Chapter 112

“Cough, cough!”

 

“Your Majesty, please, stay strong.”

 

At the sound of the dying voice, I stole a glance at the Empress’s complexion. She was partially obscured by the bed canopy, but the frantic whispers of the maids told me everything I needed to know.

 

She was in critical condition, unable to support her own weight or even speak. Dark purple shadows had stained the skin beneath her eyes—a classic symptom of poisoning you’d see in a game.

 

The fierce, powerful woman I once knew was gone; in her place lay a shell of a person who looked ready to expire at any second. Propped up by a maid, the Empress let out a pained groan and coughed up a spray of blood from the slight exertion.

 

I knew the signs immediately.

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

The maids shrieked in horror, rubbing her back. I cleared my throat and spoke cautiously.

 

“This is the only dose we have. Even if your blood feels like it’s surging backward, you must hold it down.”

 

Sharp glares immediately flew my way. I was only stating the facts… did they want her to vomit the medicine back up?

 

The Empress’s half-lidded eyes lingered on me for a moment before she began to gulp down the medicine. She collapsed back onto the bed, gasping for air, before falling into a deep sleep.

 

“Will she be alright now?!”

 

One of the maids hounded the imperial physician. However, the doctor, clearly out of his depth, could only stammer.

 

I felt Elena nudge my side with her elbow.

 

“Yes, she will recover. The key is how long the detoxification process takes. What is certain is that she will not die. Her Majesty simply needs absolute rest.”

 

At Elena’s words, a collective sigh of relief filled the room.

 

But then, the Empress, whom we thought had fallen asleep, quietly raised a hand and beckoned someone. It was a gesture telling them to come closer.

 

“Your Majesty, who are you looking for?”

 

The maid who leaned in to listen nodded and then turned her gaze toward me.

 

“……Young Lady, Her Majesty asks that you approach for a moment.”

 

Me? I narrowed my eyes and walked over to her.

 

“Do you have something to say?”

 

“……Re…ward.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

I couldn’t hear her clearly, so I brought my ear closer.

 

However, all I heard was labored breathing. Frustrated by her own weakness, the Empress exhaled sharply and grabbed my hand. With trembling fingers, she traced two words onto my palm.

 

‘Reward?’

 

My eyes widened at the word—something so utterly unlike the Empress. They say people change when they survive a near-death experience, or perhaps she knew her time was coming?

 

But that thought vanished the moment I saw her eyes. They were burning with intensity. A person genuinely intending to repay a favor wouldn’t have an expression like that. It was more like her pride had been wounded.

 

Did she even know the circumstances of how she was poisoned?

 

As if she were finished, she waved her hand to dismiss me. To follow Elena’s orders for rest, everyone except a few close aides was ushered out of the room.

 

“My Lady, did it go well?”

 

“Uh…… I think so?”

 

If the Empress herself mentioned a reward, it wouldn’t be just any ordinary prize.

 

Baron Perio stood nearby, wiping cold sweat from his brow. With his hollow face, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. Elena gently patted his back to comfort him.

 

“By the way…… where did Evan go?”

 

I looked around. Far off, leaning against a pillar, I saw Evan talking to Piote. I ran over to him immediately to hear what had happened in the meantime.

 

“What? Prince Bastien did?!”

 

“Yes. It was a good thing we went there as you suggested, Lep. He really was trying to kill the Emperor.”

 

“……Because of the succession?”

 

‘So, it ended up like that after all……’

 

I wiped my face with my hand. Fedeshar plotting the poisoning of the Empress, and Bastien attempting to assassinate the Emperor……

 

“……His Majesty was actually beaming, saying that Bastien has disqualified himself from the throne and that he plans to place Prince Fedeshar on it instead.”

 

“But that won’t work. Prince Fedeshar already confessed. The country is a mess.”

 

“Do you think the previous reign was peaceful? It was rife with all sorts of schemes and assassinations.”

 

I stepped between Piote and Evan, telling them to stop.

 

“Why are we the ones worrying about it? It’s the Emperor and Empress’s fault things got to this point anyway.”

 

“Lep is right. Let’s just go home now.”

 

Evan’s eyes crinkled into half-moons as he smiled.

 

“Huh? But we should finish up the final details……”

 

“That’s their job.”

 

“You’re exhausted.”

 

Evan’s finger traced the dark circles under my eyes.

 

Come to think of it, between the kidnapping and running all over the place to find herbs, I was spent. As soon as he mentioned it, drowsiness began to wash over me. When I rubbed my eyes, Evan stroked my hair and told me I had worked hard.

 

“Hey, where are you taking Lep?”

 

“You take care of Physician Elena. I’ve made the arrangements, so she’ll be released soon.”

 

Piote jumped around in protest behind us, but Evan ignored him, supporting me as we walked down the corridor.

 

 

***

 

 

I tossed and turned.

 

“Ugh……!”

 

My whole body felt stiff. I tried to recall yesterday’s events, but I had no memory past getting into the carriage. The moment I leaned against Evan’s shoulder, my head must have dropped like a sick chicken.

