I Will Be The New Me
THE CHAPTER 24

Quinn stroked her former slap across Emily's cheek, "I know you're Raiden's spy. If you can show me that you're loyal to me, I'll save you from Raiden." The girl just bowed in fear. In addition to not believing in Quinn's ability, he also did not believe that Quinn could look cruel and cunning like now. "I'll see the names of anyone on Grandpa's list. You can go."

"B-b-well, Your Grace. I'm letting go now."

Quinn took a bouquet of flowers given by Penelope that she had just placed on the table. Quinn picked it up and replaced the flower that had almost withered in a vase in her room. "Penelope thinks I don't know what this lily means, I've learned enough."

The sweet girl arranged each flower stem with a small humming coming out of her lips. Quite unexpectedly, it turns out that although it looks boring but flower arranging activities are quite fun. Quinn is not very much a hobby of flowers. Because he was friends with farmers, so Quinn more familiar with vegetable and herbal plants.

"What does it smell like?" quinn muttered curiously.

Quinn brought the face closer to the one flower she was still holding. A sharp nose like a slide that moves sniffing the aroma that had been smelled from the petals.

"Uhuk! uhuk! hagh..akhs!"

Quinn fell down and curled under the sofa while holding her neck with both hands. Penelope, who had just arrived, ran inside and grabbed her cousin's shoulder. "Quinn? Quinn?! you all right? what's going on?" Penelope tried to get him some water.

A knotty smile was engraved on his lips, "Someone please call the Grand Duke!" yelled the beautiful girl. Then he focused on Quinn again who was still coughing. A strand of orange lily lay beside the girl's hand. It can be concluded that Quinn has inhaled the poison of his giving. "Quinn, who would dare poison you? Quinn, take it easy, I'll help—" Penelope flinched when Quinn suddenly held her hand while sitting down.

His face was still ordinary, neither pale nor sweaty. His eyes were only watering from a persistent cough. The girl is real okay. "Q-Quinn...? you all right?" Penelope was confused.

"I'm good. Why are you so surprised?" Penelope shook her head with a smile, "T-no, I think you're sick or something."

Quinn chuckled amusedly at the sight of Penelope being eaten by her trap. "There was a little insect that went into my nose. Ah.. It's down to the esophagus, it hurts so much." Quinn drank a glass of water that her cousin's sister had taken and looked at Penelope sharply. "How can you conclude that someone poisoned me?"

"I-it's because the symptoms you're experiencing are like poison. So I'm worried." replied Vincent's only daughter, trying not to take her eyes off the line so as not to lead Quinn's opinion that her suspicions were correct.

"Right, there's no way you'd accidentally put poison in this flower to kill me, right? Penelope was kind, where perhaps her kind heart was thought to kill her own sister."

"Right, you're right, Quinn. I can't possibly try to poison you."

Bastien ran into Quinn's room after hearing a servant ask her for help. "Quinn, what's going on? are you okay?!"

Quinn walked up to her grandfather with light steps, showing that she was not sick or poisoned. "Oh grandfather, I'm fine~ Penelope was just anxious because I suddenly coughed and fell, so she hurriedly called grandfather..." Quinn glanced at Penelope with a grin, "It's as if I'm pretty sure that I won't be okay after inhaling the scent of the flower." she said, looking down on Penelope.

Bastien breathed a sigh of relief. Her blue net stared at the blond object near the sofa that was still bowed in "Penelope. You are this if you give the news do not be so careless. You almost made my heart fall." the middle-aged man scolded him while stroking his chest. The older the heart is not as strong as it used to be.

"M-sorry, grandpa. I think someone tried to poison Quinn because her cough didn't stop and she was short of breath."

Quinn had the maid who had helped call the Grand Duke to throw away the plastic bouquet of used flowers wrapped around the orange lily. "Please throw it away, yeah. All the flowers are in the vase."

"I'll do it soon, Your Majesty."

The maid took the plastic from the table and suddenly a small silver bottle rolled out of the bouquet and fell to the floor right in front of everyone.

"What's that?" quinn asked with a shocked face.

The bottle was the exact same bottle as the original bottle containing the powdered poison that Penelope had left at the florist's shop. Penelope widened her eyes in shock, but she could not hide it or Bastien and Quinn would be suspicious of her. "That's..." Penelope suddenly saw an abandoned bottle appear there.

"Servant. Bring me the bottle."

"Okay, Your Majesty."

Penelope stood close to her grandfather who checked the bottle. "Grandfather, what's that?" quinn asked scared. The girl with shoulder-length hair then explained as best she could, "Grandfather is not poison." - Penelope's great-grandson.

Bastien brought his nose closer to the opened bottle. Everything seemed tense waiting for the result. "Uhuk! uhuk!" the base of Bastien's nose was furrowed deeply, his hands busy shaking the air in front of his nose while keeping the bottle away from his face. "Grandfather?! grandpa why?" quinn asked with concern. Penelope was the same, but she did not dare to move a single step before knowing what Bastien was going to tell her.

