What Fun Scheme Are They Plotting Now?
Restis Ducal Residence, Kael's new room.
The spacious, opulent chamber boasted luxurious furniture and plush carpets, offering comforts that made the dilapidated Northern Annex seem utterly incomparable.
"Young master! I've brought your meal!"
With a lively voice, Ella wheeled in a heavy cart topped with a silver tray, brimming with steaming, colorful dishes.
Kael rose from the sofa and approached the table. Roasted meats, fresh vegetable salads, warm soups, and neatly arranged side dishes— a lavish spread of no less than ten courses, by a quick count.
Strangely enough, every dish mirrored the composition of Korean cuisine that Kael—no, Cheon Woo-jin—had loved back home.
A medieval Western-style fantasy world with a proper banchan culture like this? Utterly absurd, but a brilliant romance-fantasy setup.
Kael smacked his lips, silently thanking the original novel's author for their convenient world-building once more. Thanks to it, the fare suited his tastes far better than anything from the Central Plains.
"Quite appetizing. Well done."
Kael picked up his fork and knife, digging in with pleasure. He savored a tender piece of meat, chewing it alongside vegetables coated in a fragrant sauce.
But then.
Hm?
As he swallowed a few bites, Kael's brow furrowed ever so slightly. The flavor on his tongue was exquisite. Yet the moment the food slid down his throat into his stomach, his acute senses caught a faint, alien dissonance.
Kael carefully set down his knife and called to Ella, who stood behind him.
"Ella."
"Yes, young master! Is it to your taste? Not too salty or bland?"
Ella's eyes sparkled with anticipation, but Kael replied flatly.
"Did you make all these dishes yourself?"
Her shoulders twitched at the question, her face flushing with obvious panic.
"I-I-I-I, I d-d-d-did, y-yes?"
Her voice trembled horribly, her gaze darting everywhere but at him. She was pure-hearted to a fault, hopeless at lying.
Propping his chin on his hand, Kael stared intently and murmured lowly.
"...You expect me to believe that, with all that stuttering?"
Caught out, Ella hung her head, mumbling her confession in a tiny voice.
"T-The truth is, the third-grade head maid helped a lot... with things like how to use the premium herbs and the spice ratios... B-But I handled all the prep, fire control, and roasting! She only checked the final seasoning a bit, I swear!"
"The final seasoning...?"
When he pressed, she admitted fully.
"And the herb ratios too..."
Ella seemed to think he was upset about another maid's touch altering the taste. But Kael's probing had nothing to do with flavor.
"Hmm, I see. So the head maid personally adjusted the seasoning."
"W-Why? Is something wrong with the taste? Should I remake it?"
As Ella wilted, Kael smiled gently.
"No. It's delicious. But I find your cooking suits my palate far better."
Her face bloomed like cherry blossoms.
"R-Really!? Hehe, I thought so too! I was excited about the main estate's head maid, but she did overuse those weird herbs. Even I thought the aroma was a bit much..."
Kael narrowed his eyes at her innocent reply.
"Indeed. But while cooking, did you taste-test these dishes yourself, bit by bit?"
"Of course! I know exactly how you like it seasoned, young master! I adjusted everything as I sampled."
Beaming proudly, she watched as the smile faded from Kael's face.
He tapped the table with his fingers and beckoned.
"Come here and sit in front of me."
"Y-Yes!?"
"Why so startled? I said, sit in front of me."
Blushing furiously, Ella shuffled closer, then— with utmost caution and embarrassment— tried to perch her bottom on his lap.
"...Ella?"
Kael called, baffled. Half-seated on his knee, she clutched her cheeks and squirmed.
"I-It's so embarrassing, young master! It's still bright daylight...! Why my lap all of a sudden...!"
Amused by her misunderstanding, Kael chuckled dryly.
"No... I misspoke. Not on my lap—sit cross-legged on the floor in front of me."
Her face turned tomato-red, and she sprang up like a coiled spring.
"S-Sorry!! I must be crazy! Waaah!!"
"No need. It happens. Catch your breath and sit on the floor properly."
Still fanning her steaming face, Ella obediently crossed her legs before him.
Kael placed his palm lightly on the crown of her head, at the baihui acupoint. He exhaled a thin strand of ashen energy into her body, ever so delicately.
As it swept through her stomach and meridians, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
My senses were right.
The source of that unease he'd felt while chewing. Individually, these lavish dishes were harmless, tasty fare. But once certain herbs and sauces mingled in the stomach...
They triggered a subtle, complex reaction— transforming into a insidious poison that slowly withered the body's qi and blood.
Naturally, Kael knew nothing of this romance-fantasy world's intricate herbal recipes or alchemy secrets. But he was a man who'd spent fifty years at the pinnacle of the martial world, enduring every elixir and lethal toxin firsthand.
His instincts, honed battling poisons, detected the anomaly through the faint ripple in his energy alone.
