The bartender was silent for a moment, as if thinking.
Then he shook his head.
“I don’t have that kind of , but from what I know, there might be a witch who does.”
Lina’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Oh?”
There was a trace of interest in her voice.
“Call her to meet me.”
The bartender nodded.
“Your Grace, I will pass the message to her.”
Lina’s brow furrowed, and her voice grew more impatient.
“Tell her to come see me. Can’t you understand?”
The bartender bowed his head and continued wiping the glass in his hand.
His words remained calm, but compared to before, there was an indescribable nuance.
“Your Grace, I am only a messenger. Pressuring me is useless. Moreover, that person’s status is no lower than yours.”
Lina snorted.
Status no lower than hers?!
If it weren’t for the fact that she was now a damned witch, how could that witch possibly compare to her, the daughter of a marquis?
The Witch Council was truly a rabble!
“Then quickly pass the message to her!”
Leaving that, Lina glared at the bartender a few times, then turned and walked toward the depths of the tavern.
The bartender’s gaze lingered on her back for a moment before he withdrew and continued wiping the already clean glass.
He had seen many customers like this before.
In the past, he would have been angry.
Now, aside from speechlessness, he felt nothing else.
Before long, a young girl in a gray coat walked into Lina’s private room.
Her hair was messy, as if it hadn’t been properly brushed in a long time.
Her cat-like vertical pupils glowed faintly in the dim purple light, and a smug smile hung on her face.
The witch Grey Cat.
Lina looked at her and got straight to the point.
“I heard you have that kind of .”
Sitting on the sofa, Grey Cat’s smile grew even brighter.
“Of course!”
Her voice was exceptionally light, even with a hint of triumphant boasting.
“Fair and square!”
With that, she pulled a wax-sealed porcelain bottle from her bosom and shook it in front of Lina.
Lowering her voice, she spoke mysteriously:
“And it’s colorless and odorless. With just a fingernail-sized amount, it can make the target infatuated and lose all consciousness.”
She placed the bottle on the table and slid it toward Lina.
“If you don’t believe me, you can try it first.”
Lina looked at the small bottle, reached out, and weighed it in her hand.
Then, as if thinking of something, her smile grew even more eerie.
“I will.”
She took out a few gold coins and threw them on the table.
Grey Cat accepted the coins, stood up, dusted off non-existent dust from her clothes, and smiled.
“Then, good luck, Your Grace.”
With that, she transformed into a gray cat and leaped out the window of the tavern’s private room.
Lina sat still, her gaze at the bottle growing increasingly dreamy.
—
Before the letters of forced marriage from the Imperial Capital family arrived, Lina found Tia, claiming she had thought it through and invited her to meet at a luxurious tavern outside the manor.
Tia accepted the invitation.
She had originally planned to bring Viola and Lily, but under Lina’s repeated persuasion, she went alone to the tavern.
She had her considerations.
If Lina really tried to harm her, having Viola and Lily present would only hinder her when she fought back.
If they weren’t there, she would make Lina regret it.
Moonlight slanted in through the ornate windows on the second floor of the tavern.
This was a luxurious private tavern, generally not open to the public, only serving special guests.
The interior decoration was understated yet luxurious.
The oil paintings on the walls were genuine, the vases in the corners were antiques, and even the candlesticks on the tables were studded with fine gems.
Only nobles were qualified to enter such a tavern.
When Tia pushed open the door, Lina was already seated by the window.
She was wearing a deep purple gown tonight, with a neckline lower than usual, revealing fair skin and delicate collarbones.
Her golden curls were carefully styled into lazy waves, draped over her shoulders.
She looked at Tia as she entered, her eyes lighting up.
She said gently, “Miss Tia, you’ve come.”
Tia sat down across from her, a smile with a hint of distance on her face.
“Since Miss Lina invites me, I naturally must come.”
“Miss Tia still speaks so politely… but I like it.”
Tia did not respond.
Lina didn’t mind.
