Ethel's face was pale.
She received poison to get rid of the wench his father married. The poison had no smell nor colour, but it had a unique taste of sweetness. It came from the extract of the Crest Flower, a rare plant from the north. A small dosage would cause a person to faint, but a larger dose of the potion would cause instant death to anyone who digested it. Once she got rid of the tramp, it would be easy to destroy her step-sister.
The poison was in her jewellery box, yet it was gone.
Ethel bit her fingernail. Nobody knew about the poison except her. Who took it away? Her maid would not dare to touch her stuff without permission. The last servant had her hand cut off. Who would steal poison from her?
"Sister, are you okay?"
She and Helena were sitting in the living room. Melvin Blackmoore was not satisfied with their relationship. He suggested both have tea together and have a conversation. Of course, it did not work. Ethel hated how Helena called her sister. She was nothing but a parasite to this family for Ethel.
"It is none of your concern."
Helena sneered at Ethel. It was not the first time she responded with rude remarks. She had many tea times with Ethel in her previous lives. Ethel always reviled or disdained her low background. It did not bother Helena anymore. She just enjoyed her plan and drank the tea.
"Ethel, where did you find this tea? It tastes good. I do not put any sugar cube, but it is sweet."
Ethel frowned at her words. It was nothing but the usual brown tea they served every afternoon. She sipped a little bit of it and was surprised. The tea undeniably had a different flavour. Ethel hesitated to continue drinking the tea. Meanwhile, Helena had drunk the whole tea in her cup.
Ethel felt light-headed. Her chest was beating fast for an unknown reason. Her sight became blurry and hazy. She tried to stand, but her body swayed. A maid caught and supported her body.
"Lady Ethel, are you all right?"
"It is fine. I need a rest."
She heard the sound of a crashing tea cup. Everyone looked in Helena's direction. Blood was coming from Helena's mouth and stained her chin and dress. That girl fell down unconscious to the floor. Looking at the whole scene causing the maids to scream.
"HELP! SOMEBODY CALLED THE DOCTOR!"
Ethel went unconscious as well. When she woke up, her father was sitting next to her. He held her hand while bawling his eyes out. "Ethel. Thanks, God. You wake up! I'm so worried for you!"
Ethel touched her aching head. "Father... what happened?"
"My dear, you and Helena have been poisoned! Your sister is still in critical condition. We do not know whether she will survive or not."
The doctor checked her condition. He assured Melvin Blackmoore that her daughter was healthy. Ethel just needed to take a rest and some medicine. Before the doctor left, she asked him about her affliction.
"Doctor, what kind of poison is this?"
He sighed. "It's a rare poison from the extract of Crest Flower. I've seen the symptom before. You are lucky, young lady. Unlike your sister."
Ethel was surprised at the answer. Someone had used the poison against her. This made her whole body shudder in fear. She almost died because of it.
Her father touched her shoulder. "Dear, are you cold? Your body is trembling."
"How-how is Helena?"
His father shook his head. Ethel insisted on watching Helena's condition. She was in a worse situation than her. Her whole body was shivering from fever, her face was as white as a corpse, her lip was dry, and her body was covered in a cold sweat. Her mother stayed next to Helena's side. Trails of tears were still flowing down her face. Astrid Blackmoore barely ate or slept after the incident. Her husband stepped in and let her rest. "Honey, please take a rest. I will call another servant to watch Helena."
"But my daughter..."
"I know you are worried, but it will not do anything good if you collapse too."
She did not argue and nodded at the advice. Three of them left Helena sleeping alone in her room. After making sure everyone had gone, Helena opened her eyes. She dragged her body to reach the bedside. The raven-haired girl took a vial of medicine and drank it.
Ethel must be confused now. After all, the victim was the culprit. Helena chuckled at the situation. Helena was the one who stole the poison from Ethel. She poisoned Ethel's and her own tea. Helena chose the safe dosage for her sister, but the heavier dosage for her. This way, no one would suspect her of anything. She made herself a bigger victim than Ethel.
The poison reaction was awful, as she expected. Helena had prepared the antidote hidden in some emergency place. She slumped to the bed since her body felt heavy. It would take a few hours before the drug was working. Helena closed her eyes and slept.
A few days later, the police came and did a throughout investigation of the house. The case hit a dead end since they found no clue. Her father was angry at the result. Both of his daughters almost died while the culprit was not arrested.
She pretended to wake up three days later. Her family was happy when Helena opened her eyes. The downside of her plan was the recovery times. She must stay in her bed for three weeks. Helena was pretty bored since all she did was lie in bed. Nevertheless, her plan was working. Ethel was traumatized and would never touch any poison for the rest of her life.
Helena chuckled at the irony. She could not erase her consciousness in her second life. Part of her would remain a villainess. In the end, she must dirt her hand to survive. Helena looked at her hand, hoping she would not be swayed by the temptation of evil again.
"My Lady, you changed a lot lately."
Helena stared at Violet from her bed. "What do you mean?"
"You used to be busy socializing or attending the salon. You always run to the street for charity. Ah, I don't mean a bad thing! I think it is good for you to rest for a while."
Her maid was not wrong. In her first life, she was busy impressing other people. In her second life, she was busy carrying her revenge. Those things were futile now. Helena survived for the third time, and her priority had shifted. She learnt crazy things related to her regression, like a demon and a cult. This was something she never expected. Helena must get to the bottom of this mystery.
Besides, she lived to piss off a demon right now. Helena would rather die again than give up her soul.
"You are right, Violet. It is nice to take a day off."
After a week passed, she was healthy. The doctor allowed her to return to daily activity. That day his father came early with an envelope in his hand.
"Our family received an invitation to Marquis Wisteria's party."
Her mother rejoiced to hear the news. "My, what a great news!"
Helena was not excited about it. She excused herself to the rest in her room. Helena hated attending a party with Ethel. The other nobles would compare, and other ladies would support Ethel. Before Helena buried herself inside a blanket, Azure and Scarlett entered her room with a piece of news.
"Lady Helena, there is a gift for you!"