"I'm doing fine. It's pepper powder. It was so spicy in the nose. Penelope, why would you put this in a bouquet of flowers."

Really, you don't know how relieved Penelope feels right now. He only remembered how to breathe again after Bastien mentioned what was inside the silver bottle.

I can finally breathe. It's lucky it's not the poison I put on the flower.

"That may fall, grandfather. After hearing that Quinn was attacked by a group of bandits, I got scared. I was thinking of buying powder in order to be on guard if anyone attacked me, I could not use a sword. I have to go home tomorrow. I'm sorry Quinn, you're so coughing so much because of that." Bastien returned the bottle to Penelope.

"Oh, I think my nose is infusing insects hehe." Quinn showed a wide grin while scratching his temple.

Stupid jerk. You just can't tell the difference.

"Anyways, I'm grateful you're okay."

"Penelope you don't have to worry. I've been tightening the guard at every border of the city. You can go home safely." - timpal Bastien patted his first grandchild on the shoulder.

Quinn took Penelope's arm, "I heard our painting was done. Want to see it together? the results must be very beautiful. Come on."

"Alright, fine."

Hold still. Why wasn't Quinn exposed to the poison? why not mempan? I can't possibly get the bottle wrong.

Penelope did not take her eyes off Quinn. The girl still looked cheerful and healthy, there were no symptoms whatsoever while the powder-shaped poison she sowed on her lily was deadly. Boro-boro fainted, coughing only lasted a fraction of a minute.

Quinn looked at me like she already knew I was putting something on that flower. Is it just my feelings?

Three sheets of large flat box-sized packages were placed in the front room of the palace. At that time Oddeth himself helped the coachman bring in. Oddeth seemed very happy to see Quinn again. "Hi, Oddeth. How's it going? you seem sleep deprived."

Her cheeks met red, the girl smiled "S-I am very kind, Your Majesty. Forgive me for taking the time to finish this painting."

"No problem, I know the results will be very satisfying."

The two of them chatted happily, letting Penelope stand still like she was not considered. Penelope tried to talk. "Hi, Oddeth. Thanks for your hard work, yeah. I want to give you a present, next time I'll stop by the studio."

"You don't have to bother, Your Majesty. I've already been paid for this job." Oddeth gasped considering he still had another painting he needed to finish soon. "I must return immediately, Your Majesty."

"Yes, see you later."

Quinn pulled Penelope's hand. "Penelope, help me open one of these paintings."

"Let's help."

The two beautiful girls opened the package slowly so as not to damage the items inside. Once all the wrapping paper has been released, a beautiful painting of a member of the Lombard family looks very classy.

"Well.." the two were equally amazed to see the results of Oddeth's painting that was very real, as if presenting a mirror in front of them. The details of each section are very considered so as to create a realistic impression. "It's so beautiful, I can't even blink" Penelope said as she highlighted a part of herself.

"Yes, I'm glad I didn't choose the wrong person." Quinn muttered with a proud smile as if she was looking at the work of her own son. "You picked the painter, Quinn?"

"really? I just found out. It seems like he's not from a well-known family."

"Indeed right. He's just a commoner, but his abilities can be thumbs up and you've seen the results in plain sight."

"Hm, yes you're right."

Savero and Bastien came out of the study. Bastien wants to deliver Savero who will come home after helping him take care of the problems at home. The father and son saw Quinn and his cousin in front of a large painting of their family.

"Oh, is the painting coming?" ask Bastien.

"Yes grandfather, look at this. The painting is very good." Quinn said showing off Oddeth's work.

"Haha yes, this is very good. Too bad Vincent wasn't in it." Quinn saw there was sadness implied in Bastien's eyes.

Yeah how not, Vincent never showed up at all in front of his own family. It has been more than seven years Vincent seemed to separate and did not consider himself still have a family. Not only Bastien, Savero as a younger brother also felt the same way.

Penelope chose to remain silent, not trying to explain what and how her father was in the city of Verenity (City closest to the city of Helldelune).

"Penelope, bring one to your house. Savero will bring the other one" said Bastien half forcefully.

"Good, grandpa. Thank you." Thank you."

"Penelope, what exactly did your father do? did she never get out of the house though?"

Quinn saw an unusual reaction from Penelope. Although for a second the girl's body had stiffened before she finally behaved as usual again. "He's out occasionally taking care of work, grandpa. The business is only in the city. I honestly don't interact much with people at home because he's always busy" she said, stroking her nape. The reddish marks there did not disappear even after a few days.

Savero gave Penelope a personal letter. "Can you give this to your father?".

"Can, Uncle. I'll give it to you."

"Yes, let's go home now. Quinn doesn't seem to be sick anymore."

"All right."

