40 – 40. Mrs. Chandelier
The sale of health syrup was abruptly halted, and three days passed.
Princess Anais was still curled up in the cozy room of the palace’s east wing.
The situation of where she would be sent had not been officially announced yet.
Was the emperor hesitating to send away his precious youngest daughter? Or did the empress, who personally intervened in her daughter’s affairs, belatedly activate maternal instincts?
According to Siena’s testimony, it wasn’t for such reasons.
“The decision has been made, Alan.”
The place of exile for Princess Anais was a small secluded monastery in the neighboring region of Wyrill.
About thirty nuns wove lace, cultivated crops, and lived harmoniously while reading the Bible, as Siena described.
It seemed that the emperor’s intention was to confine her there with only a few guards. She would lose all the privileges she enjoyed as an imperial heir and noble.
“Everything has been decided, so why delay the announcement?”
“Mrs. Chandler is being stubborn.”
“Stubborn… Ah, I see.”
“Just by hearing that, can you guess what it means?”
There was no need to guess. The answer was already obvious.
What the royal family needed now was a scapegoat to share the burden of Anais’s crime.
If it was said that Anais had been in control from beginning to end, it could greatly damage the dignity of the royal family. Perhaps it would be difficult to resolve it with a moderate measure like the closure of a monastery. They might even have to resort to exile.
“Mrs. Chandler must admit her guilt and die for the disposal of the Third Princess to be confirmed. …There is no suitable candidate other than Mrs. Chandler. After all, she is known as the creator of the health syrup.”
“But that grandmother doesn’t seem to listen at all.”
“I understand. She is probably denying her responsibility belatedly. After all, she only did what the Third Princess asked. Can you blame her for wanting to die in her place?”
When a project spreads, it is common for accomplices to turn against each other.
Mrs. Chandler, who had spent 40 years at the bottom, knew very well that she would die if she confessed. Even if it meant being beaten in the Royal Guard to ensure the safety of her family, she wouldn’t give in…
That’s how I saw it, but Siena smiled and shook her head.
“Isn’t it interesting? You can make mistakes too.”
“Mistakes?”
“That old man still admits that he made the health syrup. He just denies its dangers. He keeps repeating that it’s a good medicine for the body.”
“….”
This was definitely unexpected. I thought she would change her words to save her life somehow.
It didn’t seem like she was doing it to uphold her loyalty to the Third Princess. After all, Mrs. Chandler had been a trusted confidant of many noble families for 40 years. When the previous master died, she silently found the next one to serve.
“It seems that even during her time as the mother of the health syrup, she told lies. To the point where she herself believed it was true.”
“Or maybe she just wanted to believe it.”
“…Yes. That could be possible.”
Her inner thoughts were beyond my reach.
The crucial point was that Lady Chandelier was hindering the imperial plan.
It might be easier if she just denied responsibility and threatened her family’s lives, but claiming innocence altogether would be a headache even for the higher-ups.
“If we investigate a few more days, we might eventually break her stubbornness…? I haven’t experienced torture, so I wouldn’t know.”
“That could be the case. However, considering her age, she might die before that. It could lead to various misunderstandings.”
If it ended like that, it could send the wrong signal to those who had already tasted the syrup. Perhaps there would be someone who thought Lady Chandelier unfairly died swept up in the nobles’ disputes. Healthy syrup was an elixir that made you feel ‘healthy’ in terms of mood, so it was entirely possible.
‘That noble should gracefully yield.’
What if Lady Chandelier continued to insist on the harmlessness of the healthy syrup until her death? The aftermath was unpredictable. On the day sales were discontinued, hoarding (even after the ban) openly occurred.
How could I change Lady Chandelier’s mindset?
After a moment of contemplation, I found a solution.
‘Lady Chandelier believes in the efficacy of the healthy syrup.’
Or perhaps she was in self-denial, unwilling to admit that she had spread harmful medicine to the citizens. Either way, Anais and Kye were different.
“Then let’s prove that belief. It’s a simple task. …If she hasn’t disposed of all the banned healthy syrup.”
“That’s acceptable.”
I conveyed the impromptu idea to the guards. I didn’t want to waste time.
**
Investigation room of the Judicial Guards.
Lady Chandelier, who had undergone intense questioning for three days, stared at the items laid out before her with a vacant gaze.
That item is none other than Mrs. Chandler’s health syrup.
It was once a product that brought her infinite joy, but also the reason she was trapped in this dimly lit investigation room.
…I couldn’t possibly call it the culprit. There might be some misunderstanding, but there is no flaw in the health syrup itself.
“Dorothy Chandler. Do you still believe that the health syrup is harmless?”
The question from the investigator with the officer’s insignia. She could only shake her head for now.
“On the day you were arrested, there was one person who collapsed and died at the scene. When we asked the family, they gave a statement that he had been taking five spoons of health syrup for recovery every morning and evening.”
“That’s not because of the health syrup, it’s for another reason…!”
