Mae slowly lowered her hand, her eyes narrowing when her gaze stopped at Lina's waist.
"Here," she said quietly. "You've got poison residue on your clothes. A nerve stimulant."
Lina's face drained of color.
"I-I… I don't know anything, Miss Mae… I swear. I never felt anything strange," she blurted out, her voice shaking.
But the memory hit her all at once.
…That evening. The kitchen.
Liria standing over her, ordering her to pour that liquid into the bread.
Her hands trembling. The cap slipping between her fingers.
…and a single drop soaking into the fabric.
Lina swallowed hard.
If I tell her the truth… Healer Mae will know I tried to poison someone.
I'd lose my job. Liria wouldn't let me live.
Mae studied her for a moment, silent.
Then she sighed.
"Whatever the reason, if we leave it like this, the residue will sink deeper into the fabric. It won't hurt you now—but it could later."
She lifted her gauntlet once more.
"Don't move."
