Nasty Business

Soleia choked and shook her head. The progress Ludwin was referring to was of pregnancy! 

This old man, and the entire town, had been hoping for Orion's return in the last few years. Not because they wanted a famous hero in their midst, but because they wanted — needed — him to produce an heir so that the rest of his shameless relatives would finally loosen their grip on the estate.

Their haughty attitudes had not endeared themselves to the townspeople in the least. When Soleia first moved in, she was also treated coldly by the townspeople. They had assumed the worst of her. However, she had managed to change their impression of her in the past two years when they realized she was the one coughing up the coins.

"Oh, well. It's only been a while," Ludwin said encouragingly. "The both of you are young. I am sure a child will come with time." 

Well, there was a child on the way, but it was in Elowyn's belly, so much so that her husband couldn't pry his body away from her. Soleia's lips curled derisively.

"There's progress, but not with me. He has another woman he wishes to make his wife," Soleia confessed, even though the news must have spread to the town already. 

Ludwin's face grew horrified.

"My dear, I am sorry," he said, shaking his head. "Such wretched times we live in. Come in, I have some calming tea for you―"

"Thank you, but unfortunately I must decline. I am here because Sir Ralph Byrone requires your help." 

Briefly, she explained his symptoms and what had happened. Mister Ludwin listened, his face growing graver with every word from her mouth. He then hurried back inside and then proceeded to hand her a bag of herbs, rattling off instructions.

"Boil the fenugreek until they turn soft and then add in the spiderviolets. Mash it into a paste and feed it to him three times a day. That should cure his fever quickly―" Mister Ludwin frowned. "I would go with you, but I promised young Poulette to check on his mother's broken leg later." 

Ludwin batted the matter off and continued to prattle. "If his condition worsens, call for me immediately. Aphrodisiacs are nasty business… From what I hear, Sir Byrone had ingested a near-potent dose. He is awfully lucky to be alive."

"I understand," Soleia said quickly. She pulled out a handful of coins and passed them over to him, her mind rattling with the newfound implications of Mister Ludwin's words. "Can aphrodisiacs cause memory loss? Or mood swings? For instance, could they make a man forget words he spewed a mere night ago?"

Mister Ludwin chuckled. 

"For that, wine and spirits would be enough. You would not be surprised to know how many men want to claim they had a reason for forgetting something or another, especially when faced with their wives' ire," Mister Ludwin said with amusement. 

Soleia frowned. She had not smelled a trace of alcohol on Orion's body when he opened the door. 

In fact, Drakenmire did not boast much alcohol to begin with, since funds were low and Soleia did not want to encourage excessive drunkenness, even though she had to admit that dealing with Orion's relatives made her wish she opened a tavern instead.

"If not for alcohol, is there anything else that could cause it?" Soleia asked. "Any herb or substance?"

Mister Ludwin paused and thought more carefully. 

"True memory loss is difficult to cause― it's more likely to be caused by magic than any drug, since one has to have the ability to confound the mind so thoroughly," he mused. "The mind is powerful, Duchess. Even the strongest of magics might find it hard to withstand the will of an individual."

Magic. Soleia's blood ran cold, and she felt a shiver traverse through her body. Did Elowyn have some form of magical ability?

Or was she simply reading too much into things?

Mister Ludwin caught Soleia's stricken face and reassured her hastily. "Of course, the likelihood of this happening is slim. If there was such a person with such dangerous abilities, the royal family would have taken care of them." 

There was a brief pause as Mister Ludwin fell silent. Soleia knew all too well what kind of care such individuals received. Either the highest honors, or to the gallows. 

Magic practitioners all had one thing in common as far as everyone knew― royal blood. Be it inside or out of a proper union, all who had magical affinities were born from royalty.

If Elowyn was indeed a powerful magic practitioner, it would make no sense for her to seduce her husband. Duke General he might be, he had no real power among the nobility. Not to mention their fief held no importance politically nor materially. 

There was something she was missing. But she could contemplate that at another time. Mister Ludwin continued to speak. 

"Duchess Soleia, to answer your earlier question, prolonged ingestion of aphrodisiacs could cause hallucinations which might result in false memories or mood swings. There are also a lot of other substances one could ingest that might result in that. 

"For instance, the accenga herb causes one to be more susceptible to suggestion, and men often use it on unknowing women. Its sweet taste makes it highly popular, yet undetectable in pastries. You should be careful."

Soleia's heart raced. Perhaps she had finally gotten an actual clue. Ralph had mentioned Orion's tea was sweetened. 

What's more, Elowyn had been with Orion for two years. Even if she had started drugging him a year ago, Orion would have ingested at least an entire year's worth of aphrodisiacs. Who knew what visions he was seeing whenever he closed his eyes?

"Thank you," Soleia said fervently. "You have answered a lot of my questions. I shall take my leave now."

"I'm glad to help," Mister Ludwin said bemusedly. "If Sir Byrone's condition worsens, please call for me immediately. He might be young, but one shouldn't be careless." 

"Of course, of course," Soleia nodded. If it was possible, she would love to drag Orion to Mister Ludwin's cottage. 

With a lighter purse but a head heavier with thoughts, Soleia made her way back, fully intent on rushing home to care for Ralph. 

However, while she was walking, she caught sight of a familiar figure flitting through the crowd, like a butterfly among flowers in spring. His dark hair was common, but the way he held himself drew Soleia's eyes like a moth to a flame. As he turned his head slightly, Soleia's breath caught with surprise.

That man looked a lot like Sir Byrone.