Episode 74. Who is behind the poisoning attempt?
Rose's heart pounded rapidly and irregularly.
Red wine splattered like blood across the Grand Duke of Artaeum's pristine white shirt.
"...Your Highness?"
Rose's face turned pale, and she shook the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke remained motionless.
'... He's not dead, is he?'
For a moment, a terrifying thought crossed her mind: perhaps the Grand Duke of Artaeum had truly died.
Rose's body trembled like an aspen tree.
After all, was it impossible to change the story in the novel?
Was it Rose's arrogance to think she could defy fate...?
"Ah..."
The Grand Duke was dead.
As the horrifying thought crossed her mind, Rose's face hardened into a pale, reddened state.
Her reddened eyes filled with hot tears. The tears that had filled her large eyes soon flowed down her transparent cheeks.
Rose stared blankly at the Grand Duke, her vision blurred. Tears dripped onto his shirt.
Several palace council members pushed their way through the crowd.
They hurriedly approached the Grand Duke and checked under his nose. Then, placing both palms on his chest, they performed CPR.
The Grand Duke collapsed in the middle of the chaotic banquet hall.
Despite first aid, he showed no signs of opening his eyes.
The palace council members loaded the Grand Duke onto a stretcher and left the room.
Rose, who had been staring blankly at the Grand Duke, finally came to her senses and shouted,
“No!!”
Rose's heart pounded rapidly and irregularly.
Red wine splattered like blood across the Grand Duke of Artaeum's pristine white shirt.
"...Your Highness?"
Rose's face turned pale, and she shook the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke remained motionless.
'... He's not dead, is he?'
For a moment, a terrifying thought crossed her mind: perhaps the Grand Duke of Artaeum had truly died.
Rose's body trembled like an aspen tree.
After all, was it impossible to change the story in the novel?
Was it Rose's arrogance to think she could defy fate...?
"Ah..."
The Grand Duke was dead.
As the horrifying thought crossed her mind, Rose's face hardened into a pale, reddened state.
Her reddened eyes filled with hot tears. The tears that had filled her large eyes soon flowed down her transparent cheeks.
Rose stared blankly at the Grand Duke, her vision blurred. Tears dripped onto his shirt.
Several palace council members pushed their way through the crowd.
They hurriedly approached the Grand Duke and checked under his nose. Then, placing both palms on his chest, they performed CPR.
The Grand Duke collapsed in the middle of the chaotic banquet hall.
Despite first aid, he showed no signs of opening his eyes.
The palace council members loaded the Grand Duke onto a stretcher and left the room.
Rose, who had been staring blankly at the Grand Duke, finally came to her senses and shouted,
“No!!”
She belatedly reached out, but there was nothing she could grasp.
Then, a piercing scream rang out.
“Ah, no... Ah, no more... Aaaah!!”
It was Diana’s voice.
She was staggering, supported by her knights, when she suddenly screamed and clutched her head in agony.
“Your Highness!”
“Are you alright!”
The knights escorted Diana, who was staggering, and supported her.
As the Grand Duke collapsed and Diana lost her senses, the banquet hall became even more chaotic.
“Ah, ahhh!!”
Diana’s eyes lost focus, and she convulsed. She repeatedly muttered “no” and then collapsed helplessly.
“Your Highness!”
“Diana!”
As Diana collapsed, the Emperor, the Empress, and the palace councilors rushed in.
Diana’s birthday banquet was ultimately interrupted by the collapse of Grand Duke Artaeum and her.
“It seems he’s been poisoned.”
A doctor, who was checking the Grand Duke’s pulse as he lay there like a corpse, muttered softly.
“What? Poisoned!”
The man with a fierce expression shouted at the doctor with an expression of incredulity.
His blue eyes, with their splendid platinum hair and sharp slits on either side, were also extremely cloudy.
He was the uncle of the Grand Duke of Artaeum, Diana's father, and the current Emperor of the Pestona Empire.
The Emperor clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"How dare you...! Who would attempt to assassinate someone of royal blood! Bring them to me now!"
At the Emperor's fiery roar, the knights hurried out of the room. Then, they dragged back a maid and a servant, who were collapsing, their eyes barely open, their faces haggard and emaciated. It was the maid who had handed the wine glasses to Rose, the Grand Duke of Artaeum, and Diana, and the servant who had uncorked the cork.
They looked in poor health, as if they had been brutally tortured. Bruises were visible here and there on their faces, and they staggered as if they would collapse at any moment.
The knights forced them to kneel before the Emperor.
"Ugh..."
"Ugh..."
The servants groaned in pain.
"Who ordered you to do this?"
The Emperor's cold voice made her flinch, as if she felt wronged.
It felt as if he would slit her throat at any moment. Her whole body trembled as the fear of death gripped her.
"Oh, it's so unfair... Your Majesty..."
