“Kylance!” 

The Duchess of Viasteus’ sharp voice cut through the banquet hall. 

She hurriedly lowered herself to Kylance, but he coughed up blood again. 

“Cough…” 

Thick, crimson blood spilled from his hand and seeped into the cracks of the pristine marble floor. The nobles recoiled in horror and took steps back. 

“What on earth is going on…?” 

“His Highness the Grand Duke is coughing up blood…!” 

But amidst the pandemonium, someone was moving towards Kylance. 

Ariel, her expression grim, forced her heavy steps forward with great difficulty. 

“This is the end.” 

The words he had spoken echoed incessantly in her mind. 

‘Is this the end you spoke of?’ 

‘Were you planning to sacrifice yourself… to bring down the Duchess of Viasteus?’ 

Ariel wanted to ask him. 

Was this really how he wanted to die? Did he think she wanted this kind of ending? 

The ending she wanted was not a bloody tragedy. If that had been her wish, she would have driven a dagger through his heart the day her memories returned. 

But she hadn’t. 

Blood only begets more blood. How could there be a new beginning at the end of such a path? 

So, Kylance, you cannot die like this. You must stand trial and face justice according to the law. 

Thud- 

At that moment, Kylance collapsed to the ground, supporting himself with his hands as if he could not stand it any longer. Then he raised his head and looked directly at Ariel. 

His lips, stained crimson with blood, moved slightly. Ariel instinctively parted her own lips, mirroring his actions.

“…Never…forgive…me…” 

With those words, Kylance collapsed heavily to the ground.

Ariel froze, as if turned to stone.

“To the very end…” 

You didn’t say sorry. 

You knew, didn’t you? That I was faltering. 

“Kylance, Kylance! Pull yourself together! What is happening to you?!” 

The Duchess of Viasteus’ scream echoed in Ariel’s ears like a distant chime. At the same time, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over her, blurring her vision. 

‘What… is that?’

Ariel shook her head, trying to clear her blurred vision, but she quickly realised that this wasn’t just a moment of dizziness. 

Her vision was fading fast. 

“Ariel!” 

Jedran’s alarmed voice called from behind her, but it was too late. 

Even as her vision blurred, the bright red of Kylance’s blood was the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness. 

Thud- 

Jedran, rushing forward just in time, barely managed to catch Ariel’s falling body. 

But before he could even check her condition, screams erupted around them. 

“Ahhh! Someone else has collapsed!” 

“Lady Blante has lost consciousness…!” 

“What on earth is happening…?” 

As the chaos in the crowd intensified, 

“Cough!” 

Kylance clutched at his chest, gasping for air. 

“Kylance!” 

Melish hastily reached for him, but he vomited more blood, as if to expel every last drop from his body. 

The hands supporting Kylance shook uncontrollably. Thick, dark blood soaked her dress, and the metallic stench overwhelmed her senses. 

Melish’s mind began to crumble.

“Why? Why is this happening?”

Someone shouted at that moment, 

“Poison…! It’s poison! The tea is poisoned!” 

“Ptooey! Ptooey!”

“Ugh!” 

Panic broke out again as guests began to spit out the tea or retch in fear. 

Several guests who had swallowed the tea clutched at their throats, desperately trying to regurgitate what they had ingested. Fear swept through the room like wildfire, engulfing everyone in its grip.

“Poison…” 

Melish’s face also turned pale with fear, though for different reasons than the other nobles. 

A shiver ran down her spine as she slowly raised her head. 

“Could it be… she has been replaced?” 

With a hardened expression, Melish scanned the chaos, searching for one person. 

Ariel Blante-limp in Jedran’s arms. 

Yes, the one who should collapse was that wretched girl alone. 

Melish’s mind flashed back to Kylance’s words three days ago. 

“I have heard that there are many types of poisonous plants in the Eastern Kingdom that are unknown to most. I’m sure you know a lot about them, Aunt, especially since the late Queen had a hobby of growing herbs.”

“Think carefully. A poison that leaves no trace and slowly suffocates. We cannot afford to repeat the mistake of Marquis Blante.”

“Duke Piedu will be coming to the Empire from the Eastern Kingdom. Please write down the names of the poisonous plants here.”

The poison would be brought by the Duke.

Melish wrote down the name of the poison she had intended to use on Marquis Blante, but had never been able to obtain.

Kylance released her with a smile.

“Make the birthday party grand. It will be a very special day for you and me, Aunt.”

But why? Kylance, why… are you vomiting blood?

Everything had been perfect.

What went wrong?

“Kyle, Kylance!!”

Melish called his name urgently, but there was no response.

With shaking hands, Melish lifted Kylance’s head.

His blood-covered face slowly grew cold, overlaid with the image of her son, now a lifeless corpse. 

