Suddenly, a soft voice interrupted the conversation between The Past Usher and The Past Vione. They both turned to the source of the voice and found Mireya arriving.
The Past Vione closed her mouth when she saw that Mireya had arrived so early and at such a perfect moment. Mireya came just as she and the Past Usher were having a disagreement. She was sure that Mireya would only make the situation worse.
“Mireya.”
Mireya approached The Past Usher, who immediately got up from his seat. She glanced at The Past Vione before asking The Past Usher. “What tonic are you talking about?”
“Oh, that,” The Past Usher muttered indifferently. “Vione said she put tonic in my morning tea. She said it was to keep me fit.”
Mireya narrowed her eyes. “To keep you fit?”
“Yes.”
Mireya paused for a moment before looking at The Past Vione. She stared at The Past Vione for a moment with an expression that was difficult to interpret. The Past Vione scoffed.
“Why?” The Past Vione asked defensively. “Are you trying to say something? Well, just so you know, I’m doing this for Usher’s good, to keep him fit, to keep him healthy and to protect him from all kinds of diseases.” She returned Mireya’s gaze. “Including protecting him from diseases like yours.”
The Past Usher’s eyes widened, obviously not expecting the Past Vione to speak like that. Mireya, on the other hand, was taken aback. The Past Vione’s words made her take a step back. Her look changed to one of suspicion.
“W-what do you mean?” Mireya asked with a shaking voice. She tried to stay calm, even though her heart rate increased uncomfortably. “D-disease like me?”
The Past Vione looked at Mireya with disdain. She thought, how could Mireya be so ignorant? For her, Mireya was nothing but a disease that had ruined her relationship with Usher. In the end, she was convinced that Mireya wanted to separate them. “Yes, a disease like you. Do you think it’s so hard to find out your intentions all the time?”
Mireya’s heart seemed to stop. Her lips trembled, but the pallor was fortunately well covered by her red lipstick. Nevertheless, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, then ran down the sides of her face.
Mireya was stunned by the various questions that filled her head. What does Vione mean? Does she know my plan? But how could she? And then… Her eyes fell on the teacup. Did that mean she wanted to sober Usher up with the tea?
The possibility seemed plausible and immediately filled Mireya with fear. She decided to take no chances. She acted quickly. She grabbed the teacup and dropped it on the floor without saying a word.
The teacup shattered. The tea spilled and soaked the floor. The Past Usher was shocked, and so was the Past Vione.
The Past Usher grabbed Mireya’s hand. “What are you doing, Mireya?”
“What am I doing?” Mireya asked with a sneer. She pulled her hand away from Usher and pointed at The Past Vione. “I’m sure it wasn’t tonic that Vione mixed in. Instead, it must be something that would harm your health.”
The Past Vione’s eyes widened. “W-what?” she asked, unable to believe it. “How dare you accuse me of that, Mireya! You-”
“Do you think I can’t see through your mind, Vione?” Mireya quickly cut her off in a high tone. She pointed even more at the past Vione. “You must be very jealous of the love between me and Usher, so you made a cunning plan.”
The Past Vione gaped. Her mouth opened in disbelief at Mireya’s words. She shook her head. “You accuse me, Mireya.”
“I accuse you for a reason.”
“Of course you are,” The Past Vione insisted. “Besides, for your information, I didn’t just randomly add tonic to Usher’s tea. In fact, Usher himself told me to do it last night.”
This statement shocked Mireya even more. “What?” She turned to Usher. “Is what she said true, Usher?”
Usher shook his head. “Not at all. She’s just making things up, and you know yourself that I was very busy last night. So, I didn’t see her at all. Besides, you know I haven’t seen her for a long time. It’s always her who finds excuses to see me.”
The Past Vione nodded several times. Her face gave the impression that she had expected Usher to act this way. “You always defend Mireya. You never believe me, Usher. But seriously?” She laughed bitterly. “You just slandered me right in front of my face. You’re really outrageous.”
“Vione!”
“I’ve had enough of this, Usher!” The Past Vione grabbed the teapot. She lifted it high. “Tonic? To keep you fit?” She shook her head. “I don’t care anymore!”
The Past Vione ended her words by smashing the teapot on the floor. The chaos grew worse. Shards of glass and tea covered the floor.
On the other side, The Past Usher, who never expected The Past Vione to go that far, growled while Mireya gasped and clutched her chest. Both were extremely shocked but couldn’t say anything as The Past Vione stormed out.
The Past Usher took a deep breath, then checked on Mireya. “Are you okay?” he asked as he looked at the shards of glass surrounding her. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
Mireya shook her head. “Yes, Usher. I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.” She smiled. “I’m just a little shocked. I never thought Vione would act like that.”
“Don’t think about her. I think she’s a little crazy this morning.”
This time Mireya nodded, although Usher’s words weren’t enough to ease her worries. So, she spoke again, this time more carefully. “Um, so does that mean you really don’t know anything about this tonic?” She saw Usher standing with his hands on his hips. “Vione said the tonic were to keep you from getting sick.”
The Past Usher rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. “I told you, she’s a little crazy this morning. So don’t pay attention to anything that comes out of her mouth. It’s better if you call Ida now. Tell her to clean up this mess.”
“O-oh, yes, Usher. I’ll call her,” Mireya said quickly with a smile. Then she led Usher back to the dining table. “You wait here, I won’t be long.”
The Past Usher didn’t say anything while Mireya promptly left. Her footsteps seemed calm and she looked at The Past Usher with a suspicious look.
Mireya clenched her hands. She left the dining room with a single certainty. It seems that Usher hasn’t shown any strange signs yet. But I can’t be careless. What exactly is Vione planning?
*