The maid bowed her head, her expression looking as if she was about to cry.
"It's so unfair? You're saying that even though I found poison in your pocket!"
At the word 'poison,' the maid squeezed her eyes shut. Then, clutching at straws, she stammered and opened her mouth.
"I, I really didn't know anything. T-T He just said he'd pay me a lot of money if I did everything he said... I had absolutely no idea it was poison! It's true!"
A new maid who had only been in the palace for three months.
She was a naive woman who didn't know much about the ways of the world.
In a palace filled with conspiracies and betrayals, it was impossible to easily accept someone's favor to survive. Yet, she had unknowingly accepted the offer, which was equivalent to a year's salary. She had never dreamed that the task she'd been asked to perform in broad daylight, in front of hundreds of people, would be 'poisoning.'
In contrast, the servant who had opened the cork had done absolutely nothing. He was an unfortunate man, caught up in the incident without even knowing what was happening.
'I... I just switched jobs...'
Then, a piercing scream rang out.
“Ah, no... Ah, no more... Aaaah!!”
It was Diana’s voice.
She was staggering, supported by her knights, when she suddenly screamed and clutched her head in agony.
“Your Highness!”
“Are you alright!”
The knights escorted Diana, who was staggering, and supported her.
As the Grand Duke collapsed and Diana lost her senses, the banquet hall became even more chaotic.
“Ah, ahhh!!”
Diana’s eyes lost focus, and she convulsed. She repeatedly muttered “no” and then collapsed helplessly.
“Your Highness!”
“Diana!”
As Diana collapsed, the Emperor, the Empress, and the palace councilors rushed in.
Diana’s birthday banquet was ultimately interrupted by the collapse of Grand Duke Artaeum and her.
***
“It seems he’s been poisoned.”
A doctor, who was checking the Grand Duke’s pulse as he lay there like a corpse, muttered softly.
“What? Poisoned!”
The man with a fierce expression shouted at the doctor with an expression of incredulity.
His blue eyes, with their splendid platinum hair and sharp slits on either side, were also extremely cloudy.
He was the uncle of the Grand Duke of Artaeum, Diana's father, and the current Emperor of the Pestona Empire.
The Emperor clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"How dare you...! Who would attempt to assassinate someone of royal blood! Bring them to me now!"
At the Emperor's fiery roar, the knights hurried out of the room. Then, they dragged back a maid and a servant, who were collapsing, their eyes barely open, their faces haggard and emaciated. It was the maid who had handed the wine glasses to Rose, the Grand Duke of Artaeum, and Diana, and the servant who had uncorked the cork.
They looked in poor health, as if they had been brutally tortured. Bruises were visible here and there on their faces, and they staggered as if they would collapse at any moment.
The knights forced them to kneel before the Emperor.
"Ugh..."
"Ugh..."
The servants groaned in pain.
"Who ordered you to do this?"
The Emperor's cold voice made her flinch, as if she felt wronged.
It felt as if he would slit her throat at any moment. Her whole body trembled as the fear of death gripped her.
"Oh, it's so unfair... Your Majesty..."
The maid bowed her head, her expression looking as if she was about to cry.
"It's so unfair? You're saying that even though I found poison in your pocket!"
At the word 'poison,' the maid squeezed her eyes shut. Then, clutching at straws, she stammered and opened her mouth.
"I, I really didn't know anything. T-T He just said he'd pay me a lot of money if I did everything he said... I had absolutely no idea it was poison! It's true!"
A new maid who had only been in the palace for three months.
She was a naive woman who didn't know much about the ways of the world.
In a palace filled with conspiracies and betrayals, it was impossible to easily accept someone's favor to survive. Yet, she had unknowingly accepted the offer, which was equivalent to a year's salary. She had never dreamed that the task she'd been asked to perform in broad daylight, in front of hundreds of people, would be 'poisoning.'
In contrast, the servant who had opened the cork had done absolutely nothing. He was an unfortunate man, caught up in the incident without even knowing what was happening.
'I... I just switched jobs...'
He felt utterly wronged.
A fellow servant had suddenly asked him to take his place for just one day, saying something had come up.
Having no other suitable work during his vacation, he readily accepted.
And then, he was brought before the Emperor.
He wanted to confess his innocence, but the brutal torture made it impossible for him to speak.
"Ugh... Ugh!"
The servant wept pitifully, begging for his hand.
The Emperor slowly approached them. He sat with his legs bent and spoke softly.
“Raise your heads.”
They had been looking down at the floor, but the Emperor’s voice made them tremble and lift their heads.
A cold, uncharacteristic gaze stared at them.
“It seems you can’t speak.”
The Emperor roughly lifted the servant’s chin and then smacked his face with the back of his hand.
“You’ve been chattering away.”
The Emperor leaned in close to the maid and asked in a low voice so only she could hear.
