay, this was not the first time Kellive had tasted these leaves.

 

As soon as he heard rumors of Fay’s return to power, he had sought out the leaves.

 

He searched every royal court and painstakingly summoned an apothecary to verify the facts.

 

He thought he could sway public opinion by pretending that the Duke of Fay had regained his power with a moderately potent tea-leaf.

 

‘I doubt he’s that bright.’

 

Herbs are rarely used in Avalon, so the idea of using tea as a substitute for power was quite a breakthrough for the clever Duke.

 

But the apothecary’s findings were surprising.

 

‘The leaves themselves are not a very potent herb, and I suspect that something else has been done to them after harvesting.’

 

The apothecary’s puzzled expression gave him the answer.

 

Power. The rumors were true.

 

Duke Fay cleared his throat and straightened his sitting posture.

 “My heart is heavy for not being able to cultivate it sooner, so don’t worry about it in the future. I will continue to distribute it.” 

Judging by the way he said

‘cultivate’

, it seemed that even the Duke didn’t know how to

‘process’.

 

Someone other than the Duke, and his two daughters.

 

At the very least, I don’t think the Duke and I are on very friendly terms.

 

‘Someone is helping in the background.’

 

Suddenly, I remembered the round eyes I’d met at the front door.

 

Purple eyes, silver hair. Clearly of Fay descent, like the Duke.

 

‘None of his daughters looked like that.’

 

She didn’t know how to hide it, and her gaze was too obvious to miss.

 

She was too naive and unaware of the world to be cultivating tea and supporting the Duke behind the scenes.

 

Setting down his cup, he tilted his head and set his chin.

 

‘I wonder what he’s hiding.’

 “Then I suppose you can look forward to my succession, Duke.” “Yes?” “You’re so confident of your tea, I wonder if you’ll bring the same one that’s been rumored to be so popular with the young nobles on the fringes.” “Ah, yes. Of course…” 

Families attending a coronation ceremony would give the newly crowned king what they thought he needed.

 

The value of these tributes represented the strength of the kingship.

 

As a result, the royalist and noble factions are now in open conflict.

 

It was time to see if Kellive could be trusted to rally the troops and keep them in line.

 

All it took was a rumor that the Duke of Fay was offering a decent cup of tea to draw most of the royalist factions together.

 

Kellive smiled brightly, in contrast to the Duke’s awkward stuttering.

 

He sat cross-legged, haughtily, and then straightened up.

 “So, Gawain. Make sure the tea leaves in the Duke’s house are safe and report back.” 

The Duke of Fay’s eyes flickered briefly. So easy to recognize.

 

If it weren’t for the fact that Fay was a direct power, he’d be perfect at deception.

 

It didn’t matter whose power it was. But I didn’t want to see the Duke getting caught, so I might as well have a weakness.

 

Gawain, who had been standing at the back of the couch, flicked his back hair out of his face in annoyance.

 “See? Ah, what the hell.” 

Still, he nudged the Duke of Fay with his eyes. It was an unspoken signal to guide him.

 

The Duke of Fay’s hand trembled slightly as he set down his teacup, though he remained calm.

 “That is, that’s. The cultivation of tea leaves is… secretly…” “Secretly, what, are you saying that the tea Your Highness drank was obtained through an illegal transaction that the Duke can’t even confirm? Shouldn’t this be subject to a public investigation?” “No, please give me a moment, and I’ll be ready.” 

Kellive left the reception room with a light squeeze on Gawain’s shoulder, who was grumbling to himself.

 “I’ll be in the carriage first, come out when you’re done.” 

Gawain crumpled at the mention of the carriage and left the reception room.

 

Leaving the mansion casually, Kellive looked first to the corner of the garden, where the woman he’d locked eyes with had been.

 

There were signs of hasty cleanup, but no one was there.

 

‘That was a quick move.’

 

Dragging marks in the dirt showed that something had been dragged.

 

The ground was littered with unidentifiable leaves.

 

It stretched from a corner of the garden to the back of the building.

 

Kellive walked slowly, taking in his surroundings.

 

Sculptures of lake fairies stood guard over the arched windows.

 

The lake fairies, oddly enough, faced the low mountains that surrounded the dukedom.

 

He walked along the foliage for a while but stopped at a small side door.

 

Looking back, he realized that he had reached the outskirts of the manor.

 

He opened the door, which creaked from lack of oiling.

 

There was a small cabin on the edge of the hill. It didn’t look like it had been built in a long time.

 

There was a presence in it. It was a small, innocent squirming shape, a small boy or girl at best.

 

‘Is that the woman from earlier.’

 

I thought, remembering what I’d seen in a glimpse. I knocked on the door.

 “Hello.” 

I knocked a couple more times, but there was no response.

 

Deciding it was time to be polite, Kellive tugged on the doorknob.

 

It didn’t open at first, so he tried to force it, then stopped.

 

The door creaked open, rattling as if the seams were loose and about to fall out.

 

As soon as it opened, the woman he’d glimpsed earlier stood facing him, her eyes sharp.

 

Shining silver hair, tightly set brows, and eyes raised in a sloppy angry frown.

 

She was more beautiful than he’d remembered from his first glimpse, and most of all, she was out of place in a shabby cabin.

 

Her jaw clenched on the doorknob, and she spoke quickly,

“I don’t buy it, I don’t trust it, and I won’t take a subscription.” Bang— 

The door slammed shut again.  Right in front of him, right before his eyes.

 

Kellive stared at the flimsy door, shut firmly against his face.

 

His eyes glazed over as the words that had been uttered suddenly made no sense.

 

Honestly, it looked like it could either break or open with the slightest effort.

 

He knocked again. There was no answer, of course.

 

At least he could bet Avalon that this hut was not her abode.

 

From the peephole in the door, it looked like a place to store equipment or materials.

 

A quick look around revealed a stack of crates near the hut, filled with glass bottles.

 

There were also some tracks on the floor.

 

‘They must have been processing tea leaves around here,’

Kellive thought.

 

Hmm..

. Clearing his throat, Kellive looked at the bottles on the floor.

 “Lady. May I speak with you for a moment?” 

His low voice echoed in the silence, but there was no response.

 

Perhaps she was determined to ignore him.

 

After a moment of deliberation at the door, Kellive picked up a small bottle with something in it.

 “There seems to be something in the bottle on the floor. Do you mind if I throw it away?” 

Just then, the door creaked open.

 

Suddenly, a white hand stretched out through the crack.

 

As he stared at it, it even stretched out its palm and gave a single, decisive snap.

 

He placed the bottle in her hand, and it quickly disappeared into the cabin.

 

Looking at the slammed door, Kellive’s lips curled. He picked up the other bottles on the floor.

 “There’s more.” 

With another squeak, the door opened, and an arm came out.

 

A bottle was handed to it, which it snatched, and the door closed again.

 

‘Like a wild animal.’

 

There were no more bottles, but Kellive stooped to pick them up off the floor.

 

This time, the door opened of its own accord, and he held out his hand in a feigned gesture.

 

It was a rough indication that she could see everything from the inside.