Ivana thought that Maribel's antagonism was because she felt sorry for Julietta's death, and replied with a rare soft voice, "I understand how sorry you are for the loss of the child you've been raising. But I really didn't do anything. I know even His Excellency thinks she was already dead, so I didn't have to think of killing her. In my heart, it's been a long time since she died."

Ivana said her piece and went out without saying goodbye. Maribel closed the door behind her as she disappeared with Liam, who was waiting outside.

Maribel looked outside to find any indication of people at the door for a while before calling for Phoebe, who was still lying down, after enough time had pa.s.sed. "Get up."

At Maribel's command, Phoebe took off the sheet and sat up carefully. When she began to ma.s.sage her leg, feeling pain as the medicine's effect seemed to have disappeared with her vomiting, Maribel took a pill from the room, gave it to her, and said, "You're dead as of today's date. Phoebe from the Rotesam brothel is no longer in the world. Therefore, I can't keep you by my side, because you and I don't know each other at all. I want to get you out of here as soon as possible, but I wonder if it's even possible for you to survive on that leg. You said that selling your body is worse than dying, and working to make ends meet is the only thing you can do. Cutting off your leg and ordering a prosthetic leg for you is all I can do for you."

When Phoebe tried to express her grat.i.tude with astonished eyes, Maribel raised her hand to silence her.

"I'm about to do something very important right now. You don't have to be thankful, because it's a choice to make sure there's no unlucky thing involved."

Maribel lifted Phoebe up. "I'll call a doctor tomorrow, so go get some rest today."

"Can I still stay here for a while?" Phoebe said anxiously, recalling the man who had brought the poison and the lady who had checked her death.

"The master of the servant will only look at the fact that Mrs. Anais has confirmed someone's death today, so he has little interest in you. Likewise, Mrs. Anais has confirmed the death of the person she wanted to see dead, so there's nothing to be interested in here anymore."

Maribel continued to speak, looking down at the carpet stained with brown liquid, "She doesn't care a bit about you, but if she finds out that I've deceived her by the fact that you are still alive, I may disappear without a trace."

"Well, I'll be careful not to get caught. I will not move out of the room. If he comes in, I won't be caught hiding myself under the bed."

At Phoebe's desperate words, Maribel laughed, curling the corners of her eyes. "I believe that you'll never forget what I risked saving you."

Maribel then sent her back to her room. She picked up the small bottle on the table left after Phoebe drank it.

When she looked into the bottle, she found that the mouth was narrower than the bottle and some remnant had been left behind. Maribel took the lid she had thrown on her desk, closed it tightly, and carefully put the bottle inside her secret stash.

She thought she would find out what poison was in that bottle, and how Phoebe was able to survive, contrary to the servant's firm belief that she would die soon.

--------------

After being ordered by the Duke, Julietta and her group left Tilia early in the morning and were able to make their way to Baden during the late hours of the night.

As she went into her lodgings that night, Julietta looked at the inn opposite her. The inn was the one she had stayed a few months ago when she had followed Prince Killian to Bertino.

Recalling the Prince who was arrogant, mean, and capricious, but still had a kind and friendly side, Julietta glanced at Simone, one of her new employers. Seeing her hand wrapped around her forehead, she had to admit that the Prince was a pretty good man for an employer.

"Kiellini mansion in Dublin is where Regina lived until she was five years old. But she has been sick since she was born, so she was almost always in bed, and it's like a strange place."

Simone refused to eat and opened her mouth to tell Julietta what to do tomorrow. Looking at Simone ordering her maid to bring the tea, Julietta put down her fork.

"It's okay. Finish eating. As we continuously ran without taking a break all day, and ate with the food we packed from the mansion in Tilia, it would have been insufficient for you, who are much younger."

When Julietta looked at Simone's unusual behavior with an unknowingly angry look, Simone took a sip of Vera's Dureng tea and after putting it down, said, "You don't have to look at it with those eyes. Isn't it natural for me, as an aunt, to worry about you? It's easy to be suspicious of people, if you look at everything with those big eyes."

Julietta looked at Simone, who had picked up the teacup again, and picked up her fork again.

Ever since Julietta had given her a ma.s.sage on her shoulders and neck, she had been given a regular ma.s.sage by Vera. Sometimes Julietta gave a ma.s.sage to her to help Vera.