For some reason, guilt, regret, and self-loathing were swirling in his chest.
“Yes, here.”
As if she had no intention of wasting time, Bellona took off the necklace without hesitation and handed it over to Riventia.
“Take it.”
“...”
In the hand held out before him was the Riventia that Graham had so desperately wanted.
Ernest stared at the necklace, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then finally accepted it.
The necklace that had been entangled with Bellona's slender fingers fell onto Ernest's palm.
And the moment Bellona's hand was about to move away.
Ernest grabbed her wrist urgently.
“That, this is...”
Ernest stuttered, looking flustered at the hand that had been extended without his knowledge.
'Why did I hold on?'
His mind was in confusion.
Why on earth do I feel this way?
It was that woman who deceived and betrayed him in the first place.
Was it because he was lost in thought alone? Regardless of his will, his hand that grabbed Bellona's wrist gained strength.
But Bellona released Ernest's hand that was restraining her with a leisurely gesture.
“If you have nothing to say, I will go now.”
At the same time, Ernest's hands were waving in the air as if they had lost their way.
The deal ended more blandly than expected.
As soon as Ernest saw Bellona, he couldn't say anything and just moved his lips, and Bellona turned around with Hazel as if she had nothing else to say to him.
As I walked towards the carriage after my brief meeting with Ernest, I kept glancing at Hazel, who was following me.
'Why aren't you saying anything?'
If it were the Duchess of Cretian that I had seen before, she would be embracing me and shedding tears right now, or she would be questioning her daughter for turning traitor.
That's when I started getting nervous because Hazel was following me without any reaction.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps stopped, and there was a thud.
I looked back, thinking something was wrong, and saw Hazel lying on the ground, gasping for breath.
I was surprised and quickly helped Hazel, who had fallen.
However.
Cough.
“What is this...”
Hazel gushed out red blood, and a chillingly intense and vivid red blood began to pool on the cold floor.
Ah.
I, who had been frozen as if time had stopped, let out a short sigh.
My fingertips began to tremble slightly, like someone who had been doused with cold water in the middle of winter.
Everything was unreal.
Everything from the red blood constantly seeping out of the woman's hand to the harsh coughing sound that could be heard strangely in my ears.
“El, li...”
I came to my senses, my shoulders flinching at the voice calling me with difficulty. Then I lowered my head and began to check Hazel's condition.
“This is...”
It's poison.
I noticed purple spots scattered here and there on her skin, which had become so pale it was almost creepy.
'Is it Arpadium?'
The spots on her body were symptoms of Arpadium poisoning.
Arpadium is a persimmon-like fruit from a tree that was used as a rat poison and insecticide.
Since the actual taste and smell are similar to persimmons, there have been many cases of people accidentally consuming them and becoming poisoned. However, if you don't consume a lethal dose, it usually ends with a stomachache or convulsions...
'They didn't poison her all at once.'
It takes at least a week.
They must have been consistently feeding her a certain amount of poison over time.
Even if it was a sweet Arpadium, if it was in such a quantity that it would make her vomit blood, there was no way Hazel wouldn't have noticed.
I bit my lip as she realized this fact.
Then I raised my head and stared at the Crown Prince.
But Ernest also looked frozen at the sight of Hazel, who had fallen.
'Ernest doesn't know.'
Judging from the look of confusion on Ernest's face, he didn't seem to know why Hazel had collapsed.
If so, someone who came with Ernest must have been consistently poisoning Hazel.
Since it was a commonly available poison, it wasn't difficult to obtain an antidote. However, Hazel's condition didn't seem to allow even that short of time.
'I have to get to Carsis quickly.'
Carsis's blood was needed.
I helped Hazel into the carriage with the coachman who had come up to them without her noticing.
“As fast as possible, to the spire.”
And before climbing into the carriage following Hazel, I turned my head toward the spire.
'Please, Carsis.'
I hope he notices this situation.
Meanwhile, the field the two people had left was as quiet as if a storm had swept through.
And Ernest, left alone in the field, searched through his memories to define the situation he had just seen.
The Duchess, whose complexion had been looking bad since a while ago, collapsed on the spot as she started coughing up blood. Bellona then glared at him with eyes that seemed to resent him and quickly left.
“That was just...”
As Ernest trailed off, seemingly perplexed by the whole situation, Cullen's voice was heard behind him.
"Your Highness!"
Ernest came to his senses at the sound of someone calling him in an urgent voice and turned around.
Then, what she saw was not just one person.
“...Lady Oroz?”
Deborah, who was supposed to be at Gertz, was standing next to Cullen.
It was strange that Deborah was here, but her appearance was even more incomprehensible.
Her once clean dress was torn here and there, and her hair, which had always been shiny and sweet, was all tangled and had leaves stuck to it.
“Why is Young Lady here?”
Ernest looked around to see if there was anyone else with Deborah.
“Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince... Haa, I have something to tell you.”
Deborah, her shoulders shaking and her breathing ragged, spoke with difficulty.