Savero did not say a word to his daughter for a farewell. He even passed Quinn by. Yeah it doesn't matter, it's what Quinn wants. Family relationships are not that important to him. It used to be possible that family was everything to Quinn, but now living alone with sufficient wealth was his only goal after he returned from the dead.

After Savero and Penelope left, Quinn went back into her room to throw Penelope's orange lily into her bedroom fireplace. "This eye is really useful."

Since receiving the bouquet, Quinn has seen unusual powder scattered on each sheet of petals. Even his nose could already smell an unusual scent. Quinn already knew that it was some kind of powdery poison.

Quinn felt confident that the ability that Zacchaeus had lent him was capable of saving him. Quinn decided to risk his life to find the truth. The result is in accordance with the guess. The poison was not effective against him.

The silver bottle was Quinn. He accidentally put it in a plastic bouquet to corner Penelope. Quinn is convinced that Penelope is planning to kill him after her plan to hire a hitman fails.

Then Quinn sat down on the edge of the bed looking at the fireplace. "It turns out that sent the hit man Penelope. Hahaha, I thought it was Raiden's doing."

Judging from how Penelope asked what events Quinn remembered had explained everything. Similarly, the scene of Quinn pretending to be exposed to the poison. Penelope soon found out there was a toxic reaction in Quinn's body, but one could have concluded it was a flower powder allergy. Penelope subconsciously clarified all her mistakes.

"It's not strange that Penelope wants to get rid of me, either. But why is he in such a hurry?"

Quinn is well aware Penelope is indeed ambitious to be a couple Raiden regardless of sincere or not the feelings she has towards the Crown Prince. "Penelope doesn't have a good relationship with uncle Vincent. What is he really hiding?"

At that time Raiden rode to the scene where Quinn got the incident that almost took his life. Raiden, accompanied by four of his soldiers, investigated the area.

The tiny-faced man immediately came upon the three corpses of the man who had been stiffened on the ground. Two suffered stab wounds to the deep chest. While another one was a bit separated from the other two corpses. "It's a very random attack. If there's someone like Quinn to explain, there's no way he's left a trail like this." Raiden thought as he flipped over the body of the man Quinn had blinded before. "Hahaha, no way, is this Quinn's doing? that girl could launch an attack?"

"Prince, I've dispersed the palace soldiers to search for the man that Lady Quinn mentioned."

"good. I want the results tomorrow morning."

"Understand, Your Majesty."

Raiden went back down the road and approached the chariot which had been overturned. "There's something strange." he then ordered all the soldiers who had come along to bring what they saw to the palace as evidence.

After that another Knight came to take Carter, the spy coachman sent him to the Lombard residence. "I've found Carter the traitor, Prince. He's in front of the casino."

The man in a shabby and absent mind knelt before his master. "Hello, Carter. How are you doing? you don't seem to be feeling well" Raiden paused his words to crouch down in front of Carter. "What is less money? if you know you suck, why bet? my money's over?"

Raiden drew the knight sword standing next to him. He also did not hesitate to press the blade of his sword into the skin of Carter's neck. His eyes were filled with anger. "Now answer me. What happened that night to Quinn?"

Carter wept in fear, then prostrated himself to touch Raiden's legs asking for forgiveness. "Y-Your Majesty, please forgive me. I don't remember anything. I don't know anything. But trust me, Your Majesty, I didn't do any of this!"

"That's chatty. I never asked you to give me a reason. Answer me, Carter. I don't like to repeat my words."

"S-I really don't remember anything, Your Majesty."

Jean, Raiden's personal knight stomped on Carter's back very hard. "We better put him in prison, Your Majesty."

Raiden stood up while kicking Carter's hands against his shoes. He unblinkingly unsheathed the sword from Carter's back until it broke into the heart. "The prison is full. Why hold another useless human like him? just kill is enough."

Liters of blood seeped into the ground beneath the corpse of poor Carter who was still in that prostrate position. "There's no point in saving a trashy life like this."

Raiden's cold gaze at the corpse before him made all the other soldiers gulp in horror. Raiden does not tolerate any wrongdoing at all. "Dump this corpse into the ravine. I don't care if his body is eaten by a beast."

Jean encodes the two soldiers who come with her to take the corpse away. "Wait a minute" Raiden said.

He observed a blue bruise on Carter's nape.

"It's..." Raiden stared at the cross-sectional goal then he grinned widely with sparkling eyes exuding surprise yet delight. "Haha, Quinn. You're really interesting."

Jean and the other soldiers did not understand why Raiden suddenly smiled with eyes filled with ambition as if he had just gained a level opponent. All they know is to keep boundaries because Raiden is not in a good mood.

"Quick dispose. I have to go back to the palace."

"Okay, Your Majesty."

Raiden spurred his white horse very quickly. "Quinn, you always win my attention." Raiden knew Quinn was no longer the same person. There was a big change that happened after two whole months Raiden did not meet him.

"Now, what should I do to you?"