“Miss Flora!”
“Ugh, cough cough cough, cough cough cough!”
Only when Linko shook her sharply did Flora finally pull herself away from those memories she didn’t want to recall.
Within moments, a cold sweat had already broken out on her forehead.
“Are you alright?”
Seeing her grow weak, Linko quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her, while Emia stared dumbfounded at the carriage driver on the ground—whose wound had vanished and showed no signs of poisoning whatsoever.
So this was the reason her sister had made such a huge fuss?
She instinctively swallowed hard.
【If her sister has someone like this in her hands, then inheriting their father’s title won’t be easy at all. Winning over subordinates, expanding influence…】
Before leaving, her father had specifically tasked her with uncovering what exactly her independent sister was scheming, and to meet with Linko to learn what information the maid had gathered.
At first, all she knew was that Moria was focusing her care on a healer named Flora Emerald, and that this young lady was the one set to become nobility.
But she hadn’t expected that healer’s abilities to be so astonishing.
Even though she knew her sister and father never got along, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of crisis now.
After all, inheriting a noble title valued ability over close ties.
With Moria’s methods, if she had even half a dozen cards like Flora, if her sister even had the slightest intention of competing for the title, she would stand no chance.
【This can’t do. Luckily, now that I know Miss Flora’s special ability, I didn’t resort to any underhanded tactics—no need to worry about ruining relations with her.】
Thinking this, Emia felt somewhat puzzled but relieved.
She had indeed planned to orchestrate an accidental encounter with Flora—perhaps stepping on her dress at the ball, spilling wine on her gown, or inviting her for a dance.
There were many ways to do it, but relying on a carriage rear-ending incident to force interaction was definitely not one of them.
There were far too many young nobles attending the ball this time—apparently, even the princess was coming to join the fun.
She didn’t want to mess up her makeup or damage her image.
Even now, though she had gained plenty from the event, the damage to her dress was still giving her a headache.
As she was lost in these thoughts, Flora, having just recovered from that dreadful dizziness, broke free from Linko’s support.
【Was this what you expected, Moria? That the body you created would retain such memories. Or maybe, maybe…】
She couldn’t offer a clear explanation.
Her heart raced.
Humans could never refuse the pull of precious memories, especially someone like Flora who cared deeply about bonds—even if her heart was already filled with scars, she couldn’t help but be stirred by “scenes” from the past.
But hatred was still hatred.
No matter how precious those memories, they couldn’t change the fact that she despised Moria and her schemes.
This kind of trickery could only make her hate them more.
【You deliberately staged that rescue, didn’t you, Moria? Going so far, was it really necessary?】
She treated those memories as a performance.
In doing so, Flora managed to adopt the coldest, most indifferent attitude possible toward her blood relative, Moria.
The memory the carriage driver shared had no flaws—there was no sign of Emia instructing him—but for some unknown reason, he had taken a detour and it was unclear exactly when he’d been poisoned with a cognition-altering toxin.
Flora didn’t need to figure all that out.
As long as she believed nobles were hypocrites, all problems could be easily resolved.
Just Emia’s stunned reaction earlier was proof enough that this person had intended to use the carriage driver’s incident to get close to her.
Since they had that intention, there was no need to treat her as innocent.
At this moment, Flora regained her composure through the straightforward and ruthless thinking of one in power.
Under the watchful eyes of Linko and Emia, each harboring their own agendas, she bowed slightly, wearing the uniquely gentle and hypocritical smile of a noble.
Looking at the now-conscious carriage driver, she spoke softly: “Sir, could you please tell me what happened before you were driving?”
Her tone was very gentle.
Coupled with her stunning beauty and naturally pleasant voice, even the guards who had witnessed her abilities found themselves a little dazed under her influence.
Flora understood that this effect either came with the body she now inhabited or was a wonderful extension of her innate talent.
Although she found her current voice unfamiliar and somewhat unpleasant, after days of training, once she slipped into this state, she could summon it effortlessly with no visible flaws.
How could the carriage driver, who had just been gravely injured, not realize that it was this beautiful noble lady before him who had saved his life?
He had no thoughts of admiring Flora’s beauty—he hurriedly got up and kowtowed, expressing his thanks.
“You saved my life! I… I!”
Only those who have faced death know how awful it feels; those who escape death can truly appreciate how precious life is.
The favor Flora had granted him was beyond what words could repay.
Even with his master standing nearby, the carriage driver didn’t hesitate to spill every detail of his ordeal.
But his answer stunned everyone present.
“The demons!”
“What?”
Emia’s expression changed drastically.
The war between demons and humans had long since ended, and the relationship between the two nations had remained relatively stable—there were even many demons among the adventurer teams.
If this was true, then the situation in Dolen City and the Deran family territory could be seriously problematic.
But she also didn’t believe someone rescued from near death would lie like that.
Flora frowned and reached out to grab the carriage driver, but before she could, his eyes widened.
“It was the demons! They, they… ahhh!”
With that scream, the carriage driver whom Flora had just healed spontaneously combusted on the spot.
The scorching black flames reduced him to a pile of scorched earth in moments.
The smell of burnt flesh made Flora uncomfortable.
Tracing the source of the spell, she glanced toward the rooftops along the street and quickly spotted a tall figure clad in silver robes, face obscured.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Flora was very displeased at seeing someone she just saved killed right before her eyes.
She coldly stared at the figure, while Linko and Emia immediately stepped in front of her.
“Miss Flora, please stop.”
“The carriage driver said something he shouldn’t have. You should be careful with your words, too.”
Their nearly identical phrasing left Flora even more confused.
“You two, hurry to the banquet. Such slanderous nonsense isn’t worth dying over. The Empire and Demon Kingdom have reconciled; scoundrels trying to spread rumors to disrupt our friendly relations deserve no mercy.”
After speaking, the figure vanished.
“Who was that?”
“Don’t ask. She’s someone of the royal family—or rather, the emperor’s personnel. Probably the palace guard who came with her. There are quite a few demons in Dolen City, so speaking like that publicly, true or not, can’t be overlooked.”
Emia, having a rough understanding of Flora’s character, quickly whispered an explanation.
At this point, Flora gave up on pursuing the matter.
She glanced at the burnt corpse on the ground and sighed with a complicated expression.
【Looks like this banquet is getting more and more chaotic.】
This unfortunate incident completely drained her desire to investigate whether Emia had any schemes.
Under the tense protection of the guards, she walked alongside Linko and the second young lady toward the banquet hall.