1
A week had passed since the envoy arrived in Thorsburg with the decree of His Majesty the King.
During this week, Ivan led a leisurely life with nothing much to do. Everything around remained unchanged. The only difference was that among the guards surrounding the place, there were the Royal Knights brought by Count Robert.
Count Robert claimed that it was to more effectively protect the safety of the heir to the lordship. However, anyone could clearly see that the young lord was actually completely isolated from the outside world by this envoy.
Without the order of this envoy, no one was allowed to approach the villa.
Because of this, Count Fernan had a quarrel with the envoy.
Since Ivan had promised that until His Majesty the King revoked the order, Count Robert would temporarily act as the guardian. Whenever Count Fernan had something to report to the young lord, he was always blocked by Count Robert.
No one disturbing him was not necessarily a bad thing for Ivan. At least it allowed him to concentrate on his magic research.
Most of the time, Ivan spent in the laboratory. The laboratory was next to the study. It used to be a room for storing sundries.
Since Count Robert sent someone to sneak into the laboratory, Ivan moved the laboratory here.
Naturally, Miss Medin the Elder would never stay with these creatures that she considered hairy, with membranous wings or more than four legs and were terrifying in her eyes.
Long before the laboratory was moved in, the old lady had moved to the mansion in Thorsburg city. She took two maids with her and left the other four maids to Miss Betty.
Since Miss Medin the Elder did not live in the villa, Miss Betty of course would not restrict Ivan's actions. Therefore, except for the room where Miss Medin the Elder originally lived, every place in the whole villa was completely open to Ivan.
Among these rooms, Ivan liked the study the most.
Usually, when he was not conducting magic experiments during the day, Ivan spent his time in the study. This was the first time in his life that he had his own study, and the joy in his heart was self-evident.
Like today, Ivan was sitting in the chair in front of the window of the study.
There were five or six famous paintings hanging on the four walls of the study, mainly depicting pastoral scenery. Miss Betty said that was the preference of the old Earl Medin.
The main color of the study was dark red. The floor was dark red, the walls were dark red, and the two rows of bookshelves were also dark red. Only the ceiling was painted bright yellow. There was a lamp hanging above. The gilded lamp tray could gather the light together. It was indeed a rather elaborate design.
To prevent the sunlight from directly shining on these precious books, the study was rather dim. There was only one window near the door. The chair and the desk placed in front of the window were the only furnishings here.
Apparently, if one didn't want to stand while reading, only one person could stay in this study.
Just when Ivan was reading with great interest, suddenly the door of the study opened. Although Ivan didn't turn around, he already knew that it was Miss Susanna who came in.
Miss Betty would always knock on the door before entering and only open the door after getting a response. And those maids would never approach the third floor. Apparently, Miss Medin the Elder's fear of insects had also affected them.
Since he made a solemn pledge to Miss Susanna, Miss Susanna had become a special existence in his life. Maybe it was because the childhood memory was so deeply engraved in his mind that Ivan still found it a bit hard to accept Miss Susanna's identity as a prostitute. Sometimes he even wanted to deliberately forget this fact.
When Miss Susanna knew about this, she always laughed at him, saying that he had never grown up and was still a child, not understanding that there were always regrets in life. Instead of being sad about those regrets, it was better to focus more on the most beautiful aspects.
Miss Susanna even deliberately made Ivan understand that the pure saint deeply imprinted in his young heart when he was a child had become a woman indulging in the pleasures of love.
After Ivan knew about her past, Miss Susanna did not change her usual sarcasm. However, compared with before, her sarcasm had become much milder and less hurtful. Instead, it gave people a warm feeling.
What was the same as before was that Miss Susanna was still so enthusiastic and enjoyed wild passion. The physical torture that Ivan had once inflicted on her did not seem to make her afraid of the pleasures of love.
In short, Miss Susanna was still the same Miss Susanna.
Ivan knew very well that it was he himself who had changed.
Of course, there were times when Ivan did not want Miss Susanna to disturb him, especially when he was reading.
Ivan knew very well that Miss Susanna did not like reading. Although Miss Susanna was probably the most learned woman he had ever met.
Ivan could not compliment Miss Susanna's understanding of knowledge. In Miss Susanna's view, her knowledge was just a capital to attract men and a part of her unique charm. And Ivan actually wanted to ask Miss Susanna to be his teacher in learning.
Because only Audrey could surpass her in this regard. But when it came to being versatile, Audrey could not compare.
