6. The Queen's Robbery Incident
"Your Majesty! Are you awake?!"
The azure canopy ceiling came into view. Endymion frowned as he realized that he was lying in the King's private bedroom. He was alone in the large bed.
Endymion threw back the blanket and sat up. The shocked chamberlain hurriedly helped Endymion up.
"...What happened?"
"After Her Majesty fell, Your Majesty also lost consciousness!"
At those words, the situation before he fainted came flooding back to Endymion's mind.
When he returned to the ballroom, Julia was not there. He thought she had left because she had something to do, but she did not return even after some time had passed. He thought it was strange, so he released a few guards, but Julia's whereabouts were unknown.
Endymion sensed that something was wrong. However, with so many important foreign ambassadors and nobles present, he could not publicly announce the Queen's disappearance.
Endymion led the royal guard on a secret search and discovered a strange light coming from the garden greenhouse.
Julia, trapped in a strong golden aura, reached out her hand, and Killian, frozen in place, holding the ring she always wore.
The moment he saw that sight, there was only one thought in Endymion's mind: he had to put that ring on Julia's hand.
"Get back before I kill you."
So, Endymion felt a murderous desire towards Killian, who was hesitating right in front of him.
He's worried about Julia, who's in danger, and his heart is pounding with fear that even a single hair on her head will be harmed! Why on earth is Killian just standing there blankly watching!
Seeing that he was so affectionate and yet refused to help even though she was right in front of him, it was reasonable to infer that there was a fatal risk lurking in the way of rescuing Julia.
But that didn't matter, because, unlike Killian, the most important thing in his life was Julia.
Endymion managed to pierce through the menacing golden curtain of unknown possibilities and succeeded in putting the ring through the heat that burned his skin and ran through his veins.
And then he lost consciousness.
As he reached the part where his memory was cut off, he suddenly came to his senses. Endymion swallowed the burning pain in his throat and asked quickly.
"The Queen?"
"Her Majesty fainted and was brought to the Queen's Palace! Your Majesty, I am so glad you woke up safely. Doctor! Immediately..."
Endymion roughly got out of bed, shoving aside the chamberlain and the doctor who shouted that he needed more rest ,and headed for the Queen's palace.
Right now, he had to make sure Julia was okay.
***
The road to the Queen's Palace was quiet. There was a gap of an hour, but fortunately, no rumors seemed to have spread.
The ballroom is under the command of Duke Hyde, who has been briefed on the situation, the Knight Commander said as he followed Endymion. And immediately the report followed.
Princess Soare, who was found at the scene, was charged with the crime of escape and was imprisoned in a special prison. She was treated for her suspicious injuries to a minimum and regained consciousness, so she could be questioned right away. The body of the demon was transferred to the Royal Institute for analysis, and the results will arrive soon.
By the time he entered the Queen's palace, Endymion had been briefed on the situation after he lost consciousness.
"Your Majesty, and I have something else to tell you..."
"Your Majesty!"
The captain of the vice-captain guarding the bedroom shouted in surprise. His serious face changed to one of relief at the unprecedented situation where the King and Queen lost consciousness at the same time.
Endymion raised his hand to stop the Knight Commander from saying something and ran down the long corridor with a stern face. Checking on Julia was more important than anything else right now.
The knights who had been guarding the Queen's bedroom hurriedly opened the way.
"Your Majesty the King!"
Just as he was about to step through the gap in the silver armor and stand in front of the bedroom door, Endymion turned his gaze as he grabbed the doorknob at the voice that burst out.
"Your Majesty! I too would like to see the Queen....!"
Bang.
Endymion mercilessly closed the door before Killian's eyes.
The noise of the hallway that had been rumbling was suddenly blocked. The attending doctor inside turned around and opened his eyes wide in surprise and relief. Endymion quickly crossed the room and approached the bed.
"Your Majesty! I am glad you are awake! Is there anything uncomfortable..."
"What about the Queen?"
"Ah, that, that..."
The confidence in the doctor's voice, which had been noticeably relieved upon seeing him, disappeared. Endymion roughly pushed away the canopy as his head cooled down.
"..."
Julia was seen lying quietly and comfortably. She looked as if she was asleep, as she looked the same as usual. However, her complexion was pale and her breathing was faint.
Endymion bit his lip and reached out his hand, feeling as if his heart was stopping.
He pushed away the silver hair that had been wrapped around her face and touched her cheek. The gentle warmth was gone. and all that was left was cold skin.
"...What's going on?"
At the King's seething voice, the Queen's palace doctor opened his mouth with difficulty, wiping away sweat.
"That, that... I can't diagnose it. There's clearly nothing wrong with Her Majesty's body, but she's not conscious, and her body temperature and breathing are weak. I'm sorry, but in my 30 years of experience, this is the first time I've seen these symptoms..."
