If someone came snooping:


    sing around, it had to be Sophie''s people.


    If no one showed up, that was probably the helper Gabriel hired from outside.


    Judging byst night, they seemed to be there just to guard Sophie,


    Eliza narrowed her eyes slightly and told Tina to stay sharp.


    She''d also hidden a few things near Saint Grace Nunnery, just in case.


    Maybe Eliza was only overthinking


    1. it. D


    ''Could Gabriel have brought in som


    Days passed, and the Duke''s estate remained as quiet as ever, with no signs of activity,


    someone to help? thought Eliza.


    Whether it was a helper or not, Anthony''s condition suddenly worsened the day after Tina visited the Duke''s estate.


    Moreover, every doctor, including the royal physicians, examined Anthony and admitted defeat this time. Some even suggested Gabriel start preparing for Anthony''s funeral.


    Yet, strangely, no news came from the Duke''s estate in the days that followed.


    Meanwhile, rumors outside were spreading like wildfire.


    Some imed Anthony, the Duke''s fourth son, must have passed away.


    Others spected he was still alive.


    After all, why else would the Duke''s estate remain so silent?


    Even the mark at the gate, which should have been reced with white for mourning, stayed unchanged


    "Looks like someone managed to save him," Nn murmured.


    Eliza was doing standing exercises today. Her petite frame stayed perfectly steady, not a hint of a wobble.


    She cast a curious nce at Nn.


    Nn, noticing her look, asked knowingly, "What''s on your mind?"


    "Prince Nn," Eliza said with a yful yet probing tone, ''with all yourconnections, have you heard anything interesting?"


    Nn raised an eyebrow, ying along. Like what?"


    Like... Who saved Anthony?"


    Eliza was genuinely curious. Who could have neutralized the venom of her spider?


    To be honest, she never expected Anthony to die. But the eerie calm at the Duke''s estate? That was something she hadn''t anticipated.


    After all, her spider''s venom was designed to torment Anthony. It would leave him in unbearable agony even if it didn''t kill him. Naturally, Gabriel and the others should have been in chaos trying to save Anthony.


    However, the current situation was far from what she had imagined.


    So Eliza concluded that someone must have found a way to cure Anthony of the poison.


    "Sure, someone saved Anthony But calling it a rescue? That''s debatable, Nn spoke slowly, his tone calm butyered with meaning


    Eliza raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. "Oh? What do you mean by that?” "The person who saved Anthony was none other than Sophile. She realized Anthony had been severely poisoned and brought out a pill.. She told Gabriel it was something her mother had concocted before her death. But here''s the catch it was poison. She suggested they try fighting poison with poison since there was no other way to save him. If it worked Anthony would survive."


    "And if it didn''t? Well, he''d die anyway, no differem from before. So my dear father went along with it, didn''t he?" Eliza cut in her voiceEced with a


    Before Nn could finish his words, Eliza had pieced together the rest of the story.


    "Exactly. It worked, as you can see."


    Eliza let out a sigh, shaking her head. "What a shame.


    Dying is fine, but making Anthony live a life worse than death? Now that''s even better. But how did the poison get neutralized?'' thought


    Eliza


    Eliza was unhappy.


    Nn noticed her mood and chuckled, "Don''t rush. I haven''t finished telling you the ending yet.


    "Oh? What else is there?" asked Eliza, shifting her gaze toward Nn without moving.


    Nn said. "You wanted Anthony to live in misery, didn''t you?"


    Eliza almost nodded but quickly said, "Yes."


    "Well, it seems your wish has


    Come true.


    Nn grinned and said. "Although the poison in Anthony''s body has been cured, the method of treating poison with poison still left him with a few aftereffects. Now,


    his legs arepletely disabled, and I''m afraid he will never be able to stand again."


    Eliza''s eyes widened in surprise.


    poison Sophie used be the same one Gilbert and his men


    A momentter, something clicked in her mind. "Wait a second. Could the po had?"


    Eliza knew exactly what kind of poison she''d used on the spider. Even if there were side effects, it should have affected the brain.


    However, Anthony''s legs were the ones damaged.


    It indicated that the poison causing such aftereffects must have been the prison Sophie had.


    Eliza recalled the ingredients she had previously noticed in the antidote Sophie carried. They all targeted the nerves, making it highly likely that it was that poison.


    Although Nn was unaware of the antidote''s specifics, Eliza''s increasingly determined look indicated she had figured it out.


    "Well! Anthony will probably wake up and worship Sophie like she''s his savior, won''t he?"


    It was too bad that Nn didn''t realize it was likely the opportunity Sophie had been waiting for all along, a perfect chance to tighten her grip on Anthony.