Chapter 4: Debugging the Traitor

Mina stepped into the room, holding a silver tray with a steaming porcelain teacup. Her face was a mask of perfect, sorrowful sympathy.

"My Lady, I heard what happened in the drawing-room," Mina said softly, setting the tray down. "The Crown Prince is blind to your worth. Please, drink some tea to calm your nerves."

Ereba walked over slowly, her violet eyes locked onto the porcelain cup.

*Ding!*

**[Item: Earl Grey Tea]**

**[Status: Injected with 'Slow-Acting Phantom Poison']**

**[Effect: Gradual organ failure over 6 months. Undetectable by normal medicine.]**

"It smells wonderful, Mina," Ereba smiled, though the warmth didn't reach her eyes. She picked up the cup, swirling the amber liquid. "You've always taken such *good* care of me. Tell me, why do you do it?"

Mina blinked, a flash of nervousness crossing her features before she quickly bowed. "Because I am your loyal servant, My Lady."

"Loyal," Ereba repeated the word, tasting it like venom. Suddenly, her grip tightened around Mina’s jaw. Ereba’s movement was so swift and precise that the maid didn't even have time to gasp before Ereba's fingers locked onto her face like a vice, forcing her mouth open.

"M-My Lady?!" Mina choked out, her eyes widening in pure terror.

"If you are so loyal, you won't mind sharing my grief," Ereba whispered, her voice a terrifying, freezing purr. Without a shred of hesitation or mercy, Ereba tipped the cup and poured the boiling, poisoned tea straight down Mina’s throat.

Mina thrashed, coughing and sputtering, but Ereba didn't let go until the cup was entirely empty. Dropping the maid to the floor like a piece of trash, Ereba wiped her hands with a silk handkerchief. Mina fell to her knees, clutching her throat, frantically trying to force herself to vomit.

"Guards!" Ereba commanded, her voice ringing like a death knell through the courtyard.

The heavy doors burst open, and the estate guards rushed in, followed closely by Duke Zenith and Seraphina, who had been nearby discussing Ereba's fate. They froze at the sight of Mina writhing on the floor.

"Ereba! What is the meaning of this madness?!" Duke Zenith roared, looking at his eldest daughter in fury.

Seraphina gasped, rushing to Mina’s side with crocodile tears in her eyes. "Sister! How could you be so cruel to your own maid just because you are angry at the Prince? This is horrific!"

"She poisoned my tea," Ereba said flatly, her expression entirely unbothered. "A slow-acting phantom poison meant to rot my organs over six months. I merely had her audit her own work."

Seraphina’s heart stopped. She looked up, her face pale, but she quickly masked it. "Y-You're making things up! Mina would never—"

"I don't care for excuses," Ereba interrupted, turning her icy gaze to the guards. "Take Mina out. Drag her to the courtyard and execution plaza. She is to be put to death by a thousand cuts for attempting to assassinate the direct bloodline of the Zenith family."

The guards hesitated, horrified by the brutality of the sentence.

"Enough!" Duke Zenith slammed his cane against the floor. "I am the Master of this house, Ereba! I refuse this ridiculous sentence. Mina will be locked in the dungeon for questioning. You have no authority to order an execution!"

Mina sobbed in relief, thinking she was saved. Seraphina secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But Ereba merely chuckled. It was a dark, hollow sound that made the hair on the back of the Duke's neck stand up. She stepped closer to her father, completely ignoring the guards, until she was close enough to whisper in his ear.

"You refuse, Father?" Ereba murmured, her voice carrying a weight that made the room feel suddenly suffocating. "Are you sure you want to cross me today? Because if I remember correctly... the *real* reason the previous Duchess, my mother, died so suddenly ten years ago wasn't due to illness at all. It was a very specific, forbidden black magic curse. A curse whose unique mana signature matches the hidden vault right beneath your private study."

Duke Zenith gasped, the color instantly draining completely from his face. His eyes bulged in pure, unadulterated horror. His hands began to shake violently, and he nearly dropped his cane. That secret was buried deeper than the foundations of the empire itself. There was no mathematical possibility for her to know.

Seraphina watched her father’s reaction, her jaw dropping. She had never seen the terrifying, powerful Duke look so utterly paralyzed with fear. A dark, burning knot of intense jealousy and shock tightened in her chest. *'What did she say to him? Why is he looking at her like she’s a monster?!'*

Ereba pulled back, a brilliant, mocking smile on her face. "So, Father. Do I have the authority to execute a traitorous maid? Or should we invite the Imperial Holy Knights over to inspect the estate's floorboards?"

Duke Zenith swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he forced the words out. "E-Execute her. Do exactly as Lady Ereba wishes. A thousand cuts."

"Father?!" Seraphina screamed in disbelief, but the Duke ignored her, staring at Ereba as if she were a demon wearing his daughter's skin. The guards, terrified by the Duke's sudden compliance, dragged the screaming, pleading Mina out of the room.

Duke Zenith clutched his chest, trying to regain his composure. He knew he couldn't leave this girl in his house for another day. She knew too much. She was too dangerous.

"You have disgraced this family enough with the broken engagement, Ereba," the Duke lied through his teeth, trying to find a cover story to save his pride. "As punishment for your volatile behavior, you are hereby banished to the dangerous northern border estate of the Zenith family. You leave tomorrow at dawn."

Seraphina smirked through her shock, pleased that Ereba was still being banished to a wasteland filled with monsters and bandits.

But Ereba just tilted her head, her mind instantly ringing with a new notification.

*Ding!*

**[Urgent Quest Triggered: Survive the Journey to the North.]**

**[Difficulty: High]**

**[Reward: +2,000 Reputation Points & Rare Developer Tool]**

"The North?" Ereba smiled smoothly, looking at her trembling father and her jealous sister. "Perfect. I was getting rather bored of this house anyway."

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