The next day, chaos erupted in the Kingdom of Tarecus. Rihana and Raiden had both collapsed after consuming poison simultaneously.

Beriel rushed frantically to the western palace upon hearing that Rihana had opened her eyes but Raiden still hadn’t awakened. 

She had been carefully covering her tracks to ensure no one knew she had recommended wine to Rihana, anticipating Rihana’s poisoning. Even if things went wrong and Rihana woke up, she could have bribed a physician to claim her memory wasn’t intact.

Though Raiden’s early return had accelerated her timeline by a few days, she had thoroughly prepared to avoid being suspected as the poisoner. But hearing that Raiden had also been caught up in this made her mind go blank.

That wasn’t all. Rihana, who had served as captain of the Imperial Knight Order in the Empire, was fortunately immune to the rare poison. She had undergone training to build immunity to various poisons in preparation for potential assassination attempts on the Emperor. 

Raiden also had some immunity to the poison, having been exposed to various toxins while growing up as Tarecus’s precious only prince. However, since it was such a difficult poison to obtain, he had only been exposed to very small amounts, so while no fatal situation occurred, he couldn’t wake up easily.

Meanwhile, Rihana, who had awakened before Raiden, hardened her expression upon learning he couldn’t wake up. She pondered how she and Raiden had suddenly come to consume poison yesterday, recalling the wine Beriel had left. 

However, since she had been drinking the wine Beriel gave her all this time without problems, she couldn’t be certain the wine contained poison.

Still, her mind grew complicated thinking that the only thing she and Raiden had consumed was the wine Beriel had left. No matter how foolish someone was, they wouldn’t commit poisoning with something that clearly revealed their identity. That made it even more confusing and difficult to understand.

“It’s Teinori’s rare poison. It’s famous for being a poison without an antidote.”

She became even more confused by what Fenor said while examining the investigation report on the poison’s composition. Teinori – that was a poison not just anyone could obtain. 

There was no way someone in Tarecus could possess a rare poison that was hard to obtain even in the Empire. But this investigation report wouldn’t contain lies, so ultimately this poison must indeed be Teinori’s rare poison.

Rihana, who had been guarding Raiden’s bedroom, stared intently at Raiden’s face, which was rigidly pale with closed eyes, and spoke with difficulty.

“There is an antidote.”

Fenor looked up at Rihana.

“Drabaden’s blood in the Monster Forest.”

“……!”

“That would serve as the antidote.”

“Drabaden……!”

“How long does it take to get from here to the Monster Forest?”

Rihana turned her head to look at Fenor and asked.

“At the fastest, about three days.”

“Please prepare so we can arrive as early as possible.”

“……What?”

“I’ll obtain Drabaden’s blood. He needs to drink that for Rai…… His Highness to wake up.”

“You absolutely cannot go yourself. Lady Ariella’s body is also in a poisoned state. I’ll gather knights and send them.”

“No. I have to go. Drabaden’s nest is unique and hard to find.”

“Absolutely not. When His Highness awakens, he’ll be furious……”

Suddenly, the door burst open and Beriel entered noisily, her face soaked with tears.

“Your, Your Highness……!”

She looked quite shocked, having apparently received the news late.

“This can’t be……! This shouldn’t……!”

Beriel collapsed onto Raiden’s bed and wailed, seemingly forgetting Rihana was beside her. Rihana stared at Beriel expressionlessly.

She had suspicions but no certainty. It seemed she was the culprit, but the thought that she couldn’t possibly possess a rare poison that was barely obtainable even in the Empire persisted. 

That poison was difficult for even the Empire’s royalty to obtain, and it would be even harder for it to flow to someone from the Kingdom of Tarecus. Even she, as the Emperor’s guard knight, had only received small doses along with the Emperor to build immunity. So it was natural to suspect the source of that poison.

Rihana, who hadn’t considered that Melissa and Beriel had conspired together, even began to think there might be a third party trying to poison her and Raiden. Of course, that harsh thought quickly disappeared because of Beriel, who glared at her menacingly with a tear-stained face.

“This is all because of you! Because of a witch like you……”

Perhaps quite shocked by Raiden’s collapse, Beriel began babbling whatever came to mind without thinking.

“Finally, sob……! You witch! Someone like you will only bring disaster to Tarecus……”

“Beriel!”

Felton shouted and covered her mouth with his hand, while Fenor grabbed her arm to stop her words, but Beriel continued glaring at Rihana with poison in her tear-filled eyes.

Witch. Disaster.

They were truly absurd and laughable words, but she could understand them in a way. She too had once been jealous of the princess who stood beside Casian. However, understanding didn’t mean she intended to forgive this kind of provocation. 

Anyway, even without certainty, she had suspicions, so she had no intention of not investigating her. If she was really the culprit, she had absolutely no intention of covering up this incident. If she was truly the culprit, she could actually become quite a good card for her. Of course, this thought was also contingent on her still being alive and Raiden waking up.

