The maid from Serene Palace was only able to reach her destination after stopping people passing by and asking them several times where Astel Palace was. She had only been an apprentice maid for a few days, so it was natural that she could not memorize the entire location of the palace.
Arriving in front of Astel Palace, she looked up at the arch at the entrance with a nervous expression. Although it was a much smaller palace than Serene Palace and was located in a remote location, it had an elegance that strangely overwhelmed people.
The same was true of Argent Palace, which can be seen directly across from Astel Palace. Even though no one was staying there, it was so cleanly maintained that it felt somewhat disrespectful to even glance at it carelessly.
She hesitated, looking down at the snacks piled up on the plate. She suddenly seemed to be encouraged by the weight she felt in her pocket, swallowed dry saliva, and entered the palace. It was difficult for her to raise her head as all the servants and maids who passed by seemed to be looking at her.
“Uh...”
The maid's prediction that the most luxurious place would probably be where the Prince stayed was exactly correct. The guards standing sparsely were scary, but the attendant guarding the door didn't seem to be much older than her.
The maid, who was a little relieved and spoke to him in a somewhat relaxed manner, quickly pursed her lips when the attendant glared at him.
“Who are you? What’s your business?”
“Oh, hey… Her Highness the Crown Princess sent this! To the Prince!”
“Her Highness the Crown Princess sent you?”
When the servant's tone immediately softened, the maid thought it was strange. He looked at the cookie on the plate and held out his hand to take it.
“Okay, I’ll tell it to His Highness the Prince.”
"Thank you. Well, then I’ll just...”
The maid, who bowed her back, hurriedly turned around. The maid was tilting her head while holding the plate, so Nadin looked at the back of the maid who was quickly moving away from him, and muttered to himself with an uncertain face.
“Was there a maid like that? At Argent Palace...”
Argent Palace, like Astel Palace, was not large in scale and did not have many maids because Judith disliked crowds. Nadine knew most of the maids who worked at the Argent Palace, as he glanced around the Argent Palace whenever he had the chance to catch a glimpse of Judith as she was embroidering. But the young maid from before was a face he had never seen before.
“Well, since Her Highness moved her residence, she must have hired a new maid. Ugh... I’m the only one wondering what this is.”
Nadin grumbled with the corners of hia mouth twisted, pushed the door open with his shoulder, and went inside. Judith and Franz moved to the Nation Palace and took most of the servants and maids with them, but only Nadin remained in the Astel Palace and waited on Rogero. Since it was a personal request from Franz, he did not dare to say no, but he became increasingly dissatisfied with it day by day.
“How long will the Prince, who is not even a Rotairite, last... When are you going back? I have to go back quickly so I can go to Nation Palace.”
At least he was able to see Judith's face today as he was said to be coming to Astel Palace to meet Rogero. Rogero, who only told Nadin those words, said he had a place to visit before Judith came, and left like the wind, not returning yet.
“But why did you send so many snacks? I don’t think the two of you will be able to eat all of this.”
Nadin glanced around at the closed door, put his hand under the stack of cookies, and slipped out a few. The moment he put it in his mouth, he first felt a strong cinnamon scent, but it contained a lot of rich chocolate, so it was sweet enough to make his tongue tingle as he ate it.
Nadine had not been able to eat snacks properly after standing all day, so he ate five or six snacks in an instant. He felt like he wanted to eat more, but it felt like if he touched it any longer, he would get ripped off.
Then there was a knocking sound. Shocked, Nadin quickly rubbed his mouth with his sleeve and opened the door.
“The Crown Princess is here!”
“Nadin, why are you here? What about His Highness the Prince?”
Judith looked into the room with a puzzled expression.
“His Highness, just a moment... He left. He’ll be here soon, so come in.”
Judith nodded slightly and walked lightly inside the door. The moment she passed by, Nadin suddenly felt her heart pounding as the rich scent of wisteria flowers passed his nose.
“It was him, the Prince, who asked me to have tea.”
"Yes? The Crown Princess... Didn’t you ask His Highness the Prince to drink tea with you?”
“No, His Highness the Prince sent me a letter. Look.”
Judith took out a thin envelope from her bosom and waved it. Nadin was confused. Rogero clearly said that Judith asked to have tea first? Was there some mistake?
'Wait a minute, more than that... Why am I like this?'