However, Miss Susanna did not care much about all of this. The only thing she needed was for Ivan to be by her side. It seemed that only in this way would she not feel lonely. Although Ivan did not mind Miss Susanna staying with him, Miss Susanna was obviously not a woman who liked peace and quiet.
She always tried to talk and chat with Ivan. Although she had tried her best to restrain herself, she could never sit calmly beside Ivan without making a sound, like Miss Betty.
This lady had no interest in the whole study full of books.
Although Miss Susanna always caused trouble for him whenever she walked into the study, Ivan just couldn't get angry with her. On the one hand, it was because Miss Susanna held a special significance for him. More importantly, he had always felt guilty about having hurt Miss Susanna in the past.
Ivan believed that no matter how much he doted on Miss Susanna, it would never be enough to make up for the pain he had once brought her, let alone repay her kindness back then.
Knowing that Miss Susanna had entered the study, Ivan reluctantly closed the book. He had already planned to chat with Miss Susanna for a while first to soothe her lonely heart, and then go to the laboratory to conduct magic experiments. That was the only way to get Miss Susanna to leave his side temporarily.
Miss Susanna wasn't afraid of insects. In this regard, she was completely different from Miss Medin the Elder and the maids. However, having suffered from the hallucinogenic powder before, Miss Susanna definitely didn't have much fondness for magic.
"How about having a cup of tea?" Miss Susanna said with a smile. In her hand, she was holding a large silver tray, on which were placed an exquisitely crafted teapot and teacups.
They were masterpieces of the wonderful craftsmanship from the East. The porcelain, as white as jade, had unique foreign pictures outlined with blue lines and colored paintings on its surface. The beautiful plants that he had never seen before and the butterflies dancing gracefully seemed almost alive. The shiny glaze reflected charming colors that glass didn't possess.
A rich fragrance unique to tea leaves wafted from the teapot.
Ivan shook his head helplessly. Miss Susanna was good in every way except that she was a bit extravagant. For a precious drink like tea, even Mr. Hyde was reluctant to drink it casually. However, Miss Susanna didn't seem to care much about the high price of this drink. She seemed to regard tea leaves as an ordinary beverage.
Nevertheless, Ivan had to admire Miss Susanna's skill. Many people considered tea drinking to be a highly elegant art, and Miss Susanna was undoubtedly a master of this art.
Taking the teacup from Miss Susanna's hand, Ivan held it up to his nose and savored the rich fragrance of the tea leaves carefully. It was warm, smooth, and had a faint, barely noticeable almond flavor.
The almond flavor?
Ivan suddenly became alert.
The experience of staying with Herbert was definitely something he didn't want to look back on for Ivan. However, the skills he learned from the king of assassins were enough to make him proud.
Among the skills that Herbert taught him, besides escaping, fighting, and moving in the dark, identifying various poisons was the most difficult and profound course.
Moreover, Herbert wasn't a good teacher. The way he taught Ivan often left Ivan with unforgettable and painful memories, and these memories deepened Ivan's memory of these drugs.
There was a kind of poison that had a faint almond flavor. Ivan's face became solemn.
He put his nose close to the mouth of the teacup again and carefully identified it.
"Did you put almonds in the tea?" Ivan asked seriously.
"Almonds?" Obviously, Susanna had already noticed that Ivan's expression was unusual. She said cautiously, "I never put almonds in the tea."
Ivan gently placed the teacup on the desk and then stood up. "Miss Susanna, you'd better take me to see the things you used to prepare these drinks. Maybe I'll also have to go to the kitchen and check all the food."
With that, Ivan walked towards the door of the study. Miss Susanna quickly followed closely behind him.
With her intelligence, Miss Susanna could surely guess what Ivan had found in the tea.
For those trained by Herbert, identifying poisons had almost become their instinct.
Miss Susanna accompanied Ivan as they walked downstairs. Ivan's pace was so fast that Miss Susanna even felt a bit unable to keep up. She was well aware of what Ivan was worried about.
Coming down from the third floor, there was no one in the living room on the second floor. Ivan went straight to the living room on the ground floor.
In the living room, Miss Betty was holding a book in her hand and reading leisurely. Beside her was a cup of tea. Apparently, Miss Susanna had also prepared one for her.
To Ivan's worry, the tea had obviously been drunk.
Ivan rushed forward a few steps, picked up the cup of tea, and also held it up to his nose to smell it. Just like his cup, there was also an almond flavor in the tea.
Seeing Ivan's strange behavior, Miss Betty obviously guessed that something had happened.
For an instant, she froze.
"I have to make sure, I must confirm it carefully. I hope it's not that stuff," Ivan muttered to himself.
