ATMM 26

Chapter – 26

Silence settled over the bedroom.

A fragile exhaustion was visible on Yulion’s face. His eyes, lowered toward the floor, were slightly bloodshot—he clearly hadn’t slept properly.

Just how much does he know?

Only Councilor Bamide gave an awkward chuckle at the sudden stillness.

In the end, Yulion dragged a hand down his face and spoke.

“How far has it progressed?”

“With what?”

I answered curtly on purpose. His voice dropped another degree.

He lifted his gaze and looked straight at me, striking the heart of it.

“I’m asking how much of your senses have disappeared.”

“……”

“You’re speaking with me right now, so it’s not your hearing. You haven’t been eating properly, so is it your sense of taste?”

“Yulion, I’m perfectly fine.”

At the word hearing, I flinched, remembering how I had nearly collapsed when it disappeared. Thankfully, it had returned.

Of course, even if it hadn’t, eating Aferium would have restored it—but then everything would have been exposed: my illness, and the fact that Aferium was the cure.

I can’t reveal Aferium.

Even if we currently shared the same goal and maintained a good relationship, secretly consuming the Emperor’s treasured flower without permission was another matter entirely.

Unless His Majesty granted permission…

But the Emperor was unconscious.

Yulion had no authority to use the Emperor’s flower as he pleased. Even if it concerned someone’s life, using what belonged to the Emperor without consent was a grave crime.

And above all, when I proposed the contract marriage, I had never once mentioned Aferium.

I can’t suddenly say that was my real objective.

After dressing it up as revenge for my mother and joining hands with him, revealing that my primary reason had been to nibble away at Aferium would feel like betrayal to him.

So this was something I wanted to keep secret until the day I died.

The question was whether Councilor Bamide knew about Aferium.

I glanced sideways at him. The deep wrinkles on his forehead mirrored his heavy concern.

It doesn’t seem like he knows…?

If he did, he would’ve told Yulion—and Yulion wouldn’t look worried right now. He’d look incredulous.

“Stop evading the question. Councilor Bamide has already completed a blood test.”

So the words blood test I heard while half-conscious hadn’t been a hallucination.

When I failed to respond, Yulion continued.

“They say your body is filled with poison. You, who were raised as a noble lady—why are you harboring so much poison?”

His question was natural.

But he seemed to have overlooked one thing: I wasn’t an ordinary noble lady. I was a daughter of the House of Kasiyan.

“Everyone has their circumstances. If you read the documents I handed you on the first day, you’d know.”

In truth, my illness was partly of my own making.

To develop medicine for my mother—and to create poisons at my family’s demand—I had always studied toxic herbs.

Even if I didn’t intentionally ingest them, countless toxins accumulated in my body during research.

Had I stopped earlier, it wouldn’t have reached this point.

But there was no need to explain all that in detail—especially not with Bamide listening.

Fortunately, Yulion didn’t press further. Instead, his face hardened with a sigh.

“They say the senses disappear one by one until it ends in death. How far has it progressed?”

Feeling strangely guilty, I lowered my head and stared at my fingertips.

Yulion’s gaze followed.

“…Pain sensation.”

He must have remembered the burn I got from grabbing a candle barehanded.

Too late—I saw certainty in his expression.

“So that’s why. When you said it didn’t hurt, you meant it.”

He let out a low, self-mocking laugh and sighed deeply.

“Councilor Bamide says treatment is difficult. Is that true?”

“Of course not. It can be treated.”

The efficiency wasn’t ideal since I couldn’t immediately process it into proper medicine—but it would improve steadily.

His eyes widened slightly.

“You have medicine?”

“Of course. I just haven’t taken it the past few days because I’ve been busy, so it worsened a bit…”

I trailed off.

Yulion’s brows shot up.

“Did I not tell you to prioritize your health? How can you possibly—!”

It sounded like a lecture was coming.

I forced an awkward smile and cut him off quickly.

“I understand. I’ll take it properly from now on. So don’t worry. I can handle it.”

He had said he wanted a Crown Princess beloved by the people. A healthy, stable presence.

A sickly Crown Princess wouldn’t inspire confidence.

But he frowned at my words.

“What exactly can you handle?”

“I mean I can fulfill the duties of Crown Princess just fine. So don’t worry. After all…”

After all, in one year, I would leave the palace.

I didn’t say the rest—Bamide was still there.

But I looked at Yulion, hoping he’d understand the meaning in my eyes.

That was when—

“I see.”

His quiet response was ice-cold.

That wasn’t the reaction I expected.

“Yulion? Why suddenly—”

Had I said something wrong?

Before I could ask more, he rose sharply.

“Understood. Then please rest. You may hear about Blanche from Head Maid Jenid.”

“Wait—Yulion!”

I tried to stop him, but he left without looking back.

“I shall take my leave as well. Please rest more, and I will return later.”

Bamide followed him out, equally stiff.

I stared at the closed door for several long minutes.

Soon after, Jenid burst in, breathless.

“Your Highness!”

Her disheveled clothes showed how urgently she’d rushed over.

She sat beside the bed and grabbed my hand.

“Do you know how worried I was? I thought something terrible had happened…!”

Her trembling voice made me feel guilty.

I hadn’t told her about my illness to avoid worrying her.

And yet I’ve only made her worry more.

I really needed to take Aferium more consistently.

Just because I could reach for it anytime didn’t mean I should be careless.

Yulion was right—even if busy, I should have made time.

“I’m sorry, Jenid. I’m fine now.”

“What exactly is wrong? Councilor Bamide even did a blood test. His Highness looked so serious…”

Her eyes trembled with anxiety.

If she learned the truth, she’d panic even more.

It’s a disease that can be cured anyway.

If I just took the medicine diligently, there’d be no more cause for worry.

So I smiled brightly.

“It’s nothing serious. Just temporary fatigue. I’ll recover with rest.”

“Temporary…?”

“Yes. So don’t worry.”

She blinked rapidly, then nodded.

“I understand. That’s such a relief.”

But her expression still looked sad.

She didn’t believe me.

I changed the subject.

“What about Blanche?”

With evidence and witnesses in abundance, the pro-Kemere nobles wouldn’t be able to defend her easily.

“She couldn’t have acted alone. The Kemere Count’s family leadership must be involved.”

That was why we’d wanted to settle her guilt without a full noble trial.

If it went to trial, Kemere would have tried to bury it.

But now that Blanche’s guilt was confirmed, denial would be impossible.

And Kasiyan—long hostile to Kemere—would never let this opportunity slip.

While I was unconscious, the noble council must have been in chaos.

“Well… the Kemere Count’s family has…”

And what flowed from Jenid’s lips next was rather shocking.