Chapter 39

‘Empress Liliana has collapsed.’

The news spread swiftly throughout the palace, and the courtiers gossiped about the cause.

Some said Duke Gabriel had pushed her too hard, causing her to collapse. Others speculated that the Kingdom of Nieta had deliberately sent a defective princess. A few more radical voices whispered that it was poisoning.

At the center of all these rumors stood the palace physician with a pale face in the Emerald Palace.

“It was poison. A small amount of poison was detected in Her Highness’s last cup of tea.”

The person receiving the report was Helio, who stood by the bedside, looking down at Liliana’s face.

Since vomiting blood, Liliana’s cheeks had turned pale, and aside from the occasional flutter of her eyelids or a groan, she remained motionless.

“What kind of poison?”

Helio’s voice was cold and emotionless. The palace physician, shivering, quickly responded.

“It is the juice of a highly toxic mushroom called Hypholoma fasciculare. Although it is very poisonous, fortunately, she ingested only a small amount, so her life is not in danger.“

“Can it be cured?”

“Of course.”

The palace physician’s assistant had prepared the antidote in a small bowl. Helio silently watched as the palace physician administered the antidote to Liliana.

Despite his trembling hands, the physician gave the antidote without spilling a drop.

“If Her Highness takes this antidote in the prescribed amount every morning, she will be fully cured.”

Helio nodded, his gaze still fixed on Liliana.

Her pale pink eyes, which usually reminded him of fire, were now hidden beneath her eyelids, and his typically vibrant blue eyes were dark and cold like ice in a cave. The depth of that gaze was enough to instill fear in anyone who met it.

The palace physician wanted to leave the room immediately.

“What are you doing? Explain more about the poison.”

But Helio didn’t seem to intend to let the palace physician leave yet. The physician, with his hands clasped humbly below his navel, trembled as he spoke.

“There is one peculiar point. Hypholoma fasciculare is a poison rarely seen in the empire. It has never been used for medicinal purposes, so it is not traded.“

Helio’s lips twisted into a smile. Even without sound, it was sharp enough to make everyone in the room bow their heads in silence.

“It must have come from the Kingdom of Nieta.“

“Th-that…“

“Am I wrong?“

“N-no, Your Majesty!”

The palace physician hurriedly answered, but his eyes were filled with doubt. Hypholoma fasciculare was a poison not easily known unless one was deeply involved in the medical field.

Its structure wasn’t unusual, but it didn’t grow widely and only in specific areas.

Even the place it grew, the Kingdom of Nieta, was not well-known even among scholars. So, how did Helio know about it?

Of course, Helio did not explain his knowledge. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Sophia, who had been tending Liliana by the bed.

“You are the maid always by the Empress Consort’s side.”

Sophia clutched the towel she was holding in her hands but did not hesitate to nod.

“Yes, Your Majesty.“

“Were you the one who prepared the tea the Empress drank in the early morning?“

“Yes, Your Majesty.“

“Everyone in the Emerald Palace knows you made the tea, so you wouldn’t be foolish enough to poison it yourself. Did you notice anything unusual?”

Sophia, eyes lowered in thought, replied.

“This tea was a gift from Count Lackl.”

Helio let out a faint, mirthless laugh.

“Indeed.”

Though he spoke softly, everyone in the silent room heard him clearly.

Helio slowly looked around the room as if committing the faces of everyone present to memory. He then gave an order to his steward.

“From now on, no one in the Emerald Palace is allowed to leave. The Third Imperial Knight will watch over the Emerald Palace, and all items being exchanged must be done under the supervision of the Imperial Guard.”

Given the information, the Imperial Guard should monitor Count Lackl’s residence in the capital, as he was the prime suspect.

But Helio chose to isolate the Emerald Palace instead. It was a puzzling command.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

No one dared to question Helio’s order. The steward smoothly exited the room to summon the Third Imperial Knights.

“Everyone, leave.”

Helio continued, dismissing everyone in the room. Sophia hesitated momentarily, but the head maid grabbed her arm and led her out.

Now, only Helio and Liliana remained in the room. Helio stared at the flickering candlelight before sitting down beside Liliana.

Her pale pink eyes were hidden beneath her eyelids, which would usually look at him with a trembling gaze.

“The Gabriel family is more flustered than I thought. Poisoning a member of the imperial family will have severe repercussions.”

Count Lackl was not a fool. If he were the culprit, he wouldn’t have made the rookie mistake of poisoning the tea he gifted.

This was clearly a scheme to prevent Liliana from gaining Count Lackl as an ally.

He could not afford to lose a weapon he had barely managed to secure. All rumors needed to be wholly suppressed, and the culprit who mixed poison into the tea leaves had to be found.