So that's how they pushed me—or rather, this body's original owner—to the brink of death with some mysterious illness... A truly petty, insidious method.
Yet inwardly, Kael admired the designer's cunning. It was flawlessly effective. Skipping even one dish—or being picky—would prevent the poison from forming. A conditional toxin tailored precisely to his exact tastes and voracious appetite, demanding total confidence he'd devour every scrap.
And right now, the same deadly brew was forming in Ella's stomach too, from her tastings. A vicious trap targeting them both at once.
Kael's lips curled in a predatory smirk.
Such multi-conditional poison craft was advanced even for the Central Plains' Poison Clan or Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.
Interesting. Does this fantasy world surpass the Central Plains in alchemy, herbology, and medicine?
Moreover, it wasn't an instant killer but a slow accumulator, meticulously designed to erode vitality gradually.
The trace amount in Ella would flush out naturally with rest—no need for martial expulsion. But Kael couldn't tolerate even a second of that foul intruder in her.
He drew a wisp of energy from his dantian, gently sweeping her vessels and incinerating the nascent toxin remnants without a trace.
"There. You can open your eyes now."
As he withdrew his hand, Ella blinked drowsily, tilting her head.
"W-What was that, young master? I suddenly feel so warm and light..."
"Just a quick check since you've been training hard lately. No blockages in your qi and blood."
He said nothing of the poison. Simple reason: Ella couldn't lie or mask her emotions to save her life. If she knew, she'd explode at the head maid— tipping off the enemy that he'd noticed.
No need to alert them prematurely.
"I'll finish eating alone now. Go rest, and come clear the plates later."
"Yes, young master! Eat every bite, okay?"
She beamed and left. As the door shut, his gentle smile vanished, replaced by icy resolve.
He eyed the table coldly.
"Let's see just how potent it is."
Without hesitation, he sliced and shoveled the key components into his mouth. Ignorance might fool one, but knowledge rendered it harmless. This fantasy world's herbal trash dissolved into nutrients via his Chaos Qi before even reaching his stomach.
A few peaceful days passed.
Save for the head maid's tampered meals arriving at every service, Kael's life at the main estate appeared utterly serene.
Of course, he polished off every poisoned plate without complaint, likely delighting the kitchen and Silina as the young duke dutifully ingested his daily dose.
In that tranquil interlude, an absurd spectacle unfolded in a secluded corner of the estate.
Oliver, the massive retriever he'd romped with at the annex, had brutally dominated every beast in the ducal grounds— ascending as undisputed king of the animals.
Not just the fiercest warhorses in the stables, but the elite guard dogs and fighting hounds of the estate's sentries all cowered, tails tucked, swearing fealty to his overwhelming might.
"Woof! Woof woof!!"
On a lazy afternoon stroll, as Kael paused on a garden bench, Oliver barked thunderously. He marched in triumph, leading dozens of hulking hounds and mastiffs in perfect formation across the front lawn.
Clamped in the vanguard Oliver's jaws was a massive bone, prize from the guard dogs' leader.
Dropping it at Kael's feet, he wagged furiously, begging praise.
Kael alternated glances between the prostrate pack and their commander, chuckling in disbelief.
"...For me?"
"Woof woof woof!! Pant pant!!"
"Yes, yes— you're the finest of my subordinates, Oliver. Good boy."
A head pat and praise sent the ecstatic Oliver howling skyward.
"Awooooo—!!"
His minions rose as one, scattering like a disciplined army back to their posts.
Kael marveled.
"...I've raised a tiger cub."
Chuckling at Oliver's antics, he stood to leave—
"Y-Young master!!"
Ella dashed in, skirts flying, face flushed.
"What's wrong, Ella? Don't be so sloppy."
Panting, she flailed her hands wildly.
"N-No, it's— the wet nurse! Y-Young master!! The wet nurse!!"
"Hm? What about her?"
Kael asked indifferently. Ella cried out in disbelief.
"The one you used to call for every day... the wet nurse who was banished from the estate! She's just arrived back at the main house!!!"
Wet nurse. An unfamiliar term to the amnesiac Kael.
"Wet nurse? Who's that...?"
He asked genuinely curious. Ella clutched her chest in frustration.
"Aigoo! Young master, why?! It's Marie, who raised you from infancy!! The poor woman Silina madam drove out penniless the day you were sent to the annex!!"
Her frantic explanation narrowed Kael's impassive eyes faintly.
His battle-hardened instincts, tempered by decades amid treacherous crowds, rang alarm bells.
A wet nurse who'd raised him from babyhood, banished years ago. Reappearing now— just as he'd miraculously recovered from near-death, returned to the estate, and locked horns with Silina?
After years without a peep, strolling right into the heart of enemy territory?
Kael's expression twisted into a subtle smile blending intrigue and wariness.
Ho, what's this? What fun scheme are they plotting now?