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he turned to Miss Susanna and said, "Please go to the kitchen and bring a glass of milk, a big glass of milk, and two eggs, raw eggs."
Miss Susanna rushed out of the room without a moment's delay.
"Is there poison in the tea?" Miss Betty asked softly.
"No, I'm not sure," Ivan said. "Maybe it's just a false alarm."
"If it's really poison, what should I do? I... I won't be able to become your wife, and our children won't be born into this world." Saying this, Miss Betty suddenly buried her head in Ivan's arms and began to cry.
Ivan had never seen Miss Betty cry before. In his impression, Miss Betty always showed a unique kind of strength and composure. Ivan had never seen her look flustered or scared. Even when she guessed that she might have been poisoned just now, she had only remained calm.
All of this had made Ivan think that Miss Betty was the most extraordinary woman he had ever met. Apparently, it was just his misunderstanding.
Seeing Miss Betty crying like this, Ivan finally understood that Miss Betty was always a woman after all, a woman who could be afraid, who could feel fear, and who would cry. Miss Betty also had her vulnerable side.
Ivan comforted her softly, "Don't worry. You won't die. I won't let you die. Fortunately, the toxicity of this poison is not very strong, nor is it violent. Obviously, someone wanted to poison everyone in this villa, so they used this kind of poison."
Miss Betty was somewhat skeptical after hearing Ivan's consolation. She didn't know whether what Ivan said was the truth or just words of comfort.
"I'm definitely not lying to you. This poison affects the stomach and intestines, but its effect is slow. Generally, it takes a day after being poisoned to have any discomfort, and death occurs two or three days later due to stomach and intestinal ulcers. It's precisely because of this characteristic that this poison is often used. It seems that Count Robert thought that since he had locked us in the villa, this poison was the most suitable. Because when someone starts to feel unwell, it can be certain that everyone has already been poisoned."
"However, precisely because this poison is not that powerful, it's not too difficult to save people. Milk and eggs. It would be even better if there was mung bean soup. Drink some peanut oil in the evening to expel the toxins, and then everything will be fine. You'll probably have diarrhea because of it, which might make you feel a bit embarrassed, but your life will definitely be safe. Don't worry," Ivan said with a smile, and his smile was clearly not just for comfort.
Miss Betty blushed, but she did feel more at ease in her heart.
Just at that moment, Miss Susanna walked into the living room with a full glass of milk in her hand. Behind her were three maids. One of the maids was holding a bowl with five eggs in it.
Ivan took the milk from Miss Susanna's hand and was about to feed it to Miss Betty when suddenly, he thought of something.
He put the milk down and quickly ran back to his bedroom.
When he reappeared in the living room again, he was holding several medicine bottles and two or three peculiarly shaped tools in his hands.
Ivan used these tools for detecting poison, which were given to him by Herbert, to test the glass of milk again and again. Suddenly, his brows furrowed tightly.
Another kind of poison with mild toxicity had been added to the milk.
Ivan secretly sighed with relief that it was a close call. Fortunately, Herbert had once told him that skillful poisoners were good at using slow-acting poisons that could kill people unknowingly, and one of the common tricks was to plant different poisons in different foods.
Ivan was glad that he had suddenly remembered the knowledge taught by Herbert.
Otherwise, with the medicine he had on hand, it would be absolutely impossible to save Miss Betty who had been poisoned by two kinds of poisons at the same time.
The poison in the milk was more violent and harder to detoxify than the first kind of poison. Obviously, this was the real deadly move.
"Has anyone drunk the milk?" Ivan asked.
"Lianna drank it. She won't be in trouble, will she?" A maid said hurriedly.
"How is she now?" Ivan asked.
"She might be poisoned. She just said she didn't feel well, so she went back to her room to rest. Master Ivan, please save her," the maid pleaded. The other maids also joined in with pitiful pleas.
"How long has it been since she drank it?" Ivan asked.
"I'm not sure. It might have been an hour or two. The milk was just delivered this morning. By the way, all of us might have been poisoned already. The muffins for breakfast were baked with the newly delivered milk," the maid said with a sad face.
"Don't worry. That poison is afraid of high temperatures. Once heated above sixty degrees Celsius, this poison becomes harmless. The high temperature during baking is enough to ensure that all of you are safe. However, it's better to throw away those muffins," Ivan said.
"Can Lianna be saved?" Another maid asked with concern.
