Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Roxana wondered why Cassis was acting so strangely about the flowers.

How odd. It’s not like he can tell they’re poisonous... can he?

Since they had only been cultivated within her family’s compound and were not particularly exotic, it was unlikely that he would have seen them before. Besides, Yoan had lopped off the base of the stems from the blooms, which was their most toxic section.

“If you don’t like them, I’ll just take them with me.”

“Just leave them.”

He ordered her with such force that Roxana couldn’t help feeling perplexed. What was even stranger was that Cassis also seemed surprised at the abrupt force in his tone. His expression suggested that he regretted his own brashness.

“You really don’t have to take them.”

“No... I think you’re right about adding something to this empty space.”

He was definitely set on keeping them. Before Roxana could respond, he grabbed the flowers away from her with a stern expression. Roxana peered at him as she wondered what was going on inside Cassis’ head, but it was to no avail. After giving up, she sat down on the corner of his bed.

“Anyway, would you like to come take a look at this?”

Roxana’s question prompted Cassis to turn his frowning gaze away from the bouquet, but in doing so he immediately stopped dead in his tracks.

“What do you think you’re—?!”

He had unwittingly caught Roxana reaching into the opening of her blouse. Unable to ignore the lewd area her hand had disappeared into, he was instead at a loss for words. Meanwhile, Roxana had withdrawn a folded piece of paper. With her head askew, she studied Cassis who still seemed to be at a loss for words.

“I had nowhere else to hide this.”

Feeling rather foolish, Cassis wiped his dry hand over his face, then put an end to his shock-induced silence.

“What is that?”

“It’s a map of the compound.”

A different sort of silence followed Roxana’s revelation. This time Cassis’ eyes were boring into her.

“Why are you staring at me like that? I said I’d help you escape, didn’t I?”

Roxana spoke calmly and ignored the bewildered look on his face.

“Memorize it quickly as I’ll need to burn it before I leave.”

Cassis locked his gaze on the map laid open on his bed. It was surprisingly detailed. Not only the interior, but the structures surrounding the mansion were all outlined.

“I can understand if you’re still suspicious of me, so even though I can’t right at this moment, I’ll find a way for you to verify everything drawn here. I’ll just need some time. After that, you can compare what you see to the map, then decide if I deceived you or not.”

Cassis would have been lying if he’d said he had expected anything like this. Not only was Roxana offering him a map, but even vowing that she wasn’t harboring any hidden agenda. He never once imagined that anyone else would actually help him escape the compound, not even Roxana. It was precisely why he had never bothered to ask her for anything and simply concentrated all his efforts on improving his physical state. The basis of his plan had been to wait until his injuries were pretty much entirely healed, then take his chance at breaking out on his own.

He peeked over at Roxana once again, then returned his gaze to the map.

“Where is this room on the map?”

“Right here.”

It was exactly as she had explained to him before. From this vantage point, the Agrece compound did indeed resemble an enormous maze. He was fairly certain that there had to be some sort of loose opening somewhere within such a gigantic mansion, but as far as the map was concerned, no such passageway had revealed itself to him. Of course, there was still a chance that even this was some sort of setup, but for the time being, harboring any suspicions was meaningless as he couldn’t prove anything one way or the other.

“The shortcut I use goes along this path. It’s a route I don’t think anyone else is aware of. I actually stumbled upon it by accident.”

The path Roxana’s finger had traveled along looked to be within the mansion.

“So it’s a secret path inside the compound?”

“Correct. There is still a small matter that will need to be dealt with... but all in all I think it’s your best option.”

Roxana noticed that Cassis was no longer focused on the map. It was almost as if he had already seen everything he needed to see.

Does he even appreciate how many days I spent working on this?

Although she was slightly annoyed, Roxana took comfort in thinking that it was better that he memorized everything quickly as opposed to taking an eternity to do so. After burning the map over the candlelight as she had promised, Roxana left the room. As soon as she was gone, Cassis began redrawing the map inside his mind. Then his eyes fell on the flowers she had left behind. He frowned ever so slightly.

Although he had no idea what they were called, he had no doubt that they were toxic. However faint it may have been, there was no questioning that the poisonous fumes lingering in the air were coming from them. He had told her to leave them since there was no predicting what sort of effect they would have. The concentration of whatever toxin they produced did seem too low to cause any harm, but he was rather disturbed when she said she received this sort of gift on a regular basis.

“Of all people, one of her father’s men gave it to her?!”

Cassis was pretty sure Roxana didn’t know the name of the flower either.

Could the smell of poison that always seems to be about her have something to do with these flowers?

He hadn’t said anything earlier while she was in his room since he didn’t want her to think he was prying, or in any way concerned... But the fact of the matter was that he was concerned. Still puzzled, he stretched his hand out towards the flowers.

Crackle.

In a flash, the bouquet began to wilt before becoming completely bone-dry. The blooms had succumbed to Cassis’ power. He eyed the dry petals with mild disgust. A closely kept secret among the Pedelians was that some of the descendants were gifted with the ability to purify toxins and heal injuries. It had been thanks to his ability that Cassis was able to detect the low-level toxin in the flowers in the first place.

However, all that Cassis could manage in his current state was an equally low-level detoxification spell. It had also been due to his knowledge that most poisons would not significantly harm him that he had so readily accepted whatever food or medicine Roxana offered him after moving into the room. But the chain around his neck was limiting his ability to produce even stronger remedies for himself. He glared at the dried-up petals that had become strewn about his bed before brushing them onto the floor.

* * *

“So, Roxana, has your toy finally started acting more obedient?”

It had been that sort of day. Roxana had already run into Maria, and within the span of just a few hours had to put up with Lante. Still, she checked her annoyance as best as she could. Lante sat relaxed in his throne-like armchair. He was holding a glass of wine in one hand while supporting his chin with the other.

“Yes. Much better than when we first started.”

Roxana answered while telling herself that she had to adjust to her villainous father’s interests as best she could. For good measure, she smiled sweetly at him.

“I still have quite a lot to teach him though since he’s such lowly trash,” she added insincerely.

“I hear you, but what can you expect from those Pedelian sewer rats?” Lante snorted gleefully at his own dig.

He was a vicious and mean man, but also rather simple-minded. Just going along with him and bashing the enemy Pedelian clan was enough to easily quell any tension.

“But in truth, it wouldn’t have been as much fun if he had been docile from the beginning, Father. It’s so much more rewarding to see how he grovels now.”

The words flowed smoothly from Roxana’s luscious red lips as she infused them with increasingly venomous meaning.

“I appreciate the toy even more because it was a gift from you, Father. Once I fix him up a little more, I think I can really start going to work on him.”

The words continued to tumble out from her lips. Despite being a child with such a beatific, angelic face, at that moment she donned a rather cruel smile. Obviously pleased, Lante grinned as he made a declaration.

“You know something? You actually take after me quite a lot.”