Nadin shook his head and blinked. For some reason, he had a strange feeling as if cold sweat was seeping down his back. Not only that, but his entire body's pulse suddenly started pounding as if it were going to explode. His entire arm felt as cold as freezing, and he suddenly felt hot everywhere, to the point where it was itchy.
“What kind of snack is this? Did you bake it again this time?”
"Yes? No, that's...”
He was going to ask if Judith had sent it. But instead of asking a question, Nadin took a step toward Judith, as if in a spell.
Judith looked up and saw Nadin's face with a strange expression. In a moment, his face turned red as if it was about to explode. Not only that, but his pupils were wide open and sweat was seeping from his forehead.
“Nadin, why are you doing this? Aren’t you feeling unwell?”
Judith asked, but Nadin did not answer. To be precise, he couldn't even hear what Judith was saying, so he couldn't answer. It seemed like he couldn't see Judith clearly in front of him. He shook his head wildly and blinked his eyes violently, showing a repeated look of confusion.
Only then did a suspicious expression appear on Judith's face. Even in her eyes, Nadin's behavior seemed strange. No matter where she looked at him, the sight of him swinging both arms as if something like a bug was clinging to him was abnormal.
“Your... Your Highness the Crown Princess.”
“Nadine, why...”
“Your Highness...”
The moment he spread his arms and took a stance to attack, Judith unconsciously dodged away without even having time to think about the situation. Nadin, who stumbled and fell, turned his head towards Judith. A trembling body, red bloodshot eyes, and gaping mouth. No matter how she looked at it, it wasn't normal.
“Hey, be quiet...”
“Nadine, you... What on earth...”
“You can’t be quiet...!”
“Nadin!”
Judith screamed. At that time, the closed door burst open and Rogero rushed in.
“Your Highness, what’s going on?”
“I, I don’t know. How... How did this happen...”
Judith's eyes widened in fear as she saw Nadin lying on the floor. Nadin was about to jump on her when he suddenly fell, clutching his chest. He was now trembling all over his body. She could no longer see his pupils, and saliva was flowing from his parted lips.
“Bring in the palace doctor!”
Rogero shouted to the guards who followed. While busy and urgent footsteps came and went, Judith looked at the fallen Nadin. But he seemed to be already unconscious. The convulsions in his body were just happening, like some kind of seizure. Judith gently pressed her fingertips to the side of his throbbing neck. She could barely feel his pulse.
“Your Highness, what is this?”
Rogero, who was looking around the room, pointed to the snacks on the table and asked. Judith shook her head.
"I don't know. Didn’t His Highness the Prince tell Nadin to prepare?”
"Yes? No."
Rogero didn't even pay attention to the fallen Nadin. This was because, with little medical opinion, he coldly judged that there was nothing he could do. But he did see a black stain around Nadin's lips. It exactly matched the color of the chocolate covered in cookies.
Clearly, Nadin's condition was fine until he left the palace. If he had been in pain enough to collapse like this, he would have made it visible somewhere, but there were no signs of that happening at all. Rogero quickly turned his head. There were not many cases in which a normal person would suddenly have a seizure and collapse without any warning.
Rogero picked up one of the snacks on the plate. At first glance, it was an ordinary chocolate cookie. The color of the dough was a little dark, probably because it was a little late to take it out of the oven. When Rogrro put it to the tip of his nose, he could smell a strong cinnamon scent.
Rogero put down the snack with a frown and picked up another snack next to it. It was the same chocolate cookie with the same cinnamon scent. Judith was helpless as she looked at Nadin, who had even stopped convulsing, and then looked up at Rogero, who was holding a cookie to his nose.
“Your Highness the Prince, what are you doing now?”
“Someone mixed something into these cookies.”
Judith could not react quickly. It was because the tone was calm as if he was saying, ‘It’s a chocolate cookie.’ The weight of what Rogero said was not immediately apparent. Judith, who was blinking in silence, looked at Rogero, then back at the plate of cookies, and only after a long time did she cover her mouth with a trembling hand.
“Is it poison?”
“It’s a bit ambiguous to call it poison. But in the end, it turned out to be poisonous. I don't know if I knew this would happen or if it happened by chance...”
