This woman was trying to win his trust.
Abel saw it crystal clear in his heart.
But he didn’t let it show.
He turned to Prim, his gaze icy cold.
“Your Highness the Princess, it seems reconciliation between us is truly impossible.”
Prim felt as if struck by lightning.
“N-No, that’s not it…”
Her voice trembled.
“Lord Abel, please believe me. I really didn’t want to harm you! I admit I added something, but it wasn’t poison! It absolutely wasn’t poison!”
“Then what was it?”
Ingrid pressed.
Prim was at a loss for words again.
Her tears finally flowed.
This wasn’t an act—she was crying from genuine panic.
She looked at Abel, her water-blue eyes filled with desperate pleading.
“Please… please believe me just this once… I really didn’t want to harm you…”
Abel looked at her.
This proud princess was now crying like a child, looking utterly disheveled.
She truly hadn’t intended to harm him.
But she had definitely tried to scheme against him.
So it wasn’t entirely unfair.
As for Ingrid’s side, he would play along for now and see exactly what she was after!
“Your Highness the Princess,” he said, “I’ll remember what happened today. As for whether or not I believe you… I’ll decide after I’ve thought it over.”
He turned and walked toward the door.
When he passed Ingrid, he paused for a moment.
“Thank you.”
Ingrid’s eyes brightened. “It’s what I should do! You saved my life that day too!”
Abel nodded without another word and left the reception room.
Only Prim and Ingrid remained inside.
Prim raised her head.
Her tear-streaked face was full of fury and resentment.
“It was you…”
She stared at Ingrid.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You tampered with it!”
Ingrid put on an innocent look. “What is Your Highness talking about? I don’t understand.”
“Stop playing dumb!”
Prim rushed forward and grabbed her collar.
“You framed me! You deliberately ruined my chance to reconcile with Abel!”
Ingrid let her grab on, her face still perfectly innocent.
“Your Highness, you’ve misunderstood. I simply happened to see you adding something to the tea and came rushing over out of concern for Lord Abel’s safety. As for why the tea turned into poison… you should know better than I do.”
“You—!”
Prim trembled with rage, her full chest heaving.
Ingrid gently pushed her hand away and straightened her collar.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
She turned and left with light, graceful steps.
Behind her, Prim collapsed weakly to the floor, fresh tears spilling out.
At the far end of the corridor, a figure in a maid uniform leaned against the wall, watching the scene with shoulders shaking from laughter.
“Hee hee… hee hee hee hee…”
Strands of purple-red hair peeked from under the maid cap, and her star-like eyes curved into an exaggerated arc.
“Ingrid little sister performed so well~” she murmured to herself.
“Truly worthy of the little kitten I chose~”
She watched Ingrid’s retreating back, then glanced at Prim slumped helplessly in the reception room.
The smile on her face grew even brighter.
“Her Highness the Princess is truly pitiful~ She only wanted to use a little trick, yet ended up being used as someone else’s pawn~”
“However…”
She tilted her head, a playful glint flashing in her star-like eyes.
“That green-haired little brother doesn’t seem to fully trust Ingrid yet~”
“Interesting~ So interesting~”
She turned, humming a tuneless little song, and disappeared into the depths of the corridor.
***
On the other side, Ingrid returned to her room and closed the door behind her.
She leaned back against the door panel, the corners of her mouth slowly curving upward.
The curve grew larger, more twisted.
Then she laughed out loud.
It wasn’t the gentle smile she showed Aiko, nor the grateful one she showed Abel, but a crazy, suppressed laugh full of malice.
“Hee hee… hee hee hee hee…”
She covered her mouth as her shoulders shook violently.
Tears even came out from laughing so hard.
Halfway to success.
Abel had started to trust her.
That idiot Prim had been completely crushed.
Next, she just needed to keep performing, keep earning merits, keep making him believe she had genuinely repented…
Then, at the most critical moment…
A silver glint flashed through her eyes and vanished.
A knock came at the door.
“Ingrid?” Aiko’s voice. “Are you in there?”
Ingrid quickly composed her expression, wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, and went to open the door.
Aiko stood at the entrance, concern in her azure eyes.
“Are you okay? I heard you went to the reception room and had a conflict with Her Highness the Princess?”
Ingrid revealed a gentle smile.
“I’m fine. I just happened to see Her Highness adding something to the tea and was worried about Lord Abel’s safety, so…”
She paused and lowered her head.
“He saved my life. How could I sit by and do nothing?”
Aiko looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
“Ingrid, this is the you I used to know! These past few days I almost thought you’d become a stranger.”
Ingrid looked up, her honey-golden eyes full of sincerity.
“…Yeah. That day when I witnessed everything being lost, the shock was too big and messed me up completely. I don’t even know how I ended up like that.”
She took Aiko’s hand.
“After you scolded me so harshly, I suddenly woke up to what I had done.”
Aiko looked at her and finally smiled.
“It’s good that you can recognize your mistakes and change, Ingrid. I’m sorry for saying those harsh things…”
“I’ve already forgotten them all.”
The two smiled at each other as if they had returned to the past.
But from an angle Aiko couldn’t see, deep in Ingrid’s eyes a flash of crazy amusement passed by.
The afternoon sunlight bathed the garden of the Marquis mansion.
Abel sat in the gazebo, holding a book, yet he hadn’t turned a single page for a long time.
He was waiting.
Waiting for someone.
Sure enough, before long, light footsteps approached.
“Lord Abel.”
Ingrid appeared outside the gazebo, holding a tray with tea and pastries.
“I noticed you didn’t come for lunch, so…” She lowered her head slightly. “If you don’t mind…”
Abel looked at her.
Her honey-golden eyes were lowered, long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. Sunlight danced on her silver hair, giving it a soft halo.
She really puts on a good act.
“Come in,” he said.
Ingrid’s eyes lit up. She walked into the gazebo and set the tray on the stone table.
“These are fresh pastries from the kitchen, and… tea I brewed myself.” She spoke softly. “I know you might not feel at ease, so…”
She poured herself a cup first and drank it all in one go.
Then she looked at Abel, eyes full of expectation.
Abel picked up the teacup but didn’t drink. He simply held it to his nose and sniffed.
“I believe you,” he said, setting the cup down. “But I’m not thirsty right now.”
Ingrid’s expression dimmed for a brief moment before she smiled again.
“That’s fine. Drink it whenever you want. I’ll leave it here.”
She sat down across from Abel, hands neatly folded in her lap, the picture of obedience.
Abel looked at her and suddenly asked,
“Why do you want to follow me?”
Ingrid was startled for a second, then lowered her head.
“Because… I want to atone.”
“Atone for what?”
“For the things I said before.” Her voice grew quieter.
“All those awful things I said to you. I know I hurt you. Even though you said you don’t mind, I… I can’t forgive myself.”
She raised her head.
Her honey-golden eyes were full of sincerity.
She pressed a hand to her chest and gazed at Abel, her eyes clear and bottomless.
“And I want to truly save people. Not like before, clinging to those hypocritical principles, but like you—genuinely protecting those who need protection.”
Abel stayed silent for a moment.
Then he smiled.
“Good,” he said. “Then show me what you can do.”
Ingrid’s eyes brightened. She nodded vigorously.
“I will! I’ll definitely prove it to you!”
After that, Ingrid took her leave for now.
The moment she turned around, her expression instantly twisted.
First one down—that annoying princess!
Who’s next?