If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 260

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Teschen remembered the promise the Grand Duchess had made to her when sending her to the Vernat estate: if she performed her role well, she would receive a great reward.

By all accounts, she had done her best to siphon off information from the estate, so now, upon her return to the Grand Duke’s residence, she expected to finally receive the promised reward.

Feeling almost giddy with anticipation, Teschen changed her clothes and stepped out, only to find herself shrinking under the stony gazes of the knights watching her.

“His Grace has granted you one week. You’ll have that time here to recover and get back on your feet. After that, you’ll be sent to the Grand Duke’s residence.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And take this.”

“What’s… this?”

The knight held out a small vial, no bigger than two joints of a finger. When Teschen asked about it, the answer was nothing like what she expected. This vial was the reason she would never be able to defy the Marquis Vernat.

“It’s an antidote.”

“Antidote…? What do you mean?”

“It’s the cure for the poison in your body.”

“Poison? What are you talking about?”

“It’s the antidote for the d**g you’ve been gradually poisoned with over the last year.”

She couldn’t understand. Poisoned over a year—by what, and when?

“You didn’t really believe His Grace was simply letting you go free, did you?”

Teschen only blinked in shock, as the knight continued his explanation, as brusque as ever.

“His Grace anticipated a day like this would come. He made sure you could never betray him by returning to the Grand Duke’s household. That was his safeguard.”

“Poison… You mean I’ll die if I don’t get the antidote?”

“That’s right. Without it, you’ll die.”

It was the feeling of plummeting from hell to heaven and then back to hell again. Just a moment ago, the fresh air outside had her spirits soaring, but now it was suffocating her with the stench of impending death.

Cain Vernat—so meticulous there wasn’t a single gap in his planning, and as ruthless as his reputation suggested. Teschen shivered, suddenly recalling why he was called the Knight of Ice and Blood.

“I wouldn’t waste your time with foolish thoughts. This poison and its antidote are unknown anywhere else in the Empire. Only His Grace has them. If you do anything to cross him, or even seem to side with the Grand Duke again, the poison in your body will finish you. Understood?”

She couldn’t say a word. She felt like a mouse toyed with by a cat—kept alive only for the amusement of her captor.

Her lips turned blue with fear. But the threats didn’t end there.

“Oh, and His Grace wanted me to remind you of this: every life in the Alexei house is in his hands.”

“What… What did you say?”

“One wrong move from you, and not just your life, but your entire family will be dragged down to hell with you.”

If she disobeyed, he would wipe the name ‘Alexei’ from the annals of the Empire. That was the message.

Having delivered everything he needed to say, the knight left without waiting for Teschen’s answer. The iron door clanged shut, and Teschen collapsed where she stood.

She was alive, but it didn’t feel like living. From now on, the rest of her life would be subject to Cain Vernat’s will.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The long winter finally ended, and a warm spring arrived. Agatha’s face had a peaceful smile as she admired the blooming flowers in the garden.

Havel truly was an outstanding head butler. Despite both the master and mistress having been away, and even the head maid gone, he had kept the estate in perfect order.

Agatha sipped her tea as she took in the immaculate garden.

With the weather so pleasant and her child now settled into a routine, Agatha was enjoying a spring stroll with the baby in her arms—despite Liana’s insistence that she carry him instead.

Holding her tiny, precious child in one arm and her teacup in the other, Agatha was surrounded by fluttering petals and the sweet scent of spring.

It was a picture of peace. Since returning to the capital, Cain had stayed close for several days, but soon enough, he was swept back into his many duties. Still, whenever he finished his work and returned home, he would head straight for Agatha’s room and watch over the baby until he fell asleep.

Thinking back on their time in the Vernat estate, this side of Cain would have seemed unimaginable. She didn’t know whether it was the birth of the child or her announcement of divorce that had changed him so much.

He might not have known how to express it, but it was clear Cain cherished the baby above all else. It showed in his expressions and gestures whenever he looked at their child.

And yet, despite all that care, it was a bit strange that even after a hundred days had passed, the child still had no name.