At that time, the entrance became noisy. It seemed like the guards had brought the royal guard with them. Rogero put down the snack he was holding in his hand and ran outside. He thought he heard Judith calling behind him, but it wasn't the time to worry about that.
Rogero thought that the person who planned this must be nearby. Running down the long hallway in an instant, he thought of a place in his head where he could get the best view of the room he was staying in. A place that is suitable for hiding and where you can look into the room through the glass window.
The only place like that was the western promenade. There are arborvitae trees lined up, and there is a path through which you can leave with your back to Astel Palace and Argent Palace.
“Who are you? What’s your business?”
“Oh, hey… Her Highness the Crown Princess sent this! To the Prince!”
“Her Highness the Crown Princess sent you?”
When the servant's tone immediately softened, the maid thought it was strange. He looked at the cookie on the plate and held out his hand to take it.
“Okay, I’ll tell it to His Highness the Prince.”
"Thank you. Well, then I’ll just...”
The maid, who bowed her back, hurriedly turned around. The maid was tilting her head while holding the plate, so Nadin looked at the back of the maid who was quickly moving away from him, and muttered to himself with an uncertain face.
“Was there a maid like that? At Argent Palace...”
Argent Palace, like Astel Palace, was not large in scale and did not have many maids because Judith disliked crowds. Nadine knew most of the maids who worked at the Argent Palace, as he glanced around the Argent Palace whenever he had the chance to catch a glimpse of Judith as she was embroidering. But the young maid from before was a face he had never seen before.
“Well, since Her Highness moved her residence, she must have hired a new maid. Ugh... I’m the only one wondering what this is.”
Nadin grumbled with the corners of hia mouth twisted, pushed the door open with his shoulder, and went inside. Judith and Franz moved to the Nation Palace and took most of the servants and maids with them, but only Nadin remained in the Astel Palace and waited on Rogero. Since it was a personal request from Franz, he did not dare to say no, but he became increasingly dissatisfied with it day by day.
“How long will the Prince, who is not even a Rotairite, last... When are you going back? I have to go back quickly so I can go to Nation Palace.”
At least he was able to see Judith's face today as he was said to be coming to Astel Palace to meet Rogero. Rogero, who only told Nadin those words, said he had a place to visit before Judith came, and left like the wind, not returning yet.
“But why did you send so many snacks? I don’t think the two of you will be able to eat all of this.”
Nadin glanced around at the closed door, put his hand under the stack of cookies, and slipped out a few. The moment he put it in his mouth, he first felt a strong cinnamon scent, but it contained a lot of rich chocolate, so it was sweet enough to make his tongue tingle as he ate it.
Nadine had not been able to eat snacks properly after standing all day, so he ate five or six snacks in an instant. He felt like he wanted to eat more, but it felt like if he touched it any longer, he would get ripped off.
Then there was a knocking sound. Shocked, Nadin quickly rubbed his mouth with his sleeve and opened the door.
“The Crown Princess is here!”
“Nadin, why are you here? What about His Highness the Prince?”
Judith looked into the room with a puzzled expression.
“His Highness, just a moment... He left. He’ll be here soon, so come in.”
Judith nodded slightly and walked lightly inside the door. The moment she passed by, Nadin suddenly felt her heart pounding as the rich scent of wisteria flowers passed his nose.
“It was him, the Prince, who asked me to have tea.”
"Yes? The Crown Princess... Didn’t you ask His Highness the Prince to drink tea with you?”
“No, His Highness the Prince sent me a letter. Look.”
Judith took out a thin envelope from her bosom and waved it. Nadin was confused. Rogero clearly said that Judith asked to have tea first? Was there some mistake?
'Wait a minute, more than that... Why am I like this?'
Nadin shook his head and blinked. For some reason, he had a strange feeling as if cold sweat was seeping down his back. Not only that, but his entire body's pulse suddenly started pounding as if it were going to explode. His entire arm felt as cold as freezing, and he suddenly felt hot everywhere, to the point where it was itchy.
“What kind of snack is this? Did you bake it again this time?”
"Yes? No, that's...”
He was going to ask if Judith had sent it. But instead of asking a question, Nadin took a step toward Judith, as if in a spell.
Judith looked up and saw Nadin's face with a strange expression. In a moment, his face turned red as if it was about to explode. Not only that, but his pupils were wide open and sweat was seeping from his forehead.
