70. Poisoning
Why?
Why this guy?
Daphne couldn't believe what was happening before her eyes.
Why did he fall?
Asherad, with his eyes closed, was carried away. The red blood flowing from his mouth soaked his white clothes. Daphne sat for a long time with her hands trembling.
She continued to think like that. She wasn't thinking of finding out the reason. She was just escaping from reality because she couldn't believe it.
No one paid any attention to Daphne. After a while, Ioannis came to see Daphne.
“Miss Daphne.”
Is he dead? What if Asherad is dead? Could it be that the Emperor has passed away...?
“Miss Daphne, come to your senses.”
Ioannis sighed as he watched Daphne trembling, still unable to come to her senses.
Daphne flinched in surprise at the touch of Ioannis' hand. Her face was pale and pale, as if she would die at any moment. It looked as if she would snap or even collapse at any moment.
“Ah... My lord.”
Daphne's voice was shaking. Tears were welling up in her large blue eyes. Daphne tried to keep her composure, but she was panting heavily. This was a common symptom among very surprised people.
“Take a deep breath in and out slowly.”
Daphne followed his instructions and took deep breaths. Then, her panting breaths seemed to calm down a little.
“Asherad is safe.”
Daphne's body flinched. Was it because she wanted him to die? Was it because she was relieved? She didn't know what was on her mind.
“You need to rest.”
Daphne nodded weakly. Then, as if remembering something, she spoke.
“My tea... He was trying to drink my tea, and that’s how it happened.”
“I know.”
"Yes..."
Oh, right, so that's why Veronica's maid was taken away? Daphne's hands were trembling.
“Princess Thalassa has been taken into custody. She claims her innocence.”
“...”
“It seems like she was trying to poison you.”
Poison? He tried to poison me? Why on earth? The woman had no reason to do that. She remembered Veronica's calm arrogance. She would have easily cooked Daphne without having to use poison.
“Yes. I guess the person who thought of this didn’t have the judgment to do that.”
Daphne looked puzzled at Ioannis' words.
“Then who...”
Ioannis didn't answer, but Daphne somehow seemed to know the answer.
“If there is anyone with the greatest power in the Kingdom of Thalassa, it is definitely the Empress.”
“...”
“She is the Empress Dowager’s mother.”
As Ioannis slowly explained, Daphne opened her lips. Why is the Empress Dowager's mother appearing here? Ioannis explained while looking at Daphne's puzzled face.
“The Empress Dowager has no power here, but she has great power in the Kingdom of Thalassa.”
“...”
“It is said that Princess Thalassa, no, she has greater power than Princess Arald.”
“That means...”
“I believe the Empress Dowager has recruited one of Princess Arald’s maids. The maid is Thalassa, so the bribe must have been successful.”
Kalista... Daphne asked just in case, looking at Ioannis’ calm face.
“Is there any evidence?”
“We need to find the source of the poison. If we can’t find it...”
“What if not?”
“The Empress Dowager becomes the most powerful person in the country.”
Daphne opened her mouth.
As soon as Kalista entered the room, she screamed. It was a scream of agony.
“You were bad, you were bad! You were bad!”
She took out the hairpin she had been using and stabbed the cushion with it like a weapon. Feathers flew out from the tattered cushion.
She swore she hadn't intended to kill Asherad. The plan was for Daphne to die from poison and for Veronica to be blamed.
She did something unusual for her: she recruited Veronica's maid.
It wasn't that difficult. Veronica had sent out her maids to find out the atmosphere of the palace, and it was just a matter of bringing one of them and bribing her.
The Emperor is suffering from the loss of Daphne. It is not necessary to be particularly distressed. If he had not loved her so much, Kalista would have been able to recover her lost self-esteem. However, Veronica, who poisoned the Emperor in his presence, will surely receive a great punishment.
From Kalista's perspective, she never thought that the relationship between her homeland and the Empire was in danger. In fact, even if she had known, she probably wouldn't have cared much. Didn't her homeland reject her?
Shr thought she could do well.
She's already done well. She killed her husband like that.
