She Became The Devil’s Stepmother Who’s About To Be Killed

Chapter 42 – It Remains To Be Seen Whether It’s Poison Or Medicine

Elysso Guild.

This was the place with the most cash in the entire Empire. Nobles flocked here when they required money. It offered more than the imperial family’s bill of exchange, and even Emperor Herace occasionally used this guild.

However, the owner of the merchant guild remained a mystery. It was especially frequented by aristocrats because it kept customer’s business and their details secret. The location of the guild was in a hidden place inside the Dyson Guild, making it difficult for people to find. Furthermore, the path was intertwined like a maze, and not just anyone could find it. Only those who met the criteria set forth by the guild were eligible for membership. And you had to follow the promised instructions.

Into that secret alley, a noblewoman, clad in a fine robe made of satin, entered, accompanied by two bodyguards with the insignia of the house they served hidden. The escorts were in plain clothes, but their toned bodies and postures gave off an unmistakable aura. As if by magic, the alleyway opened and closed with each step she took, making way for her.

A short while later.

Knock, knock, knock. There was a triple knock on the door. Then, in the same way, three knocks came from the inside. The woman lowered her head and whispered,

“Amor vinkit omnia.”

Creak- The door swung open, the middle-aged woman looked around, and then slipped inside the guild while her escorts remained impassive behind her.

Eureka!

Thanks to Theodor, I found myself in a wild field of sugar cane that was taller than I was. I ran, and the guards ran with me, ahead, and behind me. Ariel and Joseph followed suit, wondering what was going on.

“Give me the sword.” Arriving at the sugar cane field, I held out my hand to one of the knights. He hesitated.

“Come on!”

With the knight’s sword, I sliced off a section of a cane that grew as tall as I was and peeled off the husk. I peeled off the green husk to reveal a yellowish, chewy coconut oil. I quickly popped it into my mouth and chewed it. My mouth was filled with the fragrant flavor of honeydew.

‘Wow, there’s sugarcane here, why hasn’t anyone eaten it?’ I quickly walked over to Ariel and asked in her ear.

“Is this also witch’s grass by any chance?”

“No at all, but why are you eating this weed?”

I quickly cut another bush, peeled it, and gave it to Joseph and Ariel. She frowned,

“Come on!”

Ariel reluctantly put it in her mouth. But she didn’t chew it. Joseph was different. He popped it into his mouth and chewed it with the gusto of a cook. I looked at him with a smile on my face. His eyes went round.

“Ariel, chew it. Don’t just hold it in your mouth!”

As Joseph smiled openly, Ariel reluctantly chewed the candy cane. And then!

Her eyes grew as big as a plate. The corners of her lips curled into an arc, and she chewed eagerly.

“Fufufufu.”

‘You are now a slave to sweetness. Perhaps, an angel’s bell rang in Ariel’s ears?’

Our sense of taste is located in our taste buds. These are specialized cells found primarily on the tongue. In particular, the glucose molecule is found in all types of sugar. Glucose is quite small in size. That sweet glucose must be getting past Ariel’s taste buds and dazzling her brain, right? By the look in her eyes, I was pretty sure.

“Excuse me, boss.” One of the knights escorting us called out to Ariel, concerned about her behavior.

“Nnnh.”

The knights’ eyes widened as a sweet moan escaped Ariel’s steel-like mouth.

On the other hand, Joseph was enjoying it like a cook.

“It’s okay. You should try it, too.” I quickly chopped off a few more slices, and peeled them, offering it to them.

They all took it with the same trepidation as Ariel, but after a while, their eyes widened.

‘That’s it.’ I smiled and looked around. The relationship between sweetness and chemical structure is complex. A simple model called the ‘A-H, B model’ explains that sweetness depends on the arrangement of atoms in a molecule. Atoms A and B have a special chemical structure that allows atom B to bond with the hydrogen bonded to atom A. In other words, when the sweet molecule binds to the protein molecules in the receptors of the taste buds, it creates an informational signal that says, “Sweet!” and this signal is transmitted to the brain at lightning speed via nerves. This triggers a rush of feel-good adrenaline. Sugar is especially useful when you’re stressed, because when you’re stressed, your adrenal glands, which are attached to your kidneys, release a hormone called cortisol, and cortisol makes you crave sugary foods. It makes you scream for sugar. Behold, those heavenly cloud-walking faces! It won’t be long before they’re craving sugar, too!

“It tastes a little different from honey, what is it?” Joseph quickly looked at me, curious.

“I saw it in a flora book, but I don’t remember the name. It’s much sweeter and more immediate than honey, right?”

Joseph nodded at my words. I quickly turned to Ariel.

“I assume this land belongs to the ‘Zeyer family as well?”

“Yes.”

I squared my shoulders and spread my arms, looking out over the rows of sugar cane.

‘I will drown you in sweetness, people of Viatria.

‘Isn’t my business running too easily?’ I felt a little uneasy and a little proud.