The Knight Commander arrived after the incident was over, so he couldn't tell the attending doctor anything about Julia. Fortunately, Endymion came to his senses without any problems, but...
"May I ask what happened before you fainted?"
Endymion, his face hardened, felt behind Julia's ear and the nape of her neck and tried to open his mouth absentmindedly. But soon, he remembered the scene where Julia was trapped in a strange golden curtain, and the strange power disappeared as soon as he put the ring on.
"Your Majesty?"
It's magic. No matter how little he knows about it, he can't help but notice that it's related to magic.
But if he talked about it, he didn't know when or where it would get out. But Endymion couldn't just leave her like this without getting treatment.
Endymion thought for a moment, then opened his mouth in a subdued voice.
"Is there a chance that the condition will worsen?"
"I can't guarantee it, but I don't think so. I've been checking Her Majesty's condition every minute, and although it's weak, it's still stable. I suspect that her body temperature dropped and her breathing became weak right after she passed out."
The attending doctor added that it was a state similar to hibernation.
Endymion looked around at the sleeping Julia. Certainly, her complexion was pale, but she did not seem to be in pain. Her breathing and pulse were slow and faint, but not unsteady.
Knock knock.
At that moment, a knock was heard outside. But Endymion remained motionless and only looked at Julia.
As several minutes passed, the longing knocking continued. The attending doctor, who realized that Endymion was not ignoring him but was completely unheard, opened the door slightly and brought the chamberlain in, noticing Endymion's frozen expression.
"I am sorry, Your Majesty. The evening ball will be closing soon. What should we do?"
The chamberlain asked cautiously. Endymion, who had been caressing Julia silently while bending down, furrowed his brows. Soon, he slowly stood up from his silence.
He didn't want to leave Julia alone, but if both the King and Queen were absent from the closing ceremony, things would get complicated. First, he had to organize the ball to reduce the number of onlookers in the castle and prevent word from getting out.
"Do your utmost to take care of the Queen. I will grant you all the authority you need, so find a way to help her come to her senses."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Endymion left the bedroom, ordering all of the King's personal doctors to gather in the Queen's palace to assist her.
The closing ceremony was running out, so Duke Hyde's attendant was waiting outside. Endymion ordered half of the knights to be stationed at the Queen's palace, and the rest to return to the ballroom. Then he and the knight commander set off to return to the ballroom.
"Your Majesty, I was wrong. Please let me see Her Majesty just once!"
It seemed like he had been waiting for a long time. Killian pushed his way through the knights, but Endymion didn't even spare him a glance.
***
Fortunately, the closing ceremony ended without a hitch. Many noticed that King Semele and his wife were absent for over an hour at the end of the ball, but everyone seemed to think it was an aberration.
That was understandable since it was the night of the coming-of-age ceremony, and when Endymion appeared with his usual calm expression, the people only gave him mischievous laughter.
As Endymion closed the ball alone, the ambassadors and nobles ended the ball, envious of the royal couple's gold. The official coming-of-age ceremony was over, leaving only the breakfast to be held tomorrow, and Milady and Iris, unaware of the situation, went to the Grand Duchess Palace without taking any notice.
"Your Majesty, what on earth has happened?"
Duke Hyde, the only one who had been briefed on the situation, followed and asked. However, even he did not know why Endymion and Julia had lost consciousness at the same time.
Endymion briefly explained the situation.
"How, how can that happen! Your Majesty, then should we ask the Magic Tower for help?"
The frightened Duke Hyde asked in a low voice. Endymion answered with a cold face.
"If it's magic, they are the ones who are trying to exercise their rights. I can't tell them before I even understand the situation."
"Ha, but isn't Her Majesty still not awake? If the doctors can't find a solution no matter how hard they try..."
"Please let me see the Queen."
An unfamiliar voice was heard. Endymion and Duke Hyde, who had just entered the Queen's Palace corridor, turned their heads at the same time.
In the hallway in front of the bedroom, opposite the guards, a man stood. Duke Hyde asked cautiously.
"Who is there?"
It was a man he had never seen before. He had a dull, plain face, and a different accent. It was a face he had never seen before, even at a ball.
A color came over the face of the man who had discovered Endymion and Duke Hyde. He soon bowed his head slightly and introduced himself.
"Your Majesty the King of Semele! My name is Boris Arcon."
Arcon?
Endymion narrowed his eyes. Meanwhile, the Knight Commander whispered a quick report.
"Your Majesty, this is the matter I was going to tell you earlier. Right after Her Majesty and the Queen collapsed, this guy showed up. He was not invited to the ball, so we arrested him and verified his identity. He was found to be carrying an ID card issued by the Magic Tower. He has been requesting to see you for some time now."
A person with the same surname as Magic Tower. He was a wizard.
"I hear Her Majesty hasn't woken up yet? I think I can help you."
The man spoke with the confident tone characteristic of a wizard. Endymion slowly approached the bedroom and looked at him coldly.
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