But... But!
But why did Asherad... Drink that...!
Why on earth?!
You were so kind to her that you would eat hers? Were you that close and affectionate? Tears flowed from Kalista's eyes.
The sight of Asherad bleeding and collapsing was vivid.
She shouted "No" quietly, but realized it was already too late.
She ruined her own plans.
But what's absurd is...
“Your Majesty! Count Ditto has requested an audience. Oh, and Baron Inesil too!”
Kalista let out a hollow laugh at the servant's words. With Asherad's fall, more and more people were requesting an audience with Kalista.
When Asherad dies, the royal elders will decide who will be his successor. Kalista will have that authority.
“You said he was in critical condition...? He was going to die soon...”
Kalista's hands were shaking.
Yeah, since it has come to this...
“Catch that bitch, catch that bitch!”
She's going to tear that bitch to pieces. The bitch that started it all! Kalista screamed.
Duke of Turbol and John were inspecting the royal army. If the Emperor is in danger, the country will be shaken. The Duke of Turbol and the Count of Locania were organizing the army in the capital.
Ioannis frowned as he looked at the knights in the palace.
“Huh? Aren’t you guys in charge of escorts?”
Daphne's escorts were here.
“I summoned them.”
Ioannis looked back. The Duke of Turbol approached Ioannis. Ioannis said with a stern expression.
“It is His Majesty’s order. We must protect that young lady.”
“Protecting His Majesty comes first. It’s a shame we only have one person left.”
In this tense situation, it was true that one person was left out. However...
“You are hoping that Miss Daphne will be in danger.”
Ioannis asked in a flat voice, but there was a coldness to his words.
“You, what’s so important about that one woman? That bitch of a bitch.”
A look of displeasure appeared on the Duke of Turbol's face. The father and son glared at each other. Ioannis spoke in a low voice, his expression sharp.
“She is the one that Asherad loves.”
“...”
“Don’t you know? The only time he acts like a child is in front of that woman.”
Duke Turbol's eyes widened. Ioannis gave up explaining anything further to his father, mounted his horse, and rode into Daphne's room.
They need to evacuate her in case of an emergency.
He ran to Daphne's room. He knocked, knocked, but there was no answer.
“Miss Daphne.”
He asked politely, but received no answer. Are you asleep? Suddenly, with an ominous feeling, Ioannis opened the door.
"Daphne!"
There was nothing in the room.
After about three days of biting her fingers anxiously in her room, Daphne went to see Asherad.
He was lying like a corpse in the place he had unknowingly visited. His skin had completely lost its color and even turned blue. His beautiful face was also hopelessly collapsing from the deadly substance called poison.
The doctors were trying to treat him. Daphne saw this and took a step back.
Even to her, Asherad's condition seemed dire. Before she could approach him, Daphne was chased away by the people.
No one paid attention to the lover who had lost the object of his grace.
'What will you do without me?'
The voice was clear in her ears. Was he expecting it to be the last? No, there was no way Asherad would be poisoned. He was the incarnation of the sun god who ended the 100-year war. He was a hero.
There was no way he could be affected by something like poison.
"Ah..."
Daphne returned to her room, covering her eyes and sobbing. The nature of her emotions was unclear, but she just cried. Why is he lying down?
This is not what she was hoping for.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Daphne whimpered and called for someone to come in, and someone dressed in black came in.
It was a man in black. A clown-like figure, a skinny man. This man was definitely one of the kitchen servants. Daphne asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Who are you?"
“The Count of Locania sent me.”
“...”
“Miss Daphne, you must run away immediately.”
"Yes?"
“The Empress Dowager has given orders to arrest you.”
Daphne flinched.
“I did nothing wrong...”
“You can make mistakes if you want to. For example, you are an accomplice in the poisoning incident... All power is currently concentrated in the hands of the Empress Dowager. You should run away quickly before they reach out to you.”
Daphne's heart pounded. Run away... Run away! She grabbed the baggage she had been meaning to take with her if she wanted to run away. As she disappeared into the darkness, the men with swords headed toward her room.