“Who’s behind this?”
A whisper drifted in.
“...! I-I don’t know!”
The maid shook her head sharply at the Emperor’s secretive voice.
Did he suddenly feel pity for the maid, trembling with her infirm body?
The Emperor suddenly changed his forceful demeanor and spoke softly, soothingly.
“Oh, you haven’t told anyone, have you?”
The Emperor tapped the maid’s face. She forced herself to endure the sharp pain and lowered her head.
"You didn't tell anyone, did you?"
The Emperor, seeing the maid's reaction, looked satisfied.
The worst-case scenario was that the maid would reveal the plot.
But she didn't tell anyone. How fortunate.
He licked his lips with his snake-like tongue.
"The Grand Duke isn't dead. So if you tell me who's behind this, I'll spare your life."
The whispering pierced the maid's ears once more.
Even if she knew nothing, if the Grand Duke of Artaeum had died, she would have died.
That was why she remained silent even under severe torture. She feared that if she spoke up, her family would face retaliation.
If she were to die, she would die alone. That was her position.
'...If the Grand Duke hadn't died, I might have revealed the plot and saved my life!'
A faint hope bloomed in her heart.
It was only a fleeting moment, but the Emperor sensed the hope in her eyes.
He smiled bitterly and coaxed the maid, as if trying to persuade her.
“Don’t worry, just tell me. If you eliminate all the masterminds, I will not only spare you but also bestow a great reward.”
A sweet whisper lingered in the maid’s ear.
She felt she couldn’t miss this opportunity. She immediately resolved to tell the Emperor everything.
“The-the mastermind...”
The Emperor’s coaxing had worked, for her tightly shut mouth opened.
And at the same time, the Emperor leaped to his feet. He snatched the sword from the knight beside him.
He swung it without hesitation, blood spraying everywhere like a fountain. There was not a shred of hesitation in the Emperor’s actions.
He even swung his sword at the servant who stood beside her, silent and trembling.
“You fool. You really opened your mouth just because I told you to.”
The Emperor looked at the maid with a cold gaze. With a clang, he flung his sword beside their corpses.
“Put it away. How dare you, a woman who not only attempted to poison the imperial family, but also insulted the Grand Duke in front of me?”
He nonchalantly wiped the blood from his cheek and commanded the knights.
The knights, seemingly oblivious to the conversation between the Emperor and the maid, busily carried out his orders.
They covered the two corpses with a pure white cloth, and the maids busily cleaned up the bloodstains scattered on the floor.
The Emperor’s eyes were fixed on the fallen Grand Duke. His gaze toward the Grand Duke was, of course, not kind.
His blazing eyes were filled with a cold anger.
The plan to frame the Grand Duke as the culprit and have him executed had gone awry.
If all had gone as planned, his own daughter, Diana, should have taken a small dose of poison and collapsed, but why was the Grand Duke of Artaeum dead instead?
'Damn that bastard...!'
Things were going wrong, and they were going to be terribly wrong.
The Emperor glared at the Grand Duke of Artaeum with a cold gaze.
'That reckless brat has grown quite a bit.'
He should have killed him, leaving public sentiment behind.
The Grand Duke, who had been a mere wildcat, had grown into a ferocious beast.
'I shouldn't have listened to Duke Flice.'
It was Duke Flice who convinced him that if the former Emperor died of illness and the Grand Duke died too, suspicion would inevitably fall on him.
He had suggested keeping the Grand Duke alive, saying he could watch over him and kill him when the time was right.
At the time, many suspected that the former Emperor had been poisoned.
Diana's biological mother died, and the former Empress died. And even the Emperor, who followed them, lost his life.
In less than two years, a series of suspicious deaths had occurred.
So, suspicion was inevitable.
Duke Flice's advice at the time could be considered sound.
The Emperor glared at the Grand Duke with bleary eyes. He then clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. It was amusing to see the Grand Duke lying there.
'He's resistant to poison...'
How could he collapse so helplessly?
No, he must be faking it.
A reckless performance, designed to strike him down.
The Emperor was gripped by the urge to wring the Grand Duke's neck at any moment. He would use this incident as an opportunity to eliminate the Imperialist nobles and threaten the throne.
He was deeply resentful that he had been defeated by the young Grand Duke.
Even with his eyes closed, did he sense the Emperor's gaze?
The corners of the Grand Duke's mouth, which had been lying like a corpse the entire time, curled faintly.
Now was the time for a counterattack.
A fellow servant had suddenly asked him to take his place for just one day, saying something had come up.
Having no other suitable work during his vacation, he readily accepted.
And then, he was brought before the Emperor.
He wanted to confess his innocence, but the brutal torture made it impossible for him to speak.
"Ugh... Ugh!"
The servant wept pitifully, begging for his hand.
The Emperor slowly approached them. He sat with his legs bent and spoke softly.