 

Groggy, I rubbed my eyes and peeked them open. I recognized the familiar scenery of the room immediately.

 

I stared blankly at the ceiling. Even looking to the side, I couldn’t tell if it was day or night because the curtains were drawn.

 

“Evan……?”

 

Since Evan was the last person I was with, I called his name. Instead of a verbal answer, an arm reached out from beside me. It wrapped around me softly, pulling me back into the plush bed.

 

The arm holding me was incredibly solid. Startled, I looked to my side and saw Evan lying there.

 

“Lep, do you realize you’ve been asleep for two days?”

 

With a deeply worried face, Evan gently caressed my cheek. Two days? Me?

 

“Fatigue had just built up. A lot has happened, after all. It’s only natural you collapsed.”

 

Evan softly brushed my bangs aside. Despite thinking I should wake up, I felt myself drifting back to sleep. But then, the events of the past few days flashed through my mind like a montage, and my eyes snapped open.

 

“No! I have to get up. More importantly, the Duke was released, right?”

 

When I sat up, Evan’s brow furrowed in disapproval.

 

“Since he wasn’t the culprit. Thanks to that, the palace is in an uproar. They’re trying to keep it quiet, but it’s only a matter of time before the public finds out.”

 

“Are you okay, Evan?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“What do you mean ‘Hm’! Your father was named as the suspect in the poisoning of the Empress! Do you know how serious that is? Your family was almost wiped out! Do you know how anxious I was?!”

 

I shouted, thumping the bed with my hands.

 

“Did you work that hard for me?”

 

Suddenly, Evan’s eyes began to sparkle. It was obvious I had to choose my words very carefully here.

 

“Of course!”

 

Evan’s face lit up with joy, and he pulled me into a tight embrace.

 

“I worked hard for you too, Lep.”

 

Yesterday he was so reliable, but today he was acting like a spoiled child. I returned the embrace as he nuzzled his cheek against mine. The fact that I was getting used to this was a problem in itself……

 

“Sweetheart, are you awake? A conversation is lovely, but let’s have a meal first.”

 

“O-Oh, Mother?!”

 

“Tsk.”

 

The Duchess burst into Evan’s room. Evan, who had been nestled in my arms, made no effort to hide his irritation.

 

“Son, don’t we have much to discuss?”

 

“……Please head down first. Lep, if it’s hard to get up, I’ll help you.”

 

“No, I’m okay.”

 

I managed to lift my heavy body and, with Evan’s support, headed down the stairs.

 

When I arrived at the dining room, I stared blankly at the long table laden with food. Sitting in his chair was the Duke, dressed so impeccably one would never guess he had just been detained in the Imperial City.

 

“Eat up.”

 

The atmosphere was so casual that I picked up my utensils as well.

 

The Duchess was the same; in fact, she spoke about her husband’s detention as if it were a minor inconvenience, even sounding a bit scolding……

 

“Dear, are you going to keep falling for such petty tricks? Thanks to you, I spent yesterday patrolling various banquets as if I were an inspector.”

 

“I am truly sorry about that. Thank you.”

 

‘This family is truly incredible……’

 

The Duke, who took the remarks in stride, was amazing, and so was Evan, who kept fussing over me, asking why I wasn’t eating or if the food wasn’t to my taste. Was this really a family that had almost vanished……?

 

“On that note, sweetheart, you were truly magnificent. Thanks to you, we were able to overcome this crisis safely.”

 

“Ah, no. I only did what I could.”

 

“Don’t be so humble. You are practically our savior.”

 

I felt shy being praised even by the Duke, so I quickly changed the subject.

 

“Is everything alright at the palace now……?”

 

“It’s noisy. Over who should be the next Emperor.”

 

“No matter the excuse, the crime of attempting assassination doesn’t just disappear.”

 

The Duke pressed his hand to his forehead, looking like he had a headache. At that, the Duchess clapped her hands.

 

“Now, now, that’s not the important part, is it?”

 

“Pardon? Then what is……?”

 

“Sweetheart, I heard from Evan. You’ve decided to get married?”

 

“That’s what I was going to say.”

 

“Do you know how much effort and time goes into a wedding? It’s good to have someone with experience. When did your parents say would be a good time?”

 

Was it really appropriate to talk about our marriage right now? In this situation?

 

“Uh……? Well……”

 

“Mother, have you forgotten? Lep was kidnapped on the very day I went to ask for permission to marry her.”

 

“I am aware of that. But I thought you would have contacted them separately or something?”

 

“Shouldn’t I visit them in person to get their approval rather than sending a letter? In that sense, Lep and I are heading to the Count Clies estate.”

 

“I wish you luck.”

 

The Duke spoke, and the Duchess waved her hand—a gesture telling us to have a good trip. Behind them, the servants were cheering us on, telling us to be sure to get permission.

 

“Huh? We’re going? Right now……?”

 

Right in the middle of a perfectly good meal? I was utterly bewildered by the sudden flow of events.

 

Without a word, Evan took my hand. It seemed I was destined to become part of a couple begging for permission to marry.