Chapter – 09
To put it bluntly, poison was detected in Ares’ blood.
And it was exactly the type of poison I had suspected.
“This… this can’t be…”
The chairman muttered “I can’t believe it” several times.
He twitched his mustache and clenched his fists as if overwhelmed with frustration.
A murmur from the council members observing the tense scene from above his hunched shadow slowly descended.
“What does that mean? The chairman was wrong?”
“So His Highness’ examination was correct?”
“The chairman misdiagnosed?”
“I thought he was supposed to be highly skilled.”
“Then… does that mean previous patients might have been misdiagnosed too…?”
“But how did His Highness know?”
“Well, you know, he even treated severe Beehive Poisoning at a glance and made antidotes instantly.”
“Could it be true, the rumor about him being the… Poison Witch?”
By coincidence, both Hemion and Ares had been poisoned, so the rumors about me, who had treated them, were spreading strangely.
The chairman bit his lips anxiously, sensing the distrust in everyone’s gaze.
I need to pressure the chairman before he tampers with the records.
I had been planning to obtain the records about the Empress’ illness as part of the bet earlier.
Speaking loudly and clearly, I called for the deputy physician who had assisted with preparing the medicine.
“Since the patient hasn’t fully stabilized, transfer them to the recovery room. And Yulion.”
Yulion, who had been watching Ares with a serious expression, looked up.
His golden eyes, which always shone brightly, were now subdued.
“I still have things to discuss with the chairman. Will you stay with Ares, or return to the office?”
“The chairman?”
Yulion tilted his head in curiosity. As expected, he was a very inquisitive person.
Perhaps I should subtly let Yulion in on this too.
I shrugged casually.
“We made a bet. If my examination was correct, the chairman must grant me anything I wish.”
At that, the chairman visibly flinched, half-stunned.
I smiled brightly and held out my hand toward him.
“There’s only one thing I want: the medical records of Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Her Majesty the Empress?”
It wasn’t the chairman who spoke, but Yulion.
Since it concerned his mother, his golden eyes hardened.
The chairman rolled his eyes, glanced between Yulion and me, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Your Highness, the patient hasn’t even woken up yet. How can we be certain the treatment is effective?”
“Are you joking right now?”
“Y-Your Highness—”
“Everyone just heard that poison was detected in the tests. Yet you insisted there was none!”
The chairman’s shamelessness made me step aside.
Yulion let out a bitter laugh, then sharply commanded him.
“Immediately bring the records as requested! Unless the Empress specifically restricted access, members of the royal family can review each other’s information.”
It seemed Yulion already understood the situation, as he didn’t ask further.
The chairman clamped his mouth shut and reluctantly lowered his head.
“V-Very well…”
And just like that, I obtained the records I had been seeking.
Returning to Garnet Palace, I wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the bed.
My body felt weak from all the tension.
I hastily swallowed the usual medicine I always took.
Then I turned my attention to the records I had just received from the chairman.
“Your Highness, we’ve run out of medicine for Hemion Martin,” said Jeneed hesitantly.
If not for him speaking up, I would have continued with the records.
I put the documents away and headed toward the small makeshift pharmacy.
When we moved into Garnet Palace, I had set up a rough pharmacy in a room next to the office.
And right next door, Hemion was waiting.
“She hasn’t woken up yet, right?”
“No, but her complexion has improved, and her fever is almost gone.”
“Good. I need to make more medicine right away.”
Her body had been at the terminal stage of Beehive Poisoning. There was no expectation of her waking within just a few days.
I’m truly glad she survived.
She had lost everything because of Kashian.
Even though she had thrown an egg at me, it wasn’t a sword, which made me chuckle a little.
She must have been very gentle and raised with much love.
Yet someone had taken her family away.
Even though I wasn’t responsible, imagining it happening to my family filled me with an intolerable disgust.
This is why I wanted to get away so quickly.
I didn’t want to be entangled any further. I wanted to sever even the tiniest connection.
If only it weren’t for my illness, I could have carried out my plans much faster.
Then again, maybe it was for the better.
If not for me, both Hemion and Ares would very likely have died.
“Yes… that’s enough.”
Saving at least one person. Saving more than those who were sacrificed by Kashian. That was my dream, my goal.
I wasn’t stagnant—I was moving forward.
“Your Highness!”
At that moment, Jeneed hurriedly grabbed my arm.
I felt something wet. Looking down, I realized the medicine had spilled onto the back of my hand.
“Ah.”
Jeneed fussed over wiping it up, and I laughed awkwardly, helping him.
Damn, I’d have to make a fresh batch.
After preparing the medicine and giving it to Hemion, I checked her condition before returning to the office.
“Jeneed, some fruit, please.”
Perhaps because I had used so much energy, I was hungry even though it wasn’t dinner yet.
Soon, a plate of carefully prepared fruit appeared on the table.
I ate a little at a time, starting with the lighter pieces, while opening the records from the chairman.
Complains of pain when exposed to light.
Severe eye irritation, headache, dizziness, most notable symptoms.
Pupillary dilation observed.
The Empress’ symptoms were exactly as I had predicted: pain when exposed to light, and dilated pupils.
But why is the treatment like this?
The prescriptions listed for each symptom were… strange.
Use Perphenol root and Hepvet diluted solution.
Napirim, Nabullet, Nachilid.
“There’s…”
There were some eye-protecting ingredients, but mostly, the prescriptions heavily relied on substances that block light.
Ratios like 9:1, 8:2, 7:3… 4:6
The proportion of light-blocking ingredients increased day by day.
At first, only a little was mixed, but gradually, the amount grew to an extreme level.
In other words, for nearly a year, the Empress had lived under constant light blockage.
Even now, she was probably still living in darkness.
“Even if she feels pain when exposed to light, this isn’t fundamental treatment.”
This would only worsen the condition rather than improve it.
Of course, the Empress’ pain would make the staff want to block light first, but such repeated treatment could ultimately lead to blindness.
The chairman wouldn’t not know this.
The Empress’ chamber was unusually dark.
When she complained of pain, the head maid presented the medicine as if it were routine.
Administering it caused the pupils to dilate, further losing focus.
Her condition had clearly deteriorated significantly. She must have reached the point where she couldn’t tolerate even a little light.
No wonder she stayed indoors during the wedding.
At the time, I had been too busy to check her condition.
I remembered she only appeared briefly at the ceremony, later than scheduled, wearing a translucent veil, and didn’t attend the banquet, supposedly due to attending the Emperor.
Back then, I thought she simply disliked me.
“Your Highness, would you like a drink?”
Jeneed asked as I continued thinking.
I looked up from the documents.
The fruit plate was already empty.
“Yes. Something sweet, please.”
“Certainly.”
I realized my contemplation would take some time.
How should I inform the Empress of this truth? How should I treat her? My mind was tangled.
The disease itself was extremely difficult to treat.
It’s a disease caused by lack of light. She needs to keep seeing light to build immunity.
She must endure the pain and look at the light. Sunlight would be even better.
The problem was that the symptoms were already triggered by light, making it hard to tell her to endure it.
If I reveal the truth, will Her Majesty trust me?
I had to be cautious.
This wasn’t like Hemion or Ares’ cases.
The Empress was the second-highest person in the Empire and oversaw the palace internally.
Moreover, she seemed to trust the chairman deeply.
Simply telling her the chairman’s treatment was wrong and demanding she follow mine would be a tall order, as she had no reason to trust me.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rhythmic tapping of my fingers on the desk was joined by another sound.
Knock. Knock.
Someone was knocking at the office door.
“Rohiriel, would you like to join me for dinner?”
Yulion leaned in through the slightly opened door.