“His Majesty the Emperor... Haha, Hazel... !”
“...”
She was too out of breath to continue speaking, but it was enough for Ernest to understand.
'Was it my father's doing?'
Only then did Ernest understand what had just happened and clenched his fists.
From the beginning, the Emperor did not trust Ernest.
Perhaps he could sense that he was sympathizing with Hazel's plight.
It was when Ernest bit his lip at the reality that he had once again been disapproved of by his father and that he had failed to prevent the misfortune of the Duchess of Cretian.
Suddenly, a question crossed his mind.
'Then who the hell attacked the Duchess?'
At first glance, the Duchess' condition appeared to be poisoning.
But if it was enough to cause hemoptysis, it would have definitely been a lethal dose.
The distance from Gertz to here, Hamelon, is about a week.
If she had been poisoned in the mansion, she would have died before she got here. That means she had been poisoned while traveling to Hamelon.
'Who is it? My father's servant.'
Ernest's gaze, which was scanning the gathered articles, stopped at one place.
Fasher.
It was the knight who suggested using Elizabeth as bait in Cuenca.
And when he saw his face, Ernest remembered something from the past that he had passed by without a second thought.
"What is that?"
"It's a cold day. I think the Duchess is having a hard time because of the cold weather."
Ha.
Ernest laughed at himself as if he had realized everything.
Then he approached the face and pulled out the sword he had on his waist.
"Your Highness!"
Cullen shouted, surprised by Ernest pointing his sword at Fasher without warning.
“You’d better tell me what you know, now, Fasher.”
“That, that...”
“Fasher!”
Ernest applied force to his hand, and the sharp blade left a red crack on the nape of Fasher's neck.
Fasher, who had been swallowing dry saliva at the sight of his blood dripping to the floor, opened his mouth.
“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered the Duchess to eat Arpadium, so... ugh.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ernest's knife dug in deeper.
“I don’t think that’s all.”
The Emperor had nothing to gain by killing Hazel, unless it was Bellona.
There's no way he would have gone to such lengths to kill just one Hazel.
Fasher continued as if Ernest's prediction was not wrong.
“I, I don’t know the details. I just know that they planted someone over there...!”
"What?"
Ernest's eyebrows twitched at the unexpected answer.
And Deborah, who had been watching the two, added:
“That’s right, that’s right! They said they would kill not only Hazel but Bellona too!”
Ernest's head became complicated at those words.
Looking at the pale-faced face of the Fasher, it seemed that he really did not know the person the Emperor had planted.
'A person who can avoid the power of obedience and threaten Bellona's life.'
“Yes, here.”
As if she had no intention of wasting time, Bellona took off the necklace without hesitation and handed it over to Riventia.
“Take it.”
“...”
In the hand held out before him was the Riventia that Graham had so desperately wanted.
Ernest stared at the necklace, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then finally accepted it.
The necklace that had been entangled with Bellona's slender fingers fell onto Ernest's palm.
And the moment Bellona's hand was about to move away.
Ernest grabbed her wrist urgently.
“That, this is...”
Ernest stuttered, looking flustered at the hand that had been extended without his knowledge.
'Why did I hold on?'
His mind was in confusion.
Why on earth do I feel this way?
It was that woman who deceived and betrayed him in the first place.
Was it because he was lost in thought alone? Regardless of his will, his hand that grabbed Bellona's wrist gained strength.
But Bellona released Ernest's hand that was restraining her with a leisurely gesture.
“If you have nothing to say, I will go now.”
At the same time, Ernest's hands were waving in the air as if they had lost their way.
The deal ended more blandly than expected.
As soon as Ernest saw Bellona, he couldn't say anything and just moved his lips, and Bellona turned around with Hazel as if she had nothing else to say to him.
***
As I walked towards the carriage after my brief meeting with Ernest, I kept glancing at Hazel, who was following me.
'Why aren't you saying anything?'
If it were the Duchess of Cretian that I had seen before, she would be embracing me and shedding tears right now, or she would be questioning her daughter for turning traitor.
That's when I started getting nervous because Hazel was following me without any reaction.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps stopped, and there was a thud.
I looked back, thinking something was wrong, and saw Hazel lying on the ground, gasping for breath.
I was surprised and quickly helped Hazel, who had fallen.
However.
Cough.
“What is this...”
Hazel gushed out red blood, and a chillingly intense and vivid red blood began to pool on the cold floor.
Ah.
I, who had been frozen as if time had stopped, let out a short sigh.
My fingertips began to tremble slightly, like someone who had been doused with cold water in the middle of winter.
Everything was unreal.
Everything from the red blood constantly seeping out of the woman's hand to the harsh coughing sound that could be heard strangely in my ears.
“El, li...”
I came to my senses, my shoulders flinching at the voice calling me with difficulty. Then I lowered my head and began to check Hazel's condition.
“This is...”
It's poison.
I noticed purple spots scattered here and there on her skin, which had become so pale it was almost creepy.
'Is it Arpadium?'
The spots on her body were symptoms of Arpadium poisoning.