Later, Theodor rushed over and hugged me tightly. His uncharacteristic five-year-old strength nearly sent me tumbling forward, but I managed to hold on. As he leaned his head against my thigh, I stroked his tiny head and asked,

“Who gave this to you?”

Theodor looked up, smiling brightly, and suddenly put his index finger to the tip of his lips.

“Dun know, who gabe it to Theodod?”

I was dumbfounded.

‘My Theo is suddenly acting like a fool? Isn’t this kind of behavior reserved for kids when they have done something wrong?’

I probed.

“This is so delicious that I want to give that person a big prize.”

“Huh? If you gib the pwize to Theodod, I wiw gib to them.”

“But I don’t know what that person likes.”

“Uh, uh! Theodod knows! Likes bones!”

“Bones?”

I stared at Theodor, amazed, and right after–

The sugarcane, taller than me, shook. The knights all tensed, hands on their swords.

‘Holy sh*t, is it another demon?’

I quickly clutched Theodor to my chest.

A large, golden dog emerged from the bushes. As the knights were about to slash at it with their swords, Theodor tried to break free of my embrace and cried out loud.

“Don’t huwt them! All Theodod fwends!”

He sternly scolded the yellow dog.

“Rude. Theodod zaid to ztay still and vait!”

“Woof!”

Thump!

The dog barked at Theodor’s words, and beneath it, sugarcane fell with a thud. Everyone’s eyes widened. It was the same sugarcane that was now in our mouths. We were eating dog treats.

I quickly tried to defuse the situation and spoke to them smiling brightly.

“Don’t be startled, guys, good things are meant to be shared and enjoyed by all living things.”

I decided that once I started my business, I would keep it a secret that the sugarcane was for dogs. I looked over at the dog that Theodor was hugging tightly. It had long, shiny golden fur and long, square long ears that made it look just like the golden retriever of my world. It looked gentle, and even amid all this tension, I could see the only person the dog was focusing on was Theodor, seeing how it was busy licking the child’s face as if welcoming him.

“Don do it, puppy!”

I loved the look on the little devil’s face as he clung to the golden retriever and smiled.

Right, it would be nice to have one as a pet.

Then it happened. The bushes shook,

“Woof, woof!”

“Waaaf.”

Various dogs wrapped around Theodor.

‘Heck, what’s going on?’

‘Wasn’t Theodor with a group of five- and six-year-old classmates earlier?’

“Hush!” Theodor slapped his index finger over his mouth, and to my surprise, the dogs all shut up. Once they were quiet, Theodor put his hands on his hips and turned to me, making a declaration.

“Theodod iz going to take theez fwends to the castle!”

‘What?! Excuse me, Mister Devil? This wasn’t part of the plan, was it?’ I thought, in the face of this unprecedented situation!

I beat my chest, regretting that I had enjoyed this day without questioning, even for a hair’s breadth, why it was going so smoothly.

I must never forget about this indomitable devil.

Elysso Guild, inside the master’s office.

Gerard walked in.

Schmidt had been looking at some papers in a corner, rose from his seat and greeted him.

“Who made the grand duchess ride on a horse?”

“She rode a horse?” Schmidt’s eyes widened, and Gerard sighed.

“This is why I can’t just trust you and focus on books.”

“I have a lot of responsibilities, don’t you think? From the guild to the Academy, and now the grand duchess.” Schmidt emphasized that he was overworked.

“If it’s that hard, call steward Thomas back.”

Gerard spoke subtly, and Schmidt lowered his head at once.

It was a bad word. Thomas, the late Emperor’s chancellor, was no match for Gerard in terms of bickering. The moment he returned, there would be no such thing as rest.

“Not at all. I’m happy. Woah, I’m so happy, in fact, my dark circles just disappeared at once. You can’t even find such a pleasant working environment in the Empire even if you try to look for it. Of course. Long live the Grand Duke, hooray.”

Gerard shook his head at Schmidt’s response and took a seat at the largest desk by the window.

“Phew,” Schmidt quickly reached for the sparkling water on his desk. Gerard didn’t miss this.

“Fuuu, I’ll enjoy Madam’s new technology to the fullest, thank you. Hahaha.”

He sounded quite insincere. Gerard cut to the chase.

“The preparations?”

“They are on standby.”

“Is that so? Data.”

Schmidt handed over the prepared documents immediately. Gerard pursed his lips and quickly reviewed them.

“Then, where should we go?”

Gerard pulled a yellow butterfly mask from the drawer, looked in the mirror, and slipped the mask’s loops over his ears. The yellow mask was enchanted. As soon as he put it on, it changed his hair color, clothing, and silhouette. The customers couldn’t tell who the guild’s master was because his appearance was always different. This gave customers great confidence. Not knowing who he was meant that they were safe from harm, and it also meant that their secrets would not be revealed.

As a merchant guild, they were able to conceal their presence, gather information, and control the power of the empire from the time of the late Emperor. This time, he took the form of a stiff, business-like woman with silver hair to match the yellow mask.

Now it was the time to find out Sinclair’s secret.

Whether it was poison or medicine remained to be seen.

——