It would have been ideal if the interrogation had named Duke Gabriel’s household the culprit, but that was unlikely. However, if they could keep it quiet, they could announce that the incident was due to mere stress rather than poison.

In that case, Count Lackl wouldn’t be wrongfully accused. Additionally, it was only natural that Duke Gabriel, who had cornered Liliana during the council, would face criticism.

“Is that all?”

Helio smirked cynically.

“I moved for your sake, but Duke Gabriel roams freely while you lie here like a corpse.”

Helio needed to see the bigger picture. Liliana was merely a tiny piece of that puzzle. It would be inconvenient without her, but her temporary collapse didn’t disrupt Helio’s grand design. In fact, even if she were to die, the overall plan would remain unaffected.

But…

Helio reached out and gently caressed Liliana’s cheek. Despite his cold expression, his touch was exceedingly gentle.

As his hand traced her soft cheek and small chin, Helio suddenly realized his hand was trembling.

‘What is this…’

Startled, Helio withdrew his hand as if he had been burned. Trembling—it was as if he was afraid.

With a confused expression, he ran his fingers through his hair. His golden hair slipped through his fingers, covering his sharply raised eyebrows.

‘I mustn’t get too attached to Liliana.’

Like a beast growing sensitive when its life is threatened, Helio felt his senses sharpening to an extreme.

The small woman lying as if dead in front of him felt dangerous. Quickly, Helio stood up from the bed.

However, before leaving the room, he instinctively glanced back, drawn like the sea to the moon.

He watched Liliana’s neatly arranged pink hair from a distance before stepping out of the room as if cutting off a connection.

* * *

Liliana regained consciousness when the sun circled the sky, and night fell again. The bedroom she lay in was tranquil.

The palace physician had already treated her and left. The head maid was busy managing the other maids, leaving only Liliana and Sophia, who were dozing off at the bedside.

Strangely, this scene felt familiar to Liliana. The Emerald Palace was generally quiet, but with the many maids Helio had sent, it was rare for just her and Sophia to be alone.

What was this déjà vu, like she spent every night in such solitude?

A suffocating loneliness overwhelmed her. She felt a bizarre, simultaneous urge to run out screaming and to fade away from the world.

“Your Highness, Your Highness!“

Sophia’s cry, as if she had seen a ghost, brought Liliana back to reality. Sophia was perched on the bed, gently holding Liliana’s shoulder and back.

When Liliana looked at her with weak eyes, relief washed over Sophia’s face.

“Your Highness, are you having trouble breathing?“

“Uh, no?”

Only then did Liliana realize she was panting.

“I’ll fetch the palace physician. He should be nearby. Please wait a moment.“

“No, I…”

She tried to say she was fine now and didn’t know why she had acted that way earlier, but Sophia had already disappeared in a flash. Left alone, Liliana slowly started piecing together the situation.

She had been unable to sleep in the early morning and drank some tea, then vomited blood shortly after. The tea must have been poisoned, so the palace physician came.

Liliana slowly got up from the bed. Though weak, she wasn’t unable to stand.

As she approached the window illuminated by moonlight, she saw the Imperial Guard surrounding the Emerald Palace.

As soon as Sophia returned with the palace physician, Liliana asked,

“Why is the Imperial Guard outside?”

Sophia hesitated. No one understood why the Emperor had stationed the Imperial Guard around the Emerald Palace as if to monitor it, especially when Liliana was the victim.

“…His Majesty has issued an imperial order.”

Liliana narrowed her eyes, her shoulders sagging. Her already frail shoulders seemed even weaker.

“He ordered the Imperial Guard to be stationed at my palace?“

“Yes, Your Highness.“

“And there was no explanation given?“

“…No. But please, Your Highness, let the palace physician examine you now.“

“Please, Your Highness,“ the palace physician urged.

With both of them recommending it, Liliana had no choice but to comply. She sat weakly on the bed while the physician examined her, lost in thought.

Helio’s sudden order indicated he knew about the poisoning. The only people who would likely poison her were from Duke Gabriel’s household.

‘Could it be that he’s trying to cover up for Duke Gabriel…’

After all, Duke Gabriel was a pillar of the Carlo Empire. Perhaps Helio wanted to check his power but not wholly ruin him.

Liliana let out a bitter laugh.

Recently, too many people around her had been advising her not to rely too much on Helio. Duke Gabriel, Count Lackl, and even Sophia…

And now, amid this incident, a part of her heart felt cold, as if a strange loneliness had settled in.

It was almost as if she had once been abandoned in this vast Emerald Palace.

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.