Chapter 1: A Conviction She Could Not Recall, Why Was Lydia Confined?
About ten years before the prologue.
Inside the Pharmaceutical Research Institute within the royal palace, in a large laboratory lined with books and experimental equipment.
Lydia, wearing a white lab coat, was completely absorbed in compounding medicine.
She placed several kinds of medicinal herbs into a large iron pot, added magical power, and mixed them until they became a liquid.
When the medicine was finished, she called out to the middle-aged elf man in the room.
“Chief Pharmacist, it’s ready. Please.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
At the middle-aged elf’s signal, the younger elves carried the pot Lydia had prepared to another worktable and began pouring the medicine into bottles one after another.
Lydia asked the Chief Pharmacist a question.
“What should I make next?”
“It will be His Majesty the King’s medicine. After that, medicine for the fields to prepare for planting, and insect repellent to protect the new sprouts.”
“I understand.”
Without any time to rest, Lydia immediately began compounding medicine again.
The Chief Pharmacist spoke with admiration.
“You really do have impressive stamina for magical power.”
“Yes, having a lot of magical power is my only redeeming quality.”
After continuing to compound medicine single-mindedly for several hours, the day’s work was finally finished.
“Haa… I’m tired…”
Lydia sighed and rolled her shoulders.
She was confident in her amount of magical power, but compounding medicine nonstop since morning was exhausting even for her.
‘I’d like to rest properly once in a while…’
As she stood there absentmindedly thinking that,
Knock knock knock.
With the sound of knocking, a maid entered the laboratory.
She bowed when she saw Lydia.
“His Majesty the King is calling for you. He would like you to come to the audience chamber.”
“The audience chamber?”
Lydia blinked in surprise.
Lately, Lydia had been far too busy to see her father, the King.
She had been thinking it was about time to visit him, but she never expected to be summoned to an audience.
‘Did something happen?’
Tilting her head in confusion, she headed for the audience chamber, where several of the kingdom’s senior figures were already waiting.
As soon as she entered, she was told to kneel before the King.
‘What on earth is this?’
Still puzzled, Lydia knelt before the King, and he asked in a heavy voice.
“…Lydia, is it true that you have been poisoning me?”
“…What?”
Lydia looked up at her father, the King, with a blank expression.
“Um… poison…?”
“There have been reports that my recent poor health is due to the medicine you prepared. They say it contained a slow-acting poison.”
Lydia gazed up at the King, who asked with a clouded expression, her eyes filled with confusion.
“…I am terribly sorry, but I truly have no idea what you are talking about.”
The Chancellor, who was standing beside the King, opened his mouth with a stern expression.
“Lady Lydia, it is regrettable, but we have multiple pieces of evidence. Attempting to harm His Majesty the King, your own father, is a crime deserving the harshest punishment!”
At the Chancellor’s words, a murmur spread through the audience chamber.
“Is it true?”
“If the Chancellor is saying this much, doesn’t that mean it’s true?”
“I thought she was devoted to him, but to think she was plotting something like that.”
Such voices could be heard.
Lydia was bewildered.
It was true that she prepared the medicine for her father, the King.
However, she had absolutely no memory of adding poison, and she always took great care to ensure her beloved father remained healthy and lived a long life, even conducting research for that purpose.
‘There must be some kind of mistake.’
She was about to open her mouth to insist that she had done no such thing.
But at that moment—
“Father!”
“Your Majesty!”
Suddenly, a man and a woman burst out from the side—her younger sister Veronica, and Gilbard, the Chancellor’s son and also her fiancé.
They knelt on either side of Lydia as if to protect her, and bowed their heads toward the King.
“Father! My sister has devoted herself to the country until now! Please, we beg you for a lenient judgment!”
“I humbly ask the same, Your Majesty!”
Seeing the two of them desperately bowing, Lydia blinked in surprise.
‘Lenient judgment or not, I haven’t done anything…’
She tried to speak, but Veronica whispered to her in a low voice,
“Leave this to us first!”
And Lydia closed her mouth.
Seeing the earnest looks on their faces, the King narrowed his eyes as if thinking.
He fell silent, deep in thought.
Veronica looked up at the King with a sincere expression.
“Father. How about leaving my sister’s disposition to us?”
“…To you?”
“Yes. We will never do anything that would betray your trust.”
“As Lydia’s fiancé, I would also like you to entrust this to us.”
Gilbard bowed his head with a serious expression.
After a brief silence, the King nodded.
“…Very well. I will leave it to you. However, do not ever betray my trust.”
“Thank you very much! We will not fail you!”
Veronica and Gilbard bowed deeply.
Following the two beside her, Lydia also lowered her head, tilting it in confusion.
‘I feel like if we just talked properly and investigated this so-called poison, it would quickly become clear that it’s a mistake.’
She thought that, but since the two of them were saying this, she felt there must be some meaning behind it.
Her younger sister Veronica and Gilbard were both very clever.
Unlike herself, whose only strengths were her large amount of magical power and pharmaceutical skills, they were intelligent and always thinking several steps ahead.
Surely, this time as well, they must have a plan.
Leaving the three of them bowing deeply, the King departed from the audience chamber.
After seeing him off, the three moved to a separate, soundproofed and luxurious reception room.
Sitting on the sofa, Veronica took Lydia’s hand with a pained expression.
“My poor sister, Father was terribly cruel.”
“That’s right. What in the world has His Majesty come to?”
Gilbard also wore an indignant expression.
Lydia tilted her head.
“But still, how did it turn into a story about me poisoning him? I don’t even know anything about poison.”
“Yes, I know. My sister would never do such a thing.”
At Veronica’s words, Gilbard nodded deeply and said, “Exactly.”
Lydia spoke while thinking.
“I want to talk properly with Father. I think if we talk, he’ll understand.”
Veronica quietly shook her head.
“I think it would be better not to do that right now.”
“Why?”
“Father looked rather agitated. It didn’t seem like he was in a state where he would calmly listen.”
Lydia lowered her gaze.
Indeed, she thought, he had an expression she rarely saw.
Veronica took the hand of the downcast Lydia.
“Sister, would you consider hiding for a while?”
“Hiding?”
“Yes. If nothing changes even when you’re gone, I think Father will realize that you didn’t poison him. And once that happens, I’m sure he’ll calm down and listen to you.”
Lydia nodded in understanding.
If she stayed away and his condition didn’t change, the accusation that she poisoned him would disappear.
“…All right.”
Lydia nodded lightly.
She thought that surely things would settle down in about a month.
“…Where should I hide?”
“There’s an elf house far from the royal capital where someone used to live in retirement. How about staying there?”
According to Gilbard, it had everything needed to live.
If it was only temporary, Lydia nodded in agreement.
“All right.”
“I’m glad you agreed, Sister.”
“Yeah, that’s a relief.”
Veronica and Gilbard smiled broadly, showing their teeth.
And then, that evening.
Taking only her personal belongings, Lydia hurriedly left the Elven Kingdom’s royal capital and headed for the frontier.