Saving The Villainous Monster From The Male Lead-Chapter 53 - 52: The Traitor’s Venomous Poison

In the evening, Eleanore and Stella had decided to go for a picnic in the hidden garden. Marina had set the tea table under the only tree the garden had, with the help of Amelia. She called Eleanore and Stella from the swing, where they were enjoying themselves for quite some time.

As they started walking to the table, Stella started talking about last night. "What had happened to you, Elle?" She asked, amused by her little show yesterday.

"What do you mean?" Eleanore turned to her, puzzled.

"You said that the grand duke barks a lot." She laughed replaying that scene in front of her eyes for the third time today. Everytime she thought about that event, she was impressed with herself for keeping her laugh in her mouth. For that laugh would have turned the amusing scene into a horror scene.

"I called him a dog?" Her eyes widened in horror. She couldn’t believe her mouth. More than that, she couldn’t believe she was still alive, after calling the monstrous grand duke a dog.

"No, not exactly. Because he was yelling a lot, you asked Marina to throw out those who were barking." Her explanation didn’t help much.

"I can’t believe I said that." Eleanore turned her gaze back to the road.

A slight blow landed on her shoulder from Stella. "Honestly, I was so surprised. You were just amazing yesterday." She laughed. In return Eleanore just smiled in embarrassment.

As they settled down on the table, Stella started talking about the Crown Prince. "Why were you with him?" She asked me to pick up a biscuit.

"He gave me an invitation—"

"I know that. His highness explained it to me yesterday. My question is, didn’t you go to find a doctor for me? How did you end up at his party instead?" She intentionally asked that question expecting her to tell the truth.

Eleanore smiled as she looked for an excuse. "Ah! That. Actually while I was looking for a doctor, I met the crown prince. He had a doctor amongst his White Knights. So I followed him there. They offered me a drink and after I drank it—. I’m sorry, because of me you all were so worried." She let out a white lie.

Stella’s smile dropped on learning that Eleanore still wished to hide the truth. She sighed and looked away from her.

Eleanore felt something was wrong. "What’s wrong?" She asked, but got no reply in return. "Stel! I am sorry." She apologized again.

Stella turned back to her with angry eyes. "How long are you going to put up with this act?" She asked in disappointment.

"What do you mean?" Eleanore was puzzled. She didn’t think that Stella had, maybe, found out about their agreement.

"Stop this, Elle. Really. I do not like Caelestis and I never will. I have even severed that friendship we had for years between us. We are typically strangers now."

Amilia came forward and started pouring tea, which she had been brewing, for Eleanore. While Eleanore was caught by shock. How did Stella find out about their plan? Or rather since when did she know about this?

"Elle. Please, I want you to stop creating these stupid opportunities for him, I do not like spending time with him. It’s suffocating" She continued, as the maid moved to pouring tea in Stella’s cup. "Moreover, I have someone else I like." she confessed.

Eleanore’s eyes widened at that. She covered her forehead with her palm in disbelief. ’Oh god! What has happened?’ she wondered. ’Who did she fall for?’

Just then her gaze shifted to the maid, pouring tea for Stella. The cup was filled and she had moved back. Amilia’s eyes were fixed on Stella’s tea cup and her hands that were holding the teapot were shivering. Yet her face showed no sign of fear, but her body couldn’t hide it.

’Something is wrong!’ Eleanore traced Amilia’s eyes back to Stella’s tea. ’Why is she staring at the tea?’

"The person that I like is—" Stella picked up her tea cup.

The translucent window that had not shown its face for a long time, long enough to make her forget it ever existed, appeared in front of her with a new notification, in bold letters.

||DANGER||

It said,

"Stop," Eleanore yelled, slamming the table and scaring Stella who was still talking. She was about to drink the tea but stopped. "Don’t drink it."

Her gaze moved to Marina, she gestured to catch the maid. Marina quickly understood the order and locked both of Amilia’s hand behind her back. The teapot in her hand fell down and shattered into pieces. Amilia started to panic. She tried to free herself from Marina’s grasp but couldn’t, no matter how hard she tried.

"Let me go! What are you doing, my lady?’ She shouted in fear, acting as if she were innocent.

Stella placed the tea cup back into its saucer and got out of her chair, shocked. "Elle! What are you doing?"

"Something is wrong with the tea." She said,

"What?" Stella couldn’t grasp the situation and she obviously couldn’t understand what Eleanore was talking about.

"Knight!" Eleanore called the knights that were guarding the door to the hidden garden, on Caelestis. They quickly rushed in and sprinted through the garden to the tea table from where they were called. They stood there, trying to grasp the situation until Eleanore spoke up again.

"Catch this maid, and one of you, go call Sir Victor!" She ordered but none of them moved.

Caelestis had strictly ordered them to only listen to Stella’s orders and only follow her and keep her safe in case of any danger. Even if it meant ignoring the order of the Lady of Duke’s family.

"What are you all looking at? Go hurry! Stella was almost poisoned." On hearing that the Knights made their move quickly.

One of them left the hidden garden to call Victor and the other two caught the maid and handcuffed her, immediately. Amilia knelt to the ground, scared and calm at the same time.

Few minutes later, Victor arrived in the hidden garden. He was briefed about the situation on the way. When he saw Eleanore, he immediately pulled her into a hug. Eleanore was shocked and didn’t move, until he himself let her go. He caught her face between his palms, his eyes filled with concern.

"Did anything happen to you?" He asked in a thin voice.

"No, I am fine." Eleanore replied.

On hearing that he let go off her face and came back to his senses. "What happened?" He asked to understand the situation and to be able to investigate it further.

"That maid, Amila, was shivering from the moment she poured tea for Stella. I think Stella’s tea is poisoned." She answered.

"What about yours?"

Eleanore didn’t think about her cup at all. She had not seen the maid when she was pouring her tea and simply assumed that the tea was poisoned only for Stella. Moreover, why would someone poison her tea?

"I don’t know."

Victor walked to the tea cup, he looked at it for a while and then took a sample of tea from both the cups. After that he emptied the cups and took both of them as samples as well. He handed over all the samples to the knight , who had escorted him here, then turned to Eleanore again.

"I will inspect it. Don’t worry." He assured them. "Then I will take my leave, Lady Eleanore, Baroness." He bowed and left the hidden garden.

Stella hadn’t spoken a word ever since Eleanore asked her to not drink the tea. She still couldn’t believe that she was almost poisoned. Just why would someone do that to her? Who has she offended this time?

Eleanore turned to Stella, who was standing behind her. Her eyes were fixed on Amilia. Since the moment she was released from the side house, Amilia was by her side. Not once did it feel like this child would ever hurt her. She seemed to be kind towards her, that Stella still couldn’t believe Amilia could ever do that?

She walked closer to her, but Stella walked towards Amilia. Stella had questions, concerns. She wanted to know the truth. Nothing is proven yet. It means probably this is all a misunderstanding on Eleanore’s part.

"Stella! You should not go closer to her. She might harm you." Eleanore said.

"No! I can’t believe Amilia could do that." Her eyes welled up with tears, when she turned to look at worried Eleanore.

Eleanore felt a pang in her hurt on seeing her teary eyes. She felt sorry for her. Her life is meant to be filled with fears and problems. That’s how the world is created for her. The only thing it has to offer is suffering.

"Amilia?" Stella called her out, standing just a few steps away from her. "Did you try to poison me?" She asked.

Amilia’s gaze turned to Stella, who looked scared, worried and disappointed at the same time. She didn’t answer the question of her mistress. Instead she simply stared at her.