“It seems you still can’t admit it.”
Of course not, obviously.
Mrs. Chandler bit her lip tightly.
What was important now was to protect her own honor and that of the health syrup. She had no intention of being swayed by those who tore into the health syrup with difficult words, talking about empty veins and whatnot. She didn’t want to compromise.
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“If it’s such a dangerous medicine, people wouldn’t have embraced it, right?”
The customer who clenched their thumb, saying that even if they worked fourteen hours a day just by eating the health syrup, the customer who boasted that they gave it to their elderly parents because the efficacy was so good… If it was really a bad medicine, they wouldn’t be so enthusiastic.
“I gave something bad to all those people?”
That couldn’t be true, absolutely not.
Honestly, she couldn’t know the ingredients.
But Mrs. Chandler only believed in the reactions of the customers she personally witnessed.
If it was really a harmful medicine, out of all those people, at least one person would have pointed out that something was strange. But Mrs. Chandler only heard praise.
“It’s not a strange medicine. Absolutely not.”
Shaking her head, Mrs. Chandler repeated to herself.
The detective extended the vial as if expecting it, and Mrs. Chandler naturally grasped it in her hand.
“If you truly believe, you might be willing to prove it with your own strength.”
“Prove…?”
“To proclaim innocence in front of the public. It’s a proposal from Alan Maydoff, the CEO of Maydoff Pharmaceuticals. He also mentioned that if you succeed, he would help you clear your name. Do you have any intention to accept?”
“Consume this?”
“By the way, this is an early product containing antidote. It was in the princess’s office. Decide carefully.”
It was a very plausible offer.
In the lifeless eyes of Mrs. Chandler, a spark of determination gradually returned.
If she could erase the stigma of the health tonic in this way, there was no reason to refuse. Having suffered humiliation in front of the crowd, it would be appropriate to proclaim innocence in front of them as well.
It required great courage, but she was willing to do it.
“There’s no reason not to.”
“Is that so?”
Though the detective looked at her as if scrutinizing, Mrs. Chandler nodded while cradling the health tonic protectively.
A series of disturbances likely stemming from the internal struggle within the royal family.
There was no guarantee that proving the innocence of the health tonic would lead to a return to the good day. Those wicked individuals would somehow attempt to slander the health tonic and the third princess.
But just having hope in the worst situation should be enough.
A faint smile appeared on Mrs. Chandler’s wrinkled face.
…
The next morning.
Mrs. Chandler was escorted to Coburnt Square at the center of the city. Whether it was pre-announced or not, a crowd was bustling around.
She waved her hand towards the crowd without a hint of tension.
And confidently spoke.
“Everyone, the syrup I’ve made won’t harm people. …I will prove it here.”
As she said that, she opened the syrup bottle and drank its contents in one go.
The taste… was naturally good. It was easy to guess why some customers described it as a “sophisticated sweetness fit for nobles.” It was less heavy.
“It tastes good, but so what!”
After finishing a bottle, Mrs. Chandler wiped off the syrup on her lips and smiled.
Then, with a gentle gaze, she swept her eyes over the crowd in the square.
She saw some familiar faces. Probably customers of the health syrup. There were even people who timidly showed their syrup bottles and cheered her on.
“Thank you all. I did this to clear up misunderstandings. It will all end well.”
At first glance, it looked like a public execution, but the atmosphere was relatively heartwarming. Even soldiers were cautiously watching, and there were people who spoke to Mrs. Chandler.
Mrs. Chandler reassured them, saying she was fine, that there had been a misunderstanding, and that they should meet again in the store.
“Um, Mrs. Chandler! Your face turned really red, are you okay? It’s normal to feel a bit stimulated when you drink it, but it’s…!”
“Yes. I actually feel healthier.”
After chatting for about 30 minutes, she gained confidence and even spoke quite arrogantly. “Health syrup is safe,” she said.
A declaration that defied the threat.
The onset of the symptoms happened to coincide with that moment.
“Uh…?”
Her vision began to blur little by little.
Feeling something was off, she tried to look around, and her breathing started to become labored… More precisely, she wanted to breathe heavily, but something was blocking her throat, making it difficult to breathe. Along with it, her stomach started to ache. No, what should I call it? It wasn’t so much pain as it was a feeling of being turned upside down.
“I’m fine, really fine.”
Despite Mrs. Chandler’s hesitant pronunciation,
At this very moment, sweat began to pour down from her forehead and the back of her neck as if going mad. Her heart pounded as if it would burst.
‘This shouldn’t happen when people are watching.’
With the thought of needing to show something, she swayed her arms like swimming while sitting.
In reality, she tried to stand up abruptly, but for some unknown reason, it was her arms, not her legs, that moved. The reason for her head becoming heavy was also unknown.
So, she swayed for about 10 minutes, swayed again, and then-
Thud!
She eventually collapsed to the side.
Mrs. Chandler, sprawled on the floor, sobbed while tears streamed down, but there was no one to support her.