Why?
Why this guy?
Daphne couldn't believe what was happening before her eyes.
Why did he fall?
Asherad, with his eyes closed, was carried away. The red blood flowing from his mouth soaked his white clothes. Daphne sat for a long time with her hands trembling.
She continued to think like that. She wasn't thinking of finding out the reason. She was just escaping from reality because she couldn't believe it.
No one paid any attention to Daphne. After a while, Ioannis came to see Daphne.
“Miss Daphne.”
Is he dead? What if Asherad is dead? Could it be that the Emperor has passed away...?
“Miss Daphne, come to your senses.”
Ioannis sighed as he watched Daphne trembling, still unable to come to her senses.
Daphne flinched in surprise at the touch of Ioannis' hand. Her face was pale and pale, as if she would die at any moment. It looked as if she would snap or even collapse at any moment.
“Ah... My lord.”
Daphne's voice was shaking. Tears were welling up in her large blue eyes. Daphne tried to keep her composure, but she was panting heavily. This was a common symptom among very surprised people.
“Take a deep breath in and out slowly.”
Daphne followed his instructions and took deep breaths. Then, her panting breaths seemed to calm down a little.
“Asherad is safe.”
Daphne's body flinched. Was it because she wanted him to die? Was it because she was relieved? She didn't know what was on her mind.
“You need to rest.”
Daphne nodded weakly. Then, as if remembering something, she spoke.
“My tea... He was trying to drink my tea, and that’s how it happened.”
“I know.”
"Yes..."
Oh, right, so that's why Veronica's maid was taken away? Daphne's hands were trembling.
“Princess Thalassa has been taken into custody. She claims her innocence.”
“...”
“It seems like she was trying to poison you.”
Poison? He tried to poison me? Why on earth? The woman had no reason to do that. She remembered Veronica's calm arrogance. She would have easily cooked Daphne without having to use poison.
“Yes. I guess the person who thought of this didn’t have the judgment to do that.”
Daphne looked puzzled at Ioannis' words.
“Then who...”
Ioannis didn't answer, but Daphne somehow seemed to know the answer.
“If there is anyone with the greatest power in the Kingdom of Thalassa, it is definitely the Empress.”
“...”
“She is the Empress Dowager’s mother.”
As Ioannis slowly explained, Daphne opened her lips. Why is the Empress Dowager's mother appearing here? Ioannis explained while looking at Daphne's puzzled face.
“The Empress Dowager has no power here, but she has great power in the Kingdom of Thalassa.”
“...”
“It is said that Princess Thalassa, no, she has greater power than Princess Arald.”
“That means...”
“I believe the Empress Dowager has recruited one of Princess Arald’s maids. The maid is Thalassa, so the bribe must have been successful.”
Kalista... Daphne asked just in case, looking at Ioannis’ calm face.
“Is there any evidence?”
“We need to find the source of the poison. If we can’t find it...”
“What if not?”
“The Empress Dowager becomes the most powerful person in the country.”
Daphne opened her mouth.
***
As soon as Kalista entered the room, she screamed. It was a scream of agony.
“You were bad, you were bad! You were bad!”
She took out the hairpin she had been using and stabbed the cushion with it like a weapon. Feathers flew out from the tattered cushion.
She swore she hadn't intended to kill Asherad. The plan was for Daphne to die from poison and for Veronica to be blamed.
She did something unusual for her: she recruited Veronica's maid.
It wasn't that difficult. Veronica had sent out her maids to find out the atmosphere of the palace, and it was just a matter of bringing one of them and bribing her.
The Emperor is suffering from the loss of Daphne. It is not necessary to be particularly distressed. If he had not loved her so much, Kalista would have been able to recover her lost self-esteem. However, Veronica, who poisoned the Emperor in his presence, will surely receive a great punishment.
From Kalista's perspective, she never thought that the relationship between her homeland and the Empire was in danger. In fact, even if she had known, she probably wouldn't have cared much. Didn't her homeland reject her?
Shr thought she could do well.
She's already done well. She killed her husband like that.
But... But!