She raised her hand and snapped her fingers lightly.
A waiter appeared silently, holding a silver tray on which were two crystal glasses and an already opened bottle of red wine.
The wine was a deep color, gleaming faintly in the candlelight.
The waiter placed the glasses in front of them, poured the wine, and then retreated silently.
Lina picked up her glass, swirled it gently.
The wine spun in the glass, leaving a thin, dark red trace on the sides.
“Miss Tia,” she began, apologizing with some sincerity, “I was wrong the other day. I was too impulsive. What I did to you in the garden was truly… rude.”
She paused and sighed softly.
“So I invited you here today to apologize in person.”
She raised her glass to Tia.
“This glass of wine is my apology. Drink it, and let’s wipe the slate clean of our unpleasantness. Okay?”
Her tone was sincere, as if she had truly invited Tia just to apologize.
But Tia knew very well that this apology was full of falsehood.
When the waiter served the wine and Lina picked up her glass, her gaze had faintly swept over Tia’s glass.
So, without a doubt, she had probably put some kind of drug in the glass.
If Tia drank it, she would be at Lina’s mercy.
After thinking for a moment, Tia lowered her head and looked at the wine in front of her.
The wine gleamed dimly in the candlelight, giving off a rich aroma.
But within that scent, there seemed to be an indescribable trace of something else.
That smell was very, very faint, so faint that it was almost imperceptible, but Tia could detect it.
After all…
[Target: in wine]
She slowly exhaled, and the corners of her mouth lifted.
Then she picked up the glass and said softly, “Since Miss Lina says so… I naturally can’t refuse. This wine is really good. I like it.”
She seemed to have some attachment and affection for the wine.
After saying that, she brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip.
The wine slid down her throat, bringing with it a slight warmth and a deep flavor.
In front of her, Lina watched her drink the wine.
The excitement and greed in her eyes grew larger, finally turning entirely into anticipation!
Besides anticipation, Lina soon felt a bit of nervousness, as well as the thrill and trembling of nearing success.
Her gaze no longer restrained; it roamed freely over Tia’s body, as if she had already won.
She also picked up her glass, took a sip, and when she put it down, her smile became even more brilliant.
“Miss Tia is truly magnanimous. I thought you would be angry with me.”
“Angry?” Tia shook her head. “Miss Lina, you exaggerate.”
Lina smiled and didn’t continue the topic.
She started chatting casually.
She talked about interesting things in the Imperial Capital, the local customs of Hela City, her travel experiences from various places.
Her voice was exceptionally charming, and the stories she told were interesting, as if she was just an ordinary friend trying to clear up misunderstandings and start anew.
Tia listened, occasionally replying, a distant yet proper smile always on her face.
—
Time passed minute by minute.
Lina’s gaze swept over Tia’s face, her eyes, her body from time to time.
She was waiting.
Waiting for the drug to take effect.
She had tested Grey Cat’s drug.
It was colorless and odorless, completely undetectable in wine.
And after drinking, it would take effect within a quarter of an hour.
First, a slight dizziness, then a burning desire, loss of reason, and finally becoming a complete puppet, unable to wake up no matter what was done.
Until the next morning.
And so, Lina waited quietly. Half a quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour, two quarters of an hour…
Tia still sat there, her complexion as usual, her eyes clear.
Lina’s smile stiffened for a moment.
“Miss Tia…” she began, with a barely noticeable hint of probing, “How do you feel?”
“Feel? Pretty good. Why?”
Tia tilted her head, innocent as a blank sheet of paper, seeming to not understand what Lina was saying.
Lina’s smile stiffened again.
“N-nothing… I was just worried you might be uncomfortable from the wine.”
Tia smiled.
“Miss Lina, you worry too much. I don’t like drinking much, but a little wine is fine.”
Three quarters of an hour passed.
Tia still looked the same.
Lina began to grow restless.
Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of her glass, and her posture betrayed a certain unease.
With a hint of urgency, she asked again, “Miss Tia… are you really okay?”
