Unfortunately, I'm an Evil Villainess

Chapter 113 - Aftermath (I)

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Delilah was by Valentina's side in an instant. She had suspected something might happen, almost expecting it from Valentina's suggestive letter, but something felt odd. Nevertheless, one thing at a time. She peeled back her friend's eyelids to find dilated pupils, felt her pulse to be slow, and her breath to smell a bit musty. Combined with the other symptoms...

"Send physicians to the Avington mansion immediately," she said quietly to her maid. "They use the same ones as us. Tell them it is likely deadly nightshade."

"Call for the constable, but use our ways. Do not alert the baron," she said to her other maid.

The two nodded and left. Delilah turned to Valentina's knight, who was carrying the unconscious lady delicately.

"Take her back to the Avington mansion at once, and do not let anyone near her until she's home. The physicians will meet you there."

The knight obeyed at once and swiftly departed. Valentina's maid tried to go with them, but Delilah stopped her with a hand, so the girl backed away until she faded from attention, an excellent servant. Delilah addressed her own knight next.

"Make sure no one enters or leaves the room without my knowing, and that no one touches anything on the table. Especially keep an eye on Lady Catherine."

Annalise, who had just finished calming down the other guests, rushed to her anxiously.

"Is she all right?"

"Of course. She is the saintess, after all."

"Good. Then, the question becomes..."

Together, their gaze slid over the room. All intimate friends they had been acquainted with for years, dearly attached to Valentina politically, socially, and emotionally, except for one.

The ladies were nervously chattering amongst themselves, while Lady Catherine was sunken on the floor, her dress pooling around her, her mouth agape and eyes wide in a terrified expression. She was so pale that she looked as if she might faint herself. The very sight of her revolted Delilah, especially this pathetic state. How could Damian possibly prefer-no, that wasn't important right now.

"Ladies! I know we are all quite concerned for Lady Valentina, but fortunately, from my humble observation of her condition, I do believe she'll be quite all right."

She and Valentina, like almost all heirs and other popular targets of assassination, had both developed resistance to most poisons from long periods of gradual exposure. With the best physicians in the kingdom, she trusted that her friend would recover in no time. Meanwhile, she would avenge her for this injury.

The ladies quieted immediately when she began speaking and breathed sighs of relief at her reassurance, muttering comforting remarks to each other. Lady Catherine, in particular, looked up with gleaming eyes full of genuine joy.

"However, there was no doubt she was poisoned."

Silence. Tension crept into the air. All eyes were on her, trusting and hanging onto her every word. Ahh... she would enjoy this.

"To start, between all of us, surely we have tried all the refreshments. Yet does anyone feel ill?"

Heads shook. Lady Catherine's stupidly naive face twisted into confusion.

"Then, whoever poisoned Lady Valentina was targeting her. It could not have been done through the food or drink themselves, for they were shared and there would've been no way to tell which ones Lady Valentina would have. I doubt it was her cutlery or tableware either, for the poison I believe was used, deadly nightshade, is extremely difficult to apply to these surfaces without detection."