The Poisonous Princess Who Successfully Infiltrated the Enemy as an Employee - Chapter 63

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 63.

***

The moment I stepped out of the audience chamber, I headed straight for my bedroom.
‘One week…….’
It was a span of time that could be called long or short depending on one’s perspective.
It was undoubtedly a golden opportunity.
Of course, the Emperor had not granted it to me because he trusted me.
He had simply loosened the leash he held ever so slightly for the duration of one week.
Officially, the Duchess of House of Escar would be announced as confined to the Separate Palace.
As a leading suspect, I could hardly wander freely through the Imperial Palace.
The temporary position the Emperor had bestowed upon me was that of Apprentice Investigator in the Imperial Investigation Bureau.
The Imperial Investigation Bureau.
An agency directly under the Emperor’s authority, tasked with investigating poisonings, thefts, illicit trades, and suspicious financial flows among the palace staff within the Imperial Palace.
While the Imperial Knight Order guarded the Imperial Palace with their blades, the investigators of the bureau watched over its interior through records and testimony.
For me now, it was a far more useful identity than that of a duchess.
The Emperor had handed me a ring-shaped magical artifact for external transformation and spoken.
“The moment your identity is exposed, I too shall find myself in quite a predicament. At that point, I cannot help you. It would be wise to take care that your true identity remains hidden.”
It was a magical artifact crafted with the same precision as those made by Mage Tower Master Ivan.
I gazed quietly at the ring fitted onto my thumb.
A bracelet purchased from Ivan, and now this ring given by the Emperor.
‘At this rate, people will think I’m a magical artifact collector.’
I briefly entertained the notion of simply changing my appearance and vanishing with it all.
But the Emperor was no easy opponent.
He said he would assign a senior investigator from the bureau, one highly skilled, to accompany me in my temporary role as apprentice investigator.
‘The purpose sounds more like surveillance than collaborative investigation…….’
In any case, I now had to leave the Separate Palace and conduct this investigation alongside them.
Varcan and the knights of House of Escar could not accompany me.
The moment I set foot somewhere without permission or carelessly touched something I shouldn’t.
I risked being mistaken for a criminal who had confessed and fled, or suspected of destroying evidence.
Perhaps from this moment on, I stood upon an even more precarious stage than Evelin the herbalist, who had to feign madness as a princess.
I returned to my bedroom and changed into the investigator’s uniform I had just received.
“…….”
Varcan watched me with evident displeasure in his eyes.
“……Must it truly be this way?”
I stood before the mirror, adjusting my clothing, and offered him a bright smile.
“Do relax your expression, Varcan.”
“…….”
“Anyone who sees you like that will think I’m walking off to my death.”
At my light reproach, Varcan crossed his arms and muttered low.
“Are you not aware of the danger involved?”
“Of course I am!”
I turned back to Varcan and shrugged.
“I’m perfectly aware that the person who poisoned the princess may still be lurking within the Princess Palace itself.”
“…….”
Only then did Varcan fall silent.
I returned to the mirror and fastened the leather belt at my waist firmly.
‘One week. I’ll resolve this within that timeframe, no matter what.’
I had not panicked even when the Emperor set the deadline at merely one week.
The reason was simple: I already knew the culprit from the original work.
However…….
‘Since the victim has changed, the perpetrator may well differ from the original story too.’
In the original work, the mastermind behind this incident was revealed to be Marquis Vientra.
The current Empress’s brother, a nobleman who operated a trading company that supplied the finest incense to the Imperial Palace.
Despite the Empress’s objections, he had sought to shake the imperial succession by systematically eliminating the princes.
According to the original, beginning with this poisoning attempt, he ultimately aimed to eliminate even Crown Prince Cain.
‘To determine whether it’s truly his doing, or if there’s a third hidden force targeting Evelina, I need to see the scene with my own eyes.’
If by some chance medicinal herbs used for a special incense were discovered in Elenor’s bedroom, just as in the original story…….
Then I could have identified the culprit for certain.
‘The problem is the antidote, though…….’
In the original story, so much focus was placed on finding the culprit that how the prince’s poison was actually neutralized never appeared at all.
Only a brief mention that it was the Imperial Palace’s eccentric Court Physician who saved that prince.
‘That eccentric physician earned recognition for his abilities that day and eventually ended up serving under Cain.’
Given that he’d caught the male protagonist’s eye, the eccentric physician’s skills were indeed formidable.
His talent for drug development was said to be the finest in the empire.
‘Of course, he would still be far below me.’
In any case, the original story doesn’t provide detailed information about how to neutralize the poison used in this incident. That’s why I had no choice but to rely on direct experience to find the antidote myself.