“Raise your heads.”
They had been looking down at the floor, but the Emperor’s voice made them tremble and lift their heads.
A cold, uncharacteristic gaze stared at them.
“It seems you can’t speak.”
The Emperor roughly lifted the servant’s chin and then smacked his face with the back of his hand.
“You’ve been chattering away.”
The Emperor leaned in close to the maid and asked in a low voice so only she could hear.
“Who’s behind this?”
A whisper drifted in.
“...! I-I don’t know!”
The maid shook her head sharply at the Emperor’s secretive voice.
Did he suddenly feel pity for the maid, trembling with her infirm body?
The Emperor suddenly changed his forceful demeanor and spoke softly, soothingly.
“Oh, you haven’t told anyone, have you?”
The Emperor tapped the maid’s face. She forced herself to endure the sharp pain and lowered her head.
"You didn't tell anyone, did you?"
The Emperor, seeing the maid's reaction, looked satisfied.
The worst-case scenario was that the maid would reveal the plot.
But she didn't tell anyone. How fortunate.
He licked his lips with his snake-like tongue.
"The Grand Duke isn't dead. So if you tell me who's behind this, I'll spare your life."
The whispering pierced the maid's ears once more.
Even if she knew nothing, if the Grand Duke of Artaeum had died, she would have died.
That was why she remained silent even under severe torture. She feared that if she spoke up, her family would face retaliation.
If she were to die, she would die alone. That was her position.
'...If the Grand Duke hadn't died, I might have revealed the plot and saved my life!'
A faint hope bloomed in her heart.
It was only a fleeting moment, but the Emperor sensed the hope in her eyes.
He smiled bitterly and coaxed the maid, as if trying to persuade her.
“Don’t worry, just tell me. If you eliminate all the masterminds, I will not only spare you but also bestow a great reward.”
A sweet whisper lingered in the maid’s ear.
She felt she couldn’t miss this opportunity. She immediately resolved to tell the Emperor everything.
“The-the mastermind...”
The Emperor’s coaxing had worked, for her tightly shut mouth opened.
And at the same time, the Emperor leaped to his feet. He snatched the sword from the knight beside him.
He swung it without hesitation, blood spraying everywhere like a fountain. There was not a shred of hesitation in the Emperor’s actions.
He even swung his sword at the servant who stood beside her, silent and trembling.
“You fool. You really opened your mouth just because I told you to.”
The Emperor looked at the maid with a cold gaze. With a clang, he flung his sword beside their corpses.
“Put it away. How dare you, a woman who not only attempted to poison the imperial family, but also insulted the Grand Duke in front of me?”
He nonchalantly wiped the blood from his cheek and commanded the knights.
The knights, seemingly oblivious to the conversation between the Emperor and the maid, busily carried out his orders.
They covered the two corpses with a pure white cloth, and the maids busily cleaned up the bloodstains scattered on the floor.
The Emperor’s eyes were fixed on the fallen Grand Duke. His gaze toward the Grand Duke was, of course, not kind.
His blazing eyes were filled with a cold anger.
The plan to frame the Grand Duke as the culprit and have him executed had gone awry.
If all had gone as planned, his own daughter, Diana, should have taken a small dose of poison and collapsed, but why was the Grand Duke of Artaeum dead instead?
'Damn that bastard...!'
Things were going wrong, and they were going to be terribly wrong.
The Emperor glared at the Grand Duke of Artaeum with a cold gaze.
'That reckless brat has grown quite a bit.'
He should have killed him, leaving public sentiment behind.
The Grand Duke, who had been a mere wildcat, had grown into a ferocious beast.
'I shouldn't have listened to Duke Flice.'
It was Duke Flice who convinced him that if the former Emperor died of illness and the Grand Duke died too, suspicion would inevitably fall on him.
He had suggested keeping the Grand Duke alive, saying he could watch over him and kill him when the time was right.
At the time, many suspected that the former Emperor had been poisoned.
Diana's biological mother died, and the former Empress died. And even the Emperor, who followed them, lost his life.
In less than two years, a series of suspicious deaths had occurred.
So, suspicion was inevitable.
Duke Flice's advice at the time could be considered sound.
The Emperor glared at the Grand Duke with bleary eyes. He then clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. It was amusing to see the Grand Duke lying there.
'He's resistant to poison...'
How could he collapse so helplessly?
No, he must be faking it.
A reckless performance, designed to strike him down.
The Emperor was gripped by the urge to wring the Grand Duke's neck at any moment. He would use this incident as an opportunity to eliminate the Imperialist nobles and threaten the throne.
He was deeply resentful that he had been defeated by the young Grand Duke.
Even with his eyes closed, did he sense the Emperor's gaze?
The corners of the Grand Duke's mouth, which had been lying like a corpse the entire time, curled faintly.
Now was the time for a counterattack.
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