The next morning, Marbella requested an audience with her father before breakfast.
Grand Duke Adrian looked up from the morning reports as she entered his study.
"You wished to see me?"
Marbella nodded.
"There is something I'd like to ask."
Adrian gestured for her to continue.
"You have always encouraged me to study statecraft."
"I have."
"I would also like to study medicine."
The Grand Duke blinked in surprise.
"Medicine?"
Marbella smiled calmly.
"I've realized how little I understand about illnesses and herbs."
"If I am ever to manage House Petrovic in your absence, such knowledge may prove useful."
Adrian studied her for a moment before nodding.
"That is a reasonable request."
"There is an elderly physician who has served our family for decades."
"Doctor Edmund."
"I'll ask him to teach you."
Marbella bowed her head.
"Thank you, Father."
That afternoon, Doctor Edmund arrived at the mansion.
He was an elderly man with silver hair and kind eyes, carrying the faint scent of dried herbs wherever he went.
"So…"
He smiled warmly.
"The young lady wishes to become my student."
Marbella returned the smile.
"I hope I'm not troubling you."
"Not at all."
He laughed.
"I've been trying to convince His Grace to let you study medicine for years."
Marbella looked genuinely surprised.
"You have?"
"The future head of a great house should understand more than politics."
"You never know when knowledge might save a life."
His words lingered in Marbella's mind.
Save a life…
This time…
That was exactly what she intended to do.
Their first lesson began in the mansion's herb garden.
Doctor Edmund pointed toward several neatly arranged plants.
"Before learning medicine…"
"You must first learn to observe."
He picked a leaf from one of the herbs.
"Many plants resemble one another."
"But their properties are entirely different."
Marbella carefully examined each leaf.
Its shape.
Its scent.
Its texture.
Doctor Edmund watched her silently.
After a while, he smiled.
"You notice details quickly."
"My father taught me that every small detail matters."
"A valuable lesson."
The physician nodded approvingly.
Several hours passed.
By the end of the lesson, Marbella's notebook was already filled with sketches and notes.
As Doctor Edmund prepared to leave, Marbella asked casually,
"Doctor."
"Hm?"
"Have you ever encountered a poison that cannot be detected easily?"
The physician looked at her with curiosity.
"There are many."
"But the rarest are combination poisons."
Marbella's heart skipped a beat.
"Combination poisons?"
He nodded.
"Individually, two herbs may appear harmless."
"Yet when consumed together…"
"They produce an entirely different effect."
Marbella unconsciously tightened her grip on the notebook.
"So…"
"A physician examining only one medicine might never discover the poison?"
"Precisely."
Doctor Edmund smiled.
"Fortunately, such methods are exceedingly rare."
"Very few people possess that level of knowledge."
Marbella forced herself to remain calm.
"I see."
"Why do you ask?"
"I read about it in one of the books from Father's library."
The physician accepted the explanation without suspicion.
That evening…
Marbella returned to her study.
She opened her notebook and wrote a single sentence.
Combination poison.
Then beneath it:
Requires two harmless substances.
She stared at the page for several minutes.
Her theory…
Was no longer merely imagination.
It was possible.
Very possible.
The only question remaining was—
Which two substances?
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
"My Lady."
Mia entered carrying another letter sealed with the imperial crest.
"It came from the palace."
Marbella broke the seal.
The message was brief.
His Majesty requests the presence of House Petrovic at the welcoming banquet for the Emperor of the Northern Empire.
Attendance is mandatory.
The banquet.
Marbella quietly folded the letter.
According to her memories…
Nothing significant had happened during that banquet in her previous life.
But now…
The Northern Emperor had arrived earlier than before.
History was already changing.
She looked out the window toward the distant lights of the Imperial Palace.
"Perhaps…"
She whispered.
"The banquet will be the beginning of something entirely new."
Far beyond the palace walls, in a heavily guarded residence prepared for the Northern delegation, a silver-haired emperor stood before a table covered with maps of Terraina.
One of his advisors stepped forward.
"Your Majesty."
"The welcoming banquet is in three days."
The Emperor nodded.
"Good."
His gaze fell upon a report bearing a familiar name.
Marbella Petrovic.
He closed the file with a faint smile.
"It seems…"
"Our next meeting won't be left to chance."