But why did Asherad... Drink that...!
Why on earth?!
You were so kind to her that you would eat hers? Were you that close and affectionate? Tears flowed from Kalista's eyes.
The sight of Asherad bleeding and collapsing was vivid.
She shouted "No" quietly, but realized it was already too late.
She ruined her own plans.
But what's absurd is...
“Your Majesty! Count Ditto has requested an audience. Oh, and Baron Inesil too!”
Kalista let out a hollow laugh at the servant's words. With Asherad's fall, more and more people were requesting an audience with Kalista.
When Asherad dies, the royal elders will decide who will be his successor. Kalista will have that authority.
“You said he was in critical condition...? He was going to die soon...”
Kalista's hands were shaking.
Yeah, since it has come to this...
“Catch that bitch, catch that bitch!”
She's going to tear that bitch to pieces. The bitch that started it all! Kalista screamed.
***
Duke of Turbol and John were inspecting the royal army. If the Emperor is in danger, the country will be shaken. The Duke of Turbol and the Count of Locania were organizing the army in the capital.
Ioannis frowned as he looked at the knights in the palace.
“Huh? Aren’t you guys in charge of escorts?”
Daphne's escorts were here.
“I summoned them.”
Ioannis looked back. The Duke of Turbol approached Ioannis. Ioannis said with a stern expression.
“It is His Majesty’s order. We must protect that young lady.”
“Protecting His Majesty comes first. It’s a shame we only have one person left.”
In this tense situation, it was true that one person was left out. However...
“You are hoping that Miss Daphne will be in danger.”
Ioannis asked in a flat voice, but there was a coldness to his words.
“You, what’s so important about that one woman? That bitch of a bitch.”
A look of displeasure appeared on the Duke of Turbol's face. The father and son glared at each other. Ioannis spoke in a low voice, his expression sharp.
“She is the one that Asherad loves.”
“...”
“Don’t you know? The only time he acts like a child is in front of that woman.”
Duke Turbol's eyes widened. Ioannis gave up explaining anything further to his father, mounted his horse, and rode into Daphne's room.
They need to evacuate her in case of an emergency.
He ran to Daphne's room. He knocked, knocked, but there was no answer.
“Miss Daphne.”
He asked politely, but received no answer. Are you asleep? Suddenly, with an ominous feeling, Ioannis opened the door.
"Daphne!"
There was nothing in the room.
***
After about three days of biting her fingers anxiously in her room, Daphne went to see Asherad.
He was lying like a corpse in the place he had unknowingly visited. His skin had completely lost its color and even turned blue. His beautiful face was also hopelessly collapsing from the deadly substance called poison.
The doctors were trying to treat him. Daphne saw this and took a step back.
Even to her, Asherad's condition seemed dire. Before she could approach him, Daphne was chased away by the people.
No one paid attention to the lover who had lost the object of his grace.
'What will you do without me?'
The voice was clear in her ears. Was he expecting it to be the last? No, there was no way Asherad would be poisoned. He was the incarnation of the sun god who ended the 100-year war. He was a hero.
There was no way he could be affected by something like poison.
"Ah..."
Daphne returned to her room, covering her eyes and sobbing. The nature of her emotions was unclear, but she just cried. Why is he lying down?
This is not what she was hoping for.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Daphne whimpered and called for someone to come in, and someone dressed in black came in.
It was a man in black. A clown-like figure, a skinny man. This man was definitely one of the kitchen servants. Daphne asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Who are you?"
“The Count of Locania sent me.”
“...”
“Miss Daphne, you must run away immediately.”
"Yes?"
“The Empress Dowager has given orders to arrest you.”
Daphne flinched.
“I did nothing wrong...”
“You can make mistakes if you want to. For example, you are an accomplice in the poisoning incident... All power is currently concentrated in the hands of the Empress Dowager. You should run away quickly before they reach out to you.”
Daphne's heart pounded. Run away... Run away! She grabbed the baggage she had been meaning to take with her if she wanted to run away. As she disappeared into the darkness, the men with swords headed toward her room.
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