I'm Only a Stepmother, But my Daughter is Just so Cute

CHAPTER 15

"M-Miss Jeremie, is this really going to be all right...?" The maid was clearly agitated. Miss Jeremie, on the other hand, seemed as happy as a clam.

"Of course it is. There's nothing about this that could possibly harm you." The woman was smiling, but her eyes burned with jealousy and intense anger. 

These fiery emotions were directed entirely at Abigail. Miss Jeremie thought of her current position. Even though she had been relieved of her duties as a nanny, she had managed to remain in the palace all the way up until now. It was all thanks to the goodwill of her uncle, Duke Stork, who had helped her obtain another position as a maid.

However, despite understanding this, her rage did not dissipate. Not only had she worked as a nanny for ten years, she was practically Blanche's second mother. Then a mere figurehead of a queen dared to confront her and shame her. Miss Jeremie could not, and would not just take that sitting down. Somehow, she must somehow watch that stupid queen's face color with shame and despair.

"It's nothing special.' She continued, smiling brightly, 'I'm just trying to put everything back to how it was in the past." That's right. She was just trying to return everything to its rightful place. After all, Sabelian still had not completely opened up to Abigail. If Abigail made a blunder here, all the trust the woman had accumulated till now would crumble to dust.

"You have to make it quick, Miss Jeremie. If I don't bring it over soon..." Miss Jeremie raised her head. The maid was right; Abigail might send the food back if it arrives too late. She took out a small bottle filled with a brown powder inside.

Lifting the plate cover, she inspected the plates, identifying a dish with a noticeably smaller portion inside. This must be Princess Blanche's. She started pouring a considerable amount of the powder over the meat. "Give this to the princess. Since it is a smaller portion, you should be able to distinguish it much more easily."

"Yes, I understand. But what is that powder you just...put on?"

"You're curious about too many things." The maid turned completely pale at her words. Despite her bright smile, Miss Jeremie's face seemed incredibly menacing to the maid, "Don't worry too much. This is just for the princess' weight. Would you like to try some?"

Miss Jeremie handed the bottle over. The maid, after a small pause, tried a little bit of what was inside, "Ah, this is..."

The maid's complexion brightened significantly. Miss Jeremie quickly snatched the bottle out of the woman's hands, "You should serve it before it cools."

The maid nodded and quickly pushed the cart away. Miss Jeremie simply smiled as she watched all of this happen. This should be nothing more than a small accident. Just a small one. But it would be more than sufficient to completely destroy the trust Abigail had built up until now. What's more, she had already hidden the same bottle in Abigail's room. The woman would surely be accused as the culprit once the accident happens. Satisfied with her plans, Miss Jeremie left with a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, the maid had finally reached the dining hall. Sabelian, Abigail, and Blanche were sitting at the table, waiting for their dishes to arrive. Their sorbet bowls were already empty. The other maids shot her a glare; Abigail was surely going to complain about this. But Abigail didn't say anything. Or rather, she was far too busy chattering away with Sabelian and Blanche without a care in the world, "It's usually very tasty to begin with, but this tastes even better today for some reason. I asked the chef to make an apple sorbet, since Princess Blanche said she liked apples. How is it?"

"Ah, yes! It was very tasty." Blanche spoke with shining eyes. 

The maid was rather surprised by the girl's expression. In her memory, Blanche was always expressionlessly eating her food during her mealtimes. This happy and almost innocent childlike behavior of hers was quite contrary to her usual self. Sabelian, on the other hand, was seated quietly amidst the chatter going on around him. While he did not really join in, he did not seem very bothered by the two either.