If time had been abundant, or if it hadn’t been Elenor who drank the poison, I would have simply let the two protagonists sort through the case themselves.
But now Elenor’s life hung by a thread.
Moreover, if I were to die bearing false accusations, it would leave a devastating stain on the House of Escar’s name.
Whether I liked it or not, I had no choice but to step forward.
It was then that Varcan approached from behind me.
He positioned himself beneath his own enormous shadow, meeting my gaze through the mirror.
“The place you’re about to enter is one where there are no knights to protect you, nor I.”
I opened my eyes wide, meeting Varcan’s reflection in the mirror.
“My?”
I asked playfully, deliberately lightening the suddenly heavy atmosphere.
“You’re worried about me, Your Highness?!”
…….
Varcan fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“No matter what happens inside the Imperial Palace, I cannot enter immediately.”
…….
“The moment I move, the Palace will brand it as treason by House Escar.”
Treason.
Those two words sliced through the air of the bedroom, turning it cold.
I slowly nodded, my fingertips adjusting the apron strings.
“I understand.”
I did understand.
That’s why I had to be even more careful.
I was officially a suspect detained at the Separate Palace.
Entering the Imperial Palace and the Princess Palace wouldn’t be the Duchess Evelina, but a nameless apprentice investigator assisting the court investigator.
If I revealed my identity, there would be problems. If I mishandled evidence, if Elenor’s condition worsened—I would be finished right there.
‘If it were just me, that would be mercy enough.’
The House of Escar would suffer the fallout alongside me.
“I won’t let Your Highness have to move.”
“But they won’t remain idle either.”
The ‘they’ that Varcan spoke of was undoubtedly the force behind whoever tried to poison Elenor.
“Those with reach into the secret corners of the Palace won’t look kindly on an investigator trying to resolve this case. Even less so if it’s an apprentice.”
…….
Varcan was right.
Whoever knew when Elenor drank her tea.
Whoever knew what incense was burned in that room.
If they knew that much, there was a high chance their eyes and ears still remained inside the Princess Palace.
Perhaps among the maids.
Perhaps among the attendants.
Perhaps right beside Elenor’s bedroom, their face betraying nothing as they wrung out a wet cloth.
And yet.
There was no time to prepare for all of it.
Nor was there any option to give up and turn back.
If I give up here, Elenor dies.
If she dies, I die too, and the House of Escar will surely crumble.
I looked into Varcan’s black eyes in the mirror.
The intensity of his gaze fixed upon me spoke to genuine concern on his part.
Whether it stemmed from fear of scandal to the House of Escar, or from some small measure of worry for me as a person.
That concern didn’t displease me.
I smiled gently to reassure him, crinkling the corners of my eyes.
“Your Highness, didn’t you say so yourself? That you have no intention of making me a corpse, at least not within the territory of your jurisdiction.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“It might sound strange, but honestly, that reassurance meant everything to me?”
“…….”
“At least within House of Escar’s territory, I knew you’d protect me. I knew I wouldn’t die there.”
I turned my body to look up at Varcan.
“So I’ll make you a promise too. I won’t leave the Imperial Palace as a corpse.”
“…….”
Varcan’s eyes widened slightly.
I spoke in a whisper.
“In exchange, you’ll have to help me a little.”
“……What would you have me do.”
“Oh, it’s nothing major. I just need you to buy a few medicinal herbs for me—ones I’ll need to make the Antidote for Her Highness the Princess.”
“……Medicinal herbs? The Imperial Palace should have most varieties in stock.”
I laughed playfully.
“How could I trust herbs that came from the Imperial Palace? If I get the Antidote wrong even once, I’m not the only one at risk—many people could be in danger. I’d rather use herbs obtained by someone I can trust.”
“…….”
I spun around and walked quickly toward the desk.
“Give me a moment. I’ll sketch out a map for you right away. And Your Highness must visit the herb shops yourself—personally, mind you. You must keep to the exact times I specify, understood?”
“……Understood.”
“Good!”
I drew several maps on paper with a pen and handed them to him.

***

Varcan gathered the maps and slipped quietly out of the Imperial Palace.
I immediately touched the magical Ring that the Emperor had given me.
With a soft, hissing sound, my striking features faded, replaced by a plain, unremarkable appearance.
It was perfect camouflage—to any eye, I looked like nothing more than a minor palace scribe or a maidservant.
I made straight for the Princess Palace.
My priority was to check on Elenor’s condition first and prepare to make the Antidote.
‘The materials are one thing, but the process of making the Antidote itself will consume considerable time.’
Though I didn’t know which poison the culprit had used, they wouldn’t have chosen something simple to counteract.
When I arrived at the Princess Palace, knights stood guard at the entrance.
After the incident, the Princess Palace had been sealed, and entry procedures had become quite stringent.
“Are you the newcomer I’ve heard about?”
At that moment, a rough voice stopped me in my tracks.
A dark, towering shadow loomed behind me.
I turned my head reflexively and swallowed a gasp.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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