I can’t lose another child.

“No, no… you can’t…”

As Melish began to lose her composure, Caroline cried out urgently.

“Madam! We must get His Highness inside and call a doctor!!”

“Kyle…”

“Madam!”

Unable to bear to see Melish in such a state, Caroline disregarded propriety and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her.

Finally, as if snapping out of her daze, Melish turned to look at Caroline.

“Madam, we must move His Highness…”

Slap!

Before Caroline could finish, Melish slapped her across the cheek.

“What on earth have you done? What mistake have you made that Kylance…”

“Madam, there are many eyes upon us.”

Just as Melish was about to scream, Caroline grabbed her arm.

Only then did Melish stop and look around. People were staring at her and the Grand Duke in shock and disbelief.

Melish suddenly realised. This was not the time for such a scene. She had to assess the situation and deal with it.

As she was about to give Caroline an order, she caught sight of military boots through the crowd.

As the nobles stepped back in surprise, the commander of the Royal First Cavalry, Strophel, appeared with people from the Grand Duke’s household.

As soon as she saw them, Melish had an instinctive feeling.

Something had gone terribly wrong. Something irreversible.

Thud- 

As Strophel stopped in front of Melish, a heavy silence fell over the previously chaotic hall. 

With his arrival, Melish could feel the cold, hostile stares directed at her. 

Then Strophel’s cold voice echoed through the hall. 

“Duchess of Viasteus. You are hereby arrested for the murder of Marquis Blante, the attempted assassination of the Imperial Family and the poisoning of Lady Blante and His Highness the Grand Duke.” 

“Gasp!” 

“Eek!” 

The shocked exclamations of the nobles grew louder, turning into panic. 

“What? Not me…! Who dares to accuse me of such things…!” 

As Melish’s eyes flashed with fury and she prepared to scream, Lowell’s cold voice cut through the room. 

“It doesn’t matter if you deny it. Duke Piedu has confessed everything.” 

“What…?”

“If you have something to say, speak to Duke Piedu.”

Lowell looked away from Melish, who was contorting her face in anger.

“What are you all waiting for? Quickly, take His Highness away.”

At Lowell’s command, the Grand Duke’s knights carefully placed Kylance on a stretcher.

“Bind the criminal.”

At Strophel’s command, two knights roughly grabbed Melish and forced her to her feet, securing her wrists with shackles.

“Release me now! This isn’t me! I didn’t do this!”

“Move.”

Melish struggled, but Strophel didn’t even acknowledge her protests.

Dragged on a leash like a dog, Melish was dragged out in front of all the nobles, her appearance utterly humiliating.

* * *

“Ugh…” 

Ariel groaned, her head throbbing with a severe headache. 

However, the moment a hand was placed on her forehead, the light emanating from it quickly relieved her pain and Ariel slowly opened her eyes. 

Her blurred vision cleared and the first thing she saw was the familiar blanket of her bedroom. 

How did I… end up here…? 

As her consciousness slowly returned, memories of what had happened before she collapsed began to surface. 

Melish’s wicked smile, the tea from the Eastern Kingdom, Kylance’s blood, and… his last words, telling her not to forgive him. 

“…!” 

Ariel sat up suddenly. At the same time, a familiar voice reached her ears. 

“Lady, are you all right?” 

“Aster.” 

He, who had avoided contact all this time, was now right here, next to her bed. 

Ariel turned her head and, instead of answering, asked him a question. 

“Did you know Kylance was going to die? You knew all about his plan, didn’t you? That’s why you avoided me…” 

Aster furrowed his brow, looking a little troubled before he spoke. 

“Lady, please calm down. It’s true that I knew about the Grand Duke’s plan and helped him, but the Grand Duke is not dead.” 

“Not dead? But he has lost so much blood…” 

Ariel’s voice trailed off as the image of the dark, crimson blood flashed vividly before her eyes. 

Aster sat down beside the bed and met her gaze. 

“The Grand Duke is immortal. No poison can kill him, my lady. It just… causes him a lot of pain.” 

“So he took the poison deliberately. Then what about the one I drank?” 

She had collapsed too. It wasn’t from the shock of Kylance; she’d been startled, but she wasn’t weak enough to faint from it. 

“It was a mild sleeping draught. Of course, the official announcement will say that it was a rare poison from the mountain herbs of the Eastern Empire.”

Everything was already prepared for the official statement… 

Ariel looked at Aster with a calm but intense gaze. 

“Tell me everything. What was Kylance’s plan?” 

Aster let out a short sigh and began to explain calmly. 

“You remember, at the funeral of the late Faelin, when the Grand Duke asked you to step aside.” 

“Yes.” 

“At that time the Grand Duke made a request. He asked me to find a poison that would cause him enough pain to make him feel as if he were dying.”