“Nadin, why are you doing this? Aren’t you feeling unwell?”
Judith asked, but Nadin did not answer. To be precise, he couldn't even hear what Judith was saying, so he couldn't answer. It seemed like he couldn't see Judith clearly in front of him. He shook his head wildly and blinked his eyes violently, showing a repeated look of confusion.
Only then did a suspicious expression appear on Judith's face. Even in her eyes, Nadin's behavior seemed strange. No matter where she looked at him, the sight of him swinging both arms as if something like a bug was clinging to him was abnormal.
“Your... Your Highness the Crown Princess.”
“Nadine, why...”
“Your Highness...”
The moment he spread his arms and took a stance to attack, Judith unconsciously dodged away without even having time to think about the situation. Nadin, who stumbled and fell, turned his head towards Judith. A trembling body, red bloodshot eyes, and gaping mouth. No matter how she looked at it, it wasn't normal.
“Hey, be quiet...”
“Nadine, you... What on earth...”
“You can’t be quiet...!”
“Nadin!”
Judith screamed. At that time, the closed door burst open and Rogero rushed in.
“Your Highness, what’s going on?”
“I, I don’t know. How... How did this happen...”
Judith's eyes widened in fear as she saw Nadin lying on the floor. Nadin was about to jump on her when he suddenly fell, clutching his chest. He was now trembling all over his body. She could no longer see his pupils, and saliva was flowing from his parted lips.
“Bring in the palace doctor!”
Rogero shouted to the guards who followed. While busy and urgent footsteps came and went, Judith looked at the fallen Nadin. But he seemed to be already unconscious. The convulsions in his body were just happening, like some kind of seizure. Judith gently pressed her fingertips to the side of his throbbing neck. She could barely feel his pulse.
“Your Highness, what is this?”
Rogero, who was looking around the room, pointed to the snacks on the table and asked. Judith shook her head.
"I don't know. Didn’t His Highness the Prince tell Nadin to prepare?”
"Yes? No."
Rogero didn't even pay attention to the fallen Nadin. This was because, with little medical opinion, he coldly judged that there was nothing he could do. But he did see a black stain around Nadin's lips. It exactly matched the color of the chocolate covered in cookies.
Clearly, Nadin's condition was fine until he left the palace. If he had been in pain enough to collapse like this, he would have made it visible somewhere, but there were no signs of that happening at all. Rogero quickly turned his head. There were not many cases in which a normal person would suddenly have a seizure and collapse without any warning.
Rogero picked up one of the snacks on the plate. At first glance, it was an ordinary chocolate cookie. The color of the dough was a little dark, probably because it was a little late to take it out of the oven. When Rogrro put it to the tip of his nose, he could smell a strong cinnamon scent.
Rogero put down the snack with a frown and picked up another snack next to it. It was the same chocolate cookie with the same cinnamon scent. Judith was helpless as she looked at Nadin, who had even stopped convulsing, and then looked up at Rogero, who was holding a cookie to his nose.
“Your Highness the Prince, what are you doing now?”
“Someone mixed something into these cookies.”
Judith could not react quickly. It was because the tone was calm as if he was saying, ‘It’s a chocolate cookie.’ The weight of what Rogero said was not immediately apparent. Judith, who was blinking in silence, looked at Rogero, then back at the plate of cookies, and only after a long time did she cover her mouth with a trembling hand.
“Is it poison?”
“It’s a bit ambiguous to call it poison. But in the end, it turned out to be poisonous. I don't know if I knew this would happen or if it happened by chance...”
At that time, the entrance became noisy. It seemed like the guards had brought the royal guard with them. Rogero put down the snack he was holding in his hand and ran outside. He thought he heard Judith calling behind him, but it wasn't the time to worry about that.
Rogero thought that the person who planned this must be nearby. Running down the long hallway in an instant, he thought of a place in his head where he could get the best view of the room he was staying in. A place that is suitable for hiding and where you can look into the room through the glass window.
The only place like that was the western promenade. There are arborvitae trees lined up, and there is a path through which you can leave with your back to Astel Palace and Argent Palace.
Rogero ran around the outer wall of the castle to the beginning of the walkway and saw a human figure disappearing behind the arborvitae tree. The person who hurriedly hid with the hem of her skirt fluttering was very tall even when seen from a distance.
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