Tia seemed to read her thoughts.
She frowned slightly, tilted her head in confusion, and said, “What’s wrong? Miss Lina, you seem… to want something to happen to me?”
Lina gave a dry laugh.
“Miss Tia jokes. How could I want something to happen to you?”
Then the surrounding atmosphere fell into dead silence.
The eyes of the daughter of a count, usually a clear blue, were now unusually calm.
Lina felt a chill run down her spine as Tia looked at her, and she had to say something to break the eerie silence.
“Miss Tia…”
But Tia interrupted her.
Before Lina could be surprised, Tia said, “Miss Lina, have you finished your glass of wine?”
Lina was startled.
She looked down at the wine in front of her.
She had only taken one sip.
“Uh, I’ll drink it now.”
With some panic, Lina picked up her glass and gulped it down.
And Tia, the considerate daughter of a count, naturally saw that Lina was distracted, so she proposed to leave.
“I have things to do, so I’ll go now. Tonight’s wine was very good. Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Lina.”
Lina initially wanted to stop her, but then thought, even if she kept her, what could she do?
The drug hadn’t taken effect; Tia remained clear-headed.
In this state, any action against her would likely invite resistance and end up being a case of losing the bait.
So her hand that reached out to stop Tia froze in midair.
The tavern door closed softly in front of her.
Soon, only Lina was left in the tavern.
She slumped in the chair, staring at the glass Tia had drunk from, still on the table.
A flame of betrayal inexplicably surged in her heart.
“How is this possible…”
She muttered, her voice trembling.
“How could it not work? Certainly, someone must have tampered with it!”
The maid Xiao Ai couldn’t have tampered with it; she had no knowledge of the entire affair.
So besides her, the only one who could have tampered was the witch Grey Cat.
—
—
—
Witch Council stronghold, second floor of the tavern.
Under dim yellow light, Grey Cat was sitting on a sofa, legs crossed, playing with a few gold coins.
Beneath her gray coat, her cat-like vertical pupils glowed in the light.
The door was pushed open violently.
Lina stood at the entrance, moonlight streaming in from behind her, casting a long shadow.
Her face was ashen, and her eyes burned with uncontrollable anger.
“Grey Cat!”
Her voice was sharp, with gnashing rage.
“Explain yourself!”
Grey Cat blinked, then slowly straightened up, her smile becoming even more infuriating.
“Oh, isn’t this Miss Lust Demon? What wind blows you here? Why such a sour face?”
Lina strode into the room, her high heels thudding dully on the floor.
She stopped in front of Grey Cat, looking down at her, her chest heaving violently.
“How dare you ask?! The bottle of medicine you gave me, was it fake?”
Grey Cat raised an eyebrow, spread her hands, and replied innocently, “Fake? Impossible. That was top-grade stuff I got myself.”
She stood up, facing Lina.
“Colorless and odorless, powerful effects. Even an Inquisitor wouldn’t detect it! Besides, didn’t you test it? How can you think I sold you a fake?”
Lina’s face turned even more livid.
“Then how do you explain her having no reaction after drinking it?!”
Grey Cat’s expression paused slightly.
“She? Who?”
Lina took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
“Who else? Earl Harris’s daughter, Tia!”
Grey Cat’s pupils suddenly contracted.
“You said… who?”
Her expression made Lina feel a bit strange.
The anger that had been flaring for an indictment cooled slightly.
She replied, “Tia! The daughter of Count Harris! I drugged her, and she sat there chatting with me for half an hour as if nothing happened!”
Grey Cat stood still, not moving, as if thinking.
Soon, she burst out laughing.
Lina’s brow furrowed even tighter.
“What are you laughing at?! What’s so funny?!”
Lina stood there, her face cycling through blue, white, then red.
She was thoroughly embarrassed and irritated.
Grey Cat straightened up, raised a hand, and wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.
She became a bit more serious.
“Miss Lust Demon, do you know exactly who you’re dealing with?”