“Sir Fenor.”

“Yes, Lady Ariella.”

“Please find the culprit of this incident by any means necessary, Sir Fenor personally.”

Suddenly, Felton and Beriel’s faces hardened simultaneously. Only Fenor’s expressionless face remained calm, but Rihana could find small cracks even in his face.

She had heard these three had been friends since childhood. 

Since they were old friends, it was natural for them to favor each other, and knowing this, she deliberately asked Fenor to investigate this matter personally because, though it had been a short time, she had learned how upright and honest he was. Fenor would surely set straight his childhood friend who was trying to go down the wrong path.

If she was really the culprit, the Taniaran family would surely face complete destruction. Attempted poisoning of a prince was a grave crime that even the Taniaran family couldn’t easily escape, and it would be a serious matter that could bring down the entire family.

Of course, she also knew well that Beriel wouldn’t easily be branded as the culprit. That she would use any means to set up someone else to cover her crime. But humans are animals with emotions called guilt, and Beriel wouldn’t easily escape the guilt of nearly k*lling the man she loved. So even if she was the culprit, she had no intention of holding her publicly responsible for this incident.

Taniaran was a family very helpful to Raiden, and Beriel was also someone essential to Tarecus and Raiden. 

Originally, Rihana had no intention of removing a secretary who worked well beside Raiden, and rather thought she should definitely keep her by his side for the country and Raiden. So it would be beneficial for the future to appease Beriel, who tried to kill her, and for that, it would be good to have some justification to hold her weakness and shake her.

This incident was certainly sufficient to serve as that justification. If either she or Raiden had died, it would have become an irreversible problem, but fortunately both survived, and if she could just obtain the antidote, Raiden could wake up.

“That…… Lady Ariella, this incident is a serious matter that should be handled directly by the Royal Guard……”

When Felton spoke up in confusion, Beriel also removed the hand blocking her and shouted menacingly.

“Do you think you have the right to give such orders?!”

“Since the ones who nearly died were me and the man who will become my husband, if I don’t have that right, who does.”

When Rihana looked at Beriel with a cold expression and asked, Beriel stammered in confusion.

“But Lady Ariella……”

“I don’t trust the Royal Guard. I heard the Royal Guard here belongs to the noble alliance. Such a place can be swayed if any influential noble family applies a little pressure. There’s a reason the Imperial Knight Order where I was born and raised belongs solely and directly to the Emperor.”

“……”

“Don’t misunderstand that I don’t trust the Royal Guard because I’m not a person of Tarecus. I want someone who won’t be swayed by anyone or anything to resolve this matter. In my eyes, that’s Sir Fenor.”

At Rihana’s words, Beriel bit her lower lip. It was natural that things would become troublesome if Fenor investigated this matter. The Royal Guard was practically Taniaran’s hands and feet, so there would be room to escape somehow. 

The very fact of entrusting this to Fenor meant this woman suspected her. Beriel became restless with the sudden surge of anxiety but tried not to show it.

“Sir Fenor, I trust you.”

“Yes, Lady Ariella.”

“Sir Felton, please quickly prepare for me to go to the Monster Forest, and Miss Beriel…… do you have more to say?”

“Mo, Monster Forest, why there……”

“I plan to go obtain the antidote.”

“……!”

Is this woman in her right mind? Beriel’s eyes seemed to say exactly that.

A woman who had been poisoned and had only been awake for a few hours was volunteering to go to that dangerous Monster Forest to obtain an antidote for the poison. With a face pale enough to collapse at any moment, she was giving orders to find the culprit of this incident, then saying she would risk her life to obtain an antidote for Raiden.

Beriel truly couldn’t bear the self-loathing and misery she felt toward this absurd and ridiculous woman.

“Then I’ll prepare.”

Felton bowed his head, then grabbed Beriel’s arm and dragged her out the door. Beriel was still dragged out by Felton with a bewildered expression. After the two left, Fenor erased his usual expressionless face and looked at Rihana with experienced yet sharp eyes.

“May I ask the reason?”

“Which one?”

“The reason you’re entrusting such a serious matter to me.”

“I told you earlier.”

“……I don’t have the uprightness to destroy a close friend’s family.”

Indeed, it seemed Fenor also suspected Beriel. From the missing wine bottle and the fact that Beriel’s subordinate was the first to discover Raiden and Rihana, he would have already had such thoughts.

“I have no intention of removing an aide who is essential beside Rai’s…… His Highness’s side.”

“……”

“I also know well that the Taniaran family is essential to the kingdom for this country and His Highness.”

“……”

“Assuming Miss Beriel is the culprit, I intend to cover up that crime without questioning it.”

When Rihana lowered her voice to speak quietly enough for only Fenor to hear, Fenor’s eyes widened.

“Instead, I plan to use that incident as a leash to make her a loyal retainer who will guard His Highness’s side.”

“……”

“Of course, this is assuming Miss Beriel is the culprit.”