678.Chapter 678
“Let her in.”
Eliza returned to her seat at the table.
Nolan raised an eyebrow when he heard who it was.
He remembered Adeline was Duke of Mowbay’s sister and Serenity’s former aunt.
She had once falsely accused Serenity of stealing from her family, and their relationship had been strained ever since.
So why was she here looking for Serenity today?
It wasn’t that Nolan was overthinking things.
Given the occasion, if Adeline wanted to attend the banquet as the Marchioness, there was no need for her to meet Eliza privately.
But she hadn’t been seen at the banquet earlier, and now she was here in secret.
Something was definitely off.
Nolan turned to Eliza. “Need me to step in?”
Eliza shook her head. “It’s just a minor matter. No need to trouble Your Highness.”
* “Should I step out, then?” he asked.
“No need. If you’re curious, stick around. Consider it a bit of entertainment,” she replied with a faint smile.
Her candid and unreserved response made Nolan’s lips curl into a subtle smile.
The next moment, he took a seat across from her.
Soon, the sound of cautious footsteps approached from outside.
Adeline stepped in cautiously, expecting to see only Eliza. To her surprise, Nolan was
there too.
Adeline quickly bowed, her voice trembling as she said, “Your Highness, Your Grace, this humble wife pays her respects.”
“Rise.”
The Prince Regent spoke with a calm yet commanding tone. “You’re here for Her Grace, not me. Go ahead.”
Adeline hesitated, her fingers tightening around her handkerchief as she glanced nervously at the Holy Lady.
After all, this matter concerned the reputation of the Marquis’s estate. The fewer people who knew, the better.
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But the Holy Lady dismissed her concerns with a sharp retort, “You’re barely clinging to life, and you’re still worried about appearances? Either speak up or leave.”
Adeline stiffened, her face pale as the Holy Lady’s sharp words cut through her
hesitation.
She clutched her handkerchief tighter, her voice cracking as she finally spoke, “Your Grace, I beg you! That wretched Sophie poisoned my entire family!”
“You’ve been poisoned?” Eliza’s brows furrowed in surprise.
She found it odd. Adeline’s complexion didn’t show the typical signs of poisoning.
Still, she gestured for Adeline to step closer.
After checking her pulse for a moment, Eliza’s expression shifted as realization dawned.
“You do have traces of poison in your system–snake venom, to be precise.”
“Yes, yes! Three days ago, Sophie set a snake on me. If it weren’t for the Marquis inflicting ten wounds on himself to trade for the antidote, I’d already be dead!” Adeline‘ s voice cracked with emotion as she rolled up her sleeve, her hands shaking as she revealed the bite mark.
Eliza leaned in, her gaze sharp as she inspected the wound with practiced precision. The antidote worked; there’s no issue with it. The remaining venom will dissipate in a few days with proper rest. You won’t die.”
“What?” Adeline froze, her face a mix of shock and disbelief. “I’m not going to die?”
Eliza shot her a sidelong glance, her tone laced with sarcasm. “What? Do you have a death wish?”
“Of course not!” Adeline waved her hands frantically. “It’s just… I figured that wicked Sophie wouldn’t let me off so easily, so…” She clamped her mouth shut mid–sentence, realizing she’d almost let her tongue slip again.
After all, she’d hurled those insults at her niece countless times before, never imagining the tables would turn like this.
“If it’s Sophie you’re talking about, then no, she wouldn’t let you off easily. After all, when she became a part of your Marquis’s estate, she endured more than her fair share of torment.” Eliza’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile, her eyes glinting with
amusement.
Adeline’s face flushed with embarrassment. “But she was the one who schemed against Caleb first…”
“Enough. I don’t need to hear your excuses.” Eliza cut her off, not bothering to listen to her pointless rambling. “There’s no other poison in your body aside from the snake venom. But there’s… something else inside you, and I know it!”
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Adeline’s eyes widened in shock, her voice trembling with urgency. “What is it? What exactly did Sophie do to me?”
“During this time, have you eaten.or drunk anything that she gave you?” Eliza did not answer her directly but instead asked in return.
Adeline flushed with embarrassment. “She hasn’t personally served me anything, but with the entire Marquis’s estate under her control, she doesn’t need do anything herself. There are people who will take care of it.“.
So if Sophie had tampered with the food, then it was almost certain both she and the Marquis had been affected.
Eliza raised an eyebrow slightly.
‘Sophie works fast. It’s been less than a month since I left Hasen City, and she’s already taken over the entire Marquis’s estate?‘
‘If she uses their resources to target me, things could get messy. The Marquis’s estate holds considerable power.
Eliza stroked her chin, thought for a moment, and refocused her gaze on Adeline.
“You want to know what’s inside you, right? Go grab that wooden basin over there.”
‘What does a wooden basin have to do with this?‘ Adeline was confused.
Even so, she obediently went to fetch the basin.
“Hold it higher…”
Adeline had already raised the basin to her chest, but Eliza still demanded, “Higher.”
Eliza stood up, walked to her side, and said coldly, “Bury your head in the basin. No matter what happens, don’t let go. If you do, you’ll deal with the consequences yourself.”
Adeline felt utterly humiliated.
But she didn’t dare defy Eliza, so she swallowed her frustration and lowered her head into the basin.
Suddenly, Eliza struck, slamming her palm hard into Adeline’s abdomen.
Adeline felt a soothing warmth spread from her navel, filling her with a fleeting sense of comfort.
But the sensation lasted less than two seconds before a sharp, searing pain tore through her.
“It hurts!” Adeline screamed in agony.
The pain surged upward, clawing through her chest and throat, as if something was forcing its way out.
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The next moment, Adeline gagged violently, her mouth snapping open.
A torrent of foul–smelling black liquid erupted, carrying with it a mass of tiny, granular objects.
Her body reacted instinctively, and she nearly dropped the basin.
Fortunately, Eliza’s earlier warning flashed through her mind, and she tightened her grip just in time.
As she steadied the basin, she finally saw what she had expelled.
Floating in the putrid black water was a dense cluster of insect eggs!
Adeline was instantly horrified. “Ah! What is this?”
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