Humble Gift
Just ten minutes later, the dealer returned with the swapped drugs and another bottle of the poison. He handed them to Olivia, who received it in place of Kalina, who was resting.
"Thank you. My mistress will be in touch." Olivia said as she pressed a small pouch of silver coins into his hand. "Please keep everything you did today a secret. I'm sure you'll make the right choice." It was either follow Kalina, or get on her bad side. He absolutely didn't want to find out what happened to those that crossed her.
"Yes, yes, I will. Thank you." He took the silver and practically ran out of the mansion. He didn't want to get caught up in the Ephraim's messy affairs again.
Kalina watched his retreating wagon through her bedroom window. Her elbow was propped up on the windowsill, her chin supported by her hand. She chuckled dryly and turned over the vial of poison in her hand. The thick blood-like liquid dyed the sides of the glass vial red.
"Oh, what should I do..."
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"Duchess, please accept these pastries as a token of goodwill. I made them myself. The recipe is from when I was working on the streets." Nessa finally acted a few days later at dinner. She held a box of small cookies and looked at the Duchess with a hopeful smile. With the Duke present, there was no way she could reject.
Lucille and Kalina were absent from the table, as Lucille was still forbidden to come in contact with her for another week. It was good for Nessa that Kalina wasn't present, since she would probably say something that would thwart her plans.
The Duchess stared at Nessa blankly for a few moments. She obviously had an ulterior motive. She wouldn't just give her a present out of the blue.
"What are you waiting for? Don't be rude, she's trying to be nice to you." The Duke slammed his fist on the table, glaring at the Duchess.
"Could it be that the Duchess finds my humble gift gross because it was made by a commoner? I put my heart into making it, but if you won't accept, then..." Nessa was about to put the box away with an aggrieved expression.
The Duchess was stunned at Nessa's eloquence. She hadn't said a word, but Nessa made it seem like she was scorning her. However, Nessa's smooth words still couldn't compare to the nobles of high society in the capital. The Duchess had experienced many verbal wars when she was young, and was known to be skilled with her words.
If she had a fan in her hand, she would have flicked it open and covered her mouth with it, the way noble ladies did when they wanted to hide their mocking expressions.
"Of course not. I'll be glad to accept your gift. Though I'm touched that you personally made these for me, cooking is a servant's task and you shouldn't burden yourself with it. Next time, you should ask one of the cooks to make it for you." The Duchess smiled gently and gestured for her maid to take the box.
"Thank you for your consideration, Duchess." Nessa was forced to endure the humiliation of being compared to a servant. As long as the Duchess ate the desserts, it would be worth it.
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Later that night, the Duchess was in her study signing documents. She was about to finish up and go to bed when a knock sounded on her door.
"Come in." She placed down her pen and rubbed her temples a few times.
"Mother, how are you feeling? Are you tired?" Kalina entered, holding a silver tray with two teacups on it. "I had Olivia make some soothing tea for you to drink."
"Kalina!" The Duchess jumped up. Her daughter had just recovered and should still be resting, but she came to the study which was far from her bedroom. "Why are you here? Let me take this. Come, have a seat." She rushed over and took the tray from Kalina.
"I wanted to check up on you, Mother." Kalina sat down obediently. She had rushed over as soon as she heard that Nessa had gifted the Duchess a box of cookies. She was afraid that her mother had already ingested the poisoned pastries. Letting Nessa keep the poison was a crucial part of her plan, but it was also a risky one.
"It's late, what made you come here?"
Kalina's eyes darted over to the box of treats resting on the side of her mother's desk. "I heard you got some desserts today."
"Yes, I got some. Do you want them? I haven't touched them, you can have them if you want." The Duchess turned and lovingly tucked a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. "Don't eat too many; it's not good for your health."
"Okay!" Kalina chirped obediently. She was relieved to know that her mother hadn't eaten any.
Five minutes later, Kalina left the study with a box of desserts in her arms. Olivia, who was waiting outside, rushed over.
"Miss, let me carry that." Olivia struggled to keep up with Kalina who was walking with an unusually fast pace. "Miss, where are you going?"
"I have to throw out the trash." Kalina exited the mansion and headed towards the lake near the forest. Winter had come to an end, but the night was still chilly. As the two walked along the path, their breaths could be seen disappearing into the air.
"The trash? You can just give it to me, Miss, I'll throw it out–" Olivia was breathless from the speed-walking. She caught up to Kalina and walked one step behind her. She was about to say more, but the sight of Kalina's solemn expression made her swallow her words.
They arrived at the lake a few minutes later. Kalina stood at the edge of the lake and peered into the water. Her reflection rippled as a gentle breeze swept across the moonlit surface.
"Miss, be careful." Olivia was still frightened from the incident where Kalina had fallen into the lake. If the Duchess knew that she had come to the lake again, she would surely be upset.
Kalina opened the box and tossed a cookie in without a word. It made a splash before disappearing under the dark water.
She slowly emptied the box into the lake, the desserts vanishing one by one until there was only crumbs left. Her expression remained unchanged the whole time.
Olivia, standing quietly to the side, wondered what was on her miss's mind. She had sworn to serve her loyally for the rest of her life, but sometimes she wondered what secrets those golden eyes held.