Saving The Villainous Monster From The Male Lead-Chapter 54 - 53: Who Is The Culprit?

Caelestis soon entered the hidden garden. When he heard about the poisoning incident, he left all his work immediately and rushed there. A traitor entered his mansion from below his nose, tried to poison Stella and he had no notice of this. ’How could I not know about this? Who did this?’

He walked to them in anger, ready to strike the culprit. "Who was it?"’ He asked.

Eleanore was surprised to see him. She didn’t expect him to appear so quickly. "The maid—" She began, but before she could say another word, Caelestis marched towards Amilia and landed a harsh slap across her face.

Amilia lost her balance and fell on the ground, her mouth oozing out blood. Stella covered her mouth in horror, her eyes still shedding tears of betrayal.

"How dare you hurt Stella?’ Caelestis was about to slap her again but Eleanore’s words stopped him.

"Grand duke. It is not confirmed yet if the tea really contains poison." Eleanore argued to stop him from going any more violent.

"I poisoned the tea." The maid spoke up. Her whole body was still shivering from fear but she still continued speaking. "I was asked to poison her. Thus, I did it." She whipped the blood on her mouth on the sleeve of her white shirt.

Her body became stable after that. When she met her eyes with Caelestis again she looked ready, ready to face death. As if she knew that she would be caught and will die for this sin.

"Who told you to do that?" Caelestis caught her bloody collar, pulling her closer to his angry face in an attempt to scare her off, so that she could start talking.

"I can’t tell you." She opened her mouth to show a little black pill lying on her tongue.

Caelestis’ eyes widened on seeing that, he knew what that was, but before he could do anything. Amilia chews the pill by cracking it between her teeth. The pill took effect immediately and she started vomiting out more blood until she lost her life.

Stella fell to her knees on seeing such a horrifying scene. Eleanore rushed to her and covered her eyes, by pulling her into a hug. She hissed in Eleanore’s embrace from fear.

"Take her away." Caelestis ordered the two knights that had handcuffed her.

Minutes later, they were all in Caelestis’ study room. All confused and scared for one person, Stella. When they settled down on the sofa in the middle of the study, they simply stared at each other looking for answers to the questions floating in their mind.

"I think it was Verbena’s doing." Caelestis broke the staring contest between them.

"No, that was way too shabby." Eleanore said, if a person like Verbena wants to kill someone, she should be doing it more tactfully. Moreover, Verbena is too dumb to ever pull this off alone

"What do you mean?" He was confused.

"Well, it felt like the maid wanted to reveal that she had poisoned the tea. She didn’t even wait for the results to arrive. That’s strange." Eleanore knew it, this was a warning.

"What nonsense. She just knew there was no way to escape." He argued.

"No, Elle is right." Stella, who was quiet for most of the conversation, spoke up. "I think this was a warning, not a true attempted murder." She stole Eleanore’s words.

"Someone was warning you, Stel." Eleanore turned to look at her.

"Or you, Elle." Stella also turned to look at her friend sitting next to her.

"No," Caelestis interrupted. "They were warning you. Why would they warn Lady Eleanore?" Both the girls turned to Caelestis. One found his words reliable, while the other just felt disappointed in them.

Eleanore’s mind had started running in its own race through her memories. There was no poisoning attempt in the entirety of the novel. Then how can such an event take place? Is it because of the changes she had made in the book? Whatever the reason, she knew that the story was deviating from its true plot. It is changing. In a destructive direction.

"Stella, who pushed you from the balcony?" Eleanore asked, remembering the incident that took place at the crown prince’s birthday banquet. It could be possible that the same person might have tried to attack her again.

Stella remained silent for a while. She felt nervous under the two pairs of eyes that were fixed on her. She hesitated before speaking. "I— I don’t remember. All I know is that it was a woman and that she was wearing a hot pink ball gown."

Eleanore tried to remember who was wearing the hot pink dress, but couldn’t find any. She hadn’t observed the ball gowns of the guests in the banquet that well and thus had no idea who was wearing that color of dress. "I don’t remember anyone wearing that color." Eleanore said.

Stella nodded in her statement. They turned to Caelestis, who was sitting on the opposite sofa, still thinking about that day. Seconds later he too, shook his head.

"Stella, you must try to remember who pushed you. Otherwise, we will never know who the culprit is." Eleanore concluded. This is the only clue they had, and they must crack it.

Eleanore was still shocked from the tea poisoning incident. She continued to ponder on the whole incident, as Marina made her bed for her.

Suddenly a knock landed on her door. Without waiting for Eleanore’s permission, the door opened up. It revealed Stella standing at the doorstep in her nightgown and a pillow clenched in between both her hands. She looked scared.

Eleanore got out of her couch and walked to her, noticing hesitation in her eyes. She gently placed her hands on her shoulders, feeling the height difference between them. Eleanore realised that she was a little taller than her.

"Stel? What’s wrong?" She asked.

Stella raised her chin to look into Eleanore’s worried eyes. "I am scared." She replies. She bit her bottom lip as she continued. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Eleanore smiled. "Sure." She locked her right hand around Stella’s shoulder and helped her into her room. "I haven’t been able to sleep since last week." Eleanore began.

"Why?" Stella was surprised on hearing that.

"Four months ago, I was attacked in my Mansion. Since then I can’t sleep alone in new places." Eleanore says at the same time realising how strange that sounds.

"Oh my!" Stella turned to look at her then found it a bit odd. "That’s strange! Weren’t you attacked in your mansion? Sinclair Mansion?" She asked.

"Yes, that’s right." They sat on the soft bed.

"But you are scared in a new place?" Stella was confused.

"Yup. I know it’s strange. I find it strange too." Eleanore pulled the blanket, Marina had just set and moved to the other side of the bed.

Stella pulled the other end of the blanket and slept where she was sitting. She turned to her right to face Eleanore once she was comfortable. While, Eleanore was already expecting it and was hence already facing her, wearing a warm smile.

Marina pulled the thin pale pink color curtains around the bed and left the room after blowing off all the torches and candles in the room.

"I am here. So now go to sleep." Eleanore said, holding Stella’s palm.

Stella closed her eyes and quickly slipped into deep sleep. The next morning, Eleanore woke up, completing her sleep for the first time since she had stopped sleeping in Caelestis’ Study. She turned to look at Stella, whose head had clenched onto her arm like a little baby. She was even sleeping like a baby, curled in.

A smile broke on Eleanore’s face for the first time immediately after waking up, otherwise a headache was always ready to greet her.

Just then the transparent blue Window of the system appeared in front of her again with a new notification.

|| Dear Player,

The world of ’All She Desires is Revenge’ is getting dangerous. Since more dangers will approach you in your mission of saving Caelestis Lancaster from his unfair and sad ending, a new update has been provided for your safety. ||

"Danger? Do they mean more dangers will come on Stella?" She whispered and stole a glance of sleeping Stella.

||System: Updating||

A loading icon appeared on the translucent window.

||100%|| Once the update was complete a new notification appeared on the window.

||Update Complete.

Now, you can use coins to buy ’Self Defence’ devices. ||

Eleanore’s eyes glimmered on reading that notification. Self-defence devices. What will she get? Some power? A sword, dagger, or probably a gun? Just like in those action games, she never liked.

"This would be helpful." She said under her breath.

The system started to load something again, until a huge list appeared in front of her, with the number of coins, they cost, written on the left side.

Eleanore’s eyes widened when she saw the items she could buy from the store that the system had provided for her.