Arpadium is a persimmon-like fruit from a tree that was used as a rat poison and insecticide.
Since the actual taste and smell are similar to persimmons, there have been many cases of people accidentally consuming them and becoming poisoned. However, if you don't consume a lethal dose, it usually ends with a stomachache or convulsions...
'They didn't poison her all at once.'
It takes at least a week.
They must have been consistently feeding her a certain amount of poison over time.
Even if it was a sweet Arpadium, if it was in such a quantity that it would make her vomit blood, there was no way Hazel wouldn't have noticed.
I bit my lip as she realized this fact.
Then I raised my head and stared at the Crown Prince.
But Ernest also looked frozen at the sight of Hazel, who had fallen.
'Ernest doesn't know.'
Judging from the look of confusion on Ernest's face, he didn't seem to know why Hazel had collapsed.
If so, someone who came with Ernest must have been consistently poisoning Hazel.
Since it was a commonly available poison, it wasn't difficult to obtain an antidote. However, Hazel's condition didn't seem to allow even that short of time.
'I have to get to Carsis quickly.'
Carsis's blood was needed.
I helped Hazel into the carriage with the coachman who had come up to them without her noticing.
“As fast as possible, to the spire.”
And before climbing into the carriage following Hazel, I turned my head toward the spire.
'Please, Carsis.'
I hope he notices this situation.
***
Meanwhile, the field the two people had left was as quiet as if a storm had swept through.
And Ernest, left alone in the field, searched through his memories to define the situation he had just seen.
The Duchess, whose complexion had been looking bad since a while ago, collapsed on the spot as she started coughing up blood. Bellona then glared at him with eyes that seemed to resent him and quickly left.
“That was just...”
As Ernest trailed off, seemingly perplexed by the whole situation, Cullen's voice was heard behind him.
"Your Highness!"
Ernest came to his senses at the sound of someone calling him in an urgent voice and turned around.
Then, what she saw was not just one person.
“...Lady Oroz?”
Deborah, who was supposed to be at Gertz, was standing next to Cullen.
It was strange that Deborah was here, but her appearance was even more incomprehensible.
Her once clean dress was torn here and there, and her hair, which had always been shiny and sweet, was all tangled and had leaves stuck to it.
“Why is Young Lady here?”
Ernest looked around to see if there was anyone else with Deborah.
“Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince... Haa, I have something to tell you.”
Deborah, her shoulders shaking and her breathing ragged, spoke with difficulty.
“His Majesty the Emperor... Haha, Hazel... !”
“...”
She was too out of breath to continue speaking, but it was enough for Ernest to understand.
'Was it my father's doing?'
Only then did Ernest understand what had just happened and clenched his fists.
From the beginning, the Emperor did not trust Ernest.
Perhaps he could sense that he was sympathizing with Hazel's plight.
It was when Ernest bit his lip at the reality that he had once again been disapproved of by his father and that he had failed to prevent the misfortune of the Duchess of Cretian.
Suddenly, a question crossed his mind.
'Then who the hell attacked the Duchess?'
At first glance, the Duchess' condition appeared to be poisoning.
But if it was enough to cause hemoptysis, it would have definitely been a lethal dose.
The distance from Gertz to here, Hamelon, is about a week.
If she had been poisoned in the mansion, she would have died before she got here. That means she had been poisoned while traveling to Hamelon.
'Who is it? My father's servant.'
Ernest's gaze, which was scanning the gathered articles, stopped at one place.
Fasher.
It was the knight who suggested using Elizabeth as bait in Cuenca.
And when he saw his face, Ernest remembered something from the past that he had passed by without a second thought.
"What is that?"
"It's a cold day. I think the Duchess is having a hard time because of the cold weather."
Ha.
Ernest laughed at himself as if he had realized everything.
Then he approached the face and pulled out the sword he had on his waist.
"Your Highness!"
Cullen shouted, surprised by Ernest pointing his sword at Fasher without warning.
“You’d better tell me what you know, now, Fasher.”
“That, that...”
“Fasher!”
Ernest applied force to his hand, and the sharp blade left a red crack on the nape of Fasher's neck.
Fasher, who had been swallowing dry saliva at the sight of his blood dripping to the floor, opened his mouth.
“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered the Duchess to eat Arpadium, so... ugh.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ernest's knife dug in deeper.
“I don’t think that’s all.”
The Emperor had nothing to gain by killing Hazel, unless it was Bellona.
There's no way he would have gone to such lengths to kill just one Hazel.
Fasher continued as if Ernest's prediction was not wrong.
“I, I don’t know the details. I just know that they planted someone over there...!”
"What?"
Ernest's eyebrows twitched at the unexpected answer.
And Deborah, who had been watching the two, added:
“That’s right, that’s right! They said they would kill not only Hazel but Bellona too!”
Ernest's head became complicated at those words.
Looking at the pale-faced face of the Fasher, it seemed that he really did not know the person the Emperor had planted.
'A person who can avoid the power of obedience and threaten Bellona's life.'
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