"Go and prepare some peanut oil, about as much as five cups like this." Ivan gestured as he said, "Whether Lianna can drink it or not, even if you have to force it down her throat, make sure she drinks all this peanut oil. For Lianna, tonight might be a rather dangerous period. Whether she can survive depends on tonight. You should have someone specifically watching over her. If she vomits or has diarrhea, that would be the best sign. Feed her a small cup of peanut oil every two hours. And two others should quickly go and boil mung bean soup. It would be best to grind all the mung beans. If there's licorice, put some in. The more mung bean soup, the better. Maybe others will need it too."
Hearing Ivan's instructions, the maids quickly ran out of the living room. They already knew what to do.
Ivan took all the eggs, cracked them into a bowl, and then fed the sticky, gelatinous liquid to Miss Betty.
Miss Betty didn't dislike the taste of raw eggs too much, but eating five raw eggs in a row would make anyone feel a bit uncomfortable. So later on, Miss Betty was already frowning and having a hard time swallowing.
"Will this be okay then?" Miss Susanna asked.
"There shouldn't be too big of a problem. However, the effect of eggs is much slower than that of milk. It's a pity that this milk can't be used," Ivan said.
"Will there be any danger?" Miss Susanna asked. In fact, she was asking on behalf of Miss Betty.
"There won't be too much danger, especially after tonight. If there's no discomfort, it means the toxicity has been removed. Fortunately, Miss Betty only took a small sip," Ivan said.
"By the way, could you please take care of Miss Betty for me? I need to check the kitchen and other places. At least I have to find out what else has been poisoned," Ivan suddenly remembered this important matter.
"Go quickly. If we don't find those things, I'll always feel uneasy," Miss Susanna said. "I'll take care of things here. Don't worry."
Hearing what Miss Susanna said, Ivan hurriedly picked up the tools given to him by Herbert and walked towards the kitchen. He had to thoroughly check that place.
In the kitchen, a maid was boiling mung bean soup. Seeing Ivan come in, she stepped aside respectfully.
"Do you remember what things were delivered this morning? I think the only things that could have been poisoned are probably these," Ivan asked.
The maid immediately became nervous. She pointed here and there and said, "There were so many things delivered this morning. Those vegetables, three kilograms of beef, one kilogram of mutton, some minced meat, and that damn milk."
Ivan followed the maid's directions, checking the food while asking, "Was there anything different about the person who delivered the things today compared to usual?"
"Well, I'm not sure. I'm in charge of cleaning the living room and the study. The kitchen has always been Lianna's responsibility. I just help out when cooking. Lianna is the cook," the maid said nervously.
Ivan checked all the food once, but apart from the milk, he didn't find the presence of other poisons.
Just to be on the safe side, he started to check the mung bean soup that was boiling.
As soon as he lifted the lid of the pot, Ivan immediately smelled a very obvious almond flavor. Obviously, the mung bean soup had been poisoned.
Few foods were simpler than mung bean soup. Besides mung beans, the only ingredient was water.
Ivan was absolutely certain that Miss Susanna definitely didn't put mung beans in the tea she made. So the poisoned thing must be the water.
"Where does the water for drinking in the villa come from?" Ivan asked seriously.
When Ivan asked this question, his intention was quite obvious because he had already started to test a basin of clear water placed nearby.
The maid obviously guessed what Ivan meant. Her face turned pale all of a sudden.
"The water... is diverted from the clear spring in the forest..." The maid said in a trembling voice.
"That far?" Ivan was surprised. Although this project wasn't huge, it seemed a bit unnecessary just for one villa.
"You'd better prepare a few more eggs. Are there any left in the villa?" Ivan ordered. "Go and ask who has drunk water, the clear water that was just filled this morning. At least I know the water was clean last night."
The maid rushed out of the kitchen in a hurry. It seemed that this was going to be a rather busy morning.
Ivan looked at the mung bean soup boiling in the pot, thinking about what to do with these things.
After thinking it over, he finally decided to pour it out.
Ivan walked up to the stove. It had been several months since he last went into the kitchen. However, he wasn't the kind of noble young master who couldn't do anything at all.
Ivan cleaned the pot, filled it with water, and put it on the fire to boil. Anyway, clean water was always needed.
After sprinkling a little salt and adding a few drops of vinegar into the pot, Ivan could only stand aside and wait for the water to boil.
He wasn't sure if he could completely remove the toxins in the water. This was a method taught to him by Herbert. However, going to the lake outside to fetch water wasn't a good idea either. It would be like telling Count Robert that they had already discovered that someone was poisoning in the villa.
Now there were a lot of poisoned women who needed to be taken care of here. It wouldn't be a good thing to alert that ruthless Count Robert at this time.