ATMM 07

Chapter – 07

“What is this? Why is this knight suddenly collapsed in the hallway?”

“What on earth…?”

The court physician muttered in confusion. I was equally bewildered.

The person who had collapsed appeared to be Ares—the very same man who, just moments ago, had confidently claimed that he alone could be relied upon.

“Wait, isn’t this Your Highness’s knight?”

As I moved closer, the physician had already reached Ares and begun checking his condition.

“He has a high fever. First, fetch a wet towel and a mobile bed!”

“Yes, yes!”

The attendants hurriedly laid Ares on a bed, and the physician quickly began a thorough examination.

“His breathing is rapid… but why are his cheeks so cold despite the fever…?”

The physician frowned, checked Ares’s temperature and pulse, and then widened his eyes. He listened to his lungs with a stethoscope, examined his hands and feet, and inspected his entire body.

“This… is this blood?”

A bloodstain marked the front of Ares’s tunic. There was a faint trace near his mouth as well—it looked like he had coughed up blood.

The physician’s expression turned serious as he examined him further and instructed the attendants.

“The lungs seem severely inflamed. Combined with exhaustion, it’s critical. First, we need to provide nutrients. You there—bring the Rapa immediately.”

“Yes, Physician!”

Rapa was a medicinal herb commonly used to supply nutrients to someone suffering from exhaustion. The physician summoned additional herbs.

“Bring fragrant mushrooms, the root of Peridot, and Levitz stems.”

“Understood!”

All of these were substances that relieved pain and fever while combating inflammation. The attendants moved in perfect coordination to bring the requested items.

The physician quickly finished his examination and prepared to begin treatment, but something nagged at me.

Why did he collapse in front of the bathroom?

This was no ordinary knight. He served directly under Yulion and had confidently claimed to be far better than other knights. Up until a short while ago, he had shown no signs of fever, radiating nothing but vitality.

And now he collapsed, supposedly due to mere exhaustion and fever? It felt off—especially combined with the traces of coughing up blood.

“I will administer the medicine orally. Hold him firmly.”

“Yes!”

The physician had prepared the medicine and was about to feed it to Ares. Just as the brownish liquid was about to enter his mouth, I noticed faint blood on the tips of his fingers.

That…!

“Physician, wait. We need to check something.”

I urgently grabbed the physician’s arm. All eyes in the room turned toward me.

“This is urgent. Why are you stopping me?”

The physician’s voice betrayed his obvious embarrassment. I positioned myself in front of Ares and said firmly,

“Have you considered that this might not be simple pneumonia or exhaustion?”

“Excuse me? What did you say?”

“I’m saying I want to examine him myself.”

The physician froze, dumbfounded. He blinked repeatedly, seemingly unable to comprehend my words.

“Step aside, Physician. I need to see the patient.”

“No, Your Highness, you—”

The physician was so rigid that he could barely respond. Other attendants watched in shock, yet no one dared intervene. I immediately began a physical examination myself.

I checked his temperature and pulse again. Perhaps his condition had changed in the time since the physician’s assessment. I lifted his eyelids to check his pupils and examined the blood at his fingertips.

“…!”

The blood on his fingertips was now more pronounced than before. Despite the absence of any visible wounds, the way it seemed to seep through his skin was strange and unnatural. I turned to one of the attendants.

“Bring a candle.”

“Pardon?”

“Did you not hear me? A candle!”

“Oh, yes!”

The young attendant fumbled in confusion, lighting the candle and bringing it to me.

“Your Highness, what are you going to do with a candle…?”

The physician timidly asked, but I had no time to explain. I brought the candle close to Ares’s face and lifted his eyelids.

Plop. Plop.

The sound of droplets hitting the floor echoed clearly. Every eye in the room followed the sound, and gasps filled the air. The blood that had pooled at Ares’s fingertips now dripped onto the floor in small drops.

I handed the candle back to the attendant and immediately diagnosed the situation.

“This is poisoning. Bring a syringe for a blood test, and we must administer Cetrium immediately.”

I reached out to the nearby attendants, but no one moved.

“What are you waiting for? We need a syringe!”

The physician’s expression darkened.

“Your Highness, how can you consider using such a barbaric method?”

This test involved drawing blood and adding it to various medicinal substances to observe reactions. The method originated in Yalon, my mother’s homeland, and I knew its medical value intimately. I had performed it countless times myself.

However, in the Empire, piercing the skin to draw blood was considered barbaric, so most treatments ended at a mere physical examination. Since no one seemed willing to hand me a syringe, I called for Jenid, who had been standing anxiously in the back.

“Jenid.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Bring a syringe from Garnet Palace. Quickly.”

“Yes!”

I always carried a syringe with me in case of emergencies. It was in my medicine bag, and although it might seem unnecessary in the palace, I had left it at Garnet Palace for convenience. The astonishment on the physician’s and attendants’ faces was unmistakable when they realized I had a syringe.

Before Jenid arrived, I decided to begin any treatment I could.

“First, bring Cetrium. Neutralizing the poison is the top priority.”

Cetrium was a universally safe antidote. It could counteract many types of poison, though it was not the most potent. Still, it was effective enough for immediate use.

“We’ll buy time with Cetrium while I prepare a stronger antidote.”

The attendants exchanged hesitant glances. The physician, panicked, spoke up.

“Cetrium? That’s impossible, Your Highness!”

His voice was firm, almost shaking the room.

“A knight in the palace poisoned? This cannot happen!”

I quickly explained my diagnosis to the still-confused physician.

“He has a high fever but ice-cold cheeks, his breathing is rapid, he has coughed up blood, and blood pools at his fingertips when light hits his eyes. These are symptoms of a specific poison used in the southern continent.”

The physician fell silent at my explanation. I pressed on.

“Most tellingly, he collapsed in front of the bathroom. Judging by the circumstances, I can even identify the name of the poison.”

“But I have never heard of such a poison…”

His eyes trembled as if an earthquake had hit. I spoke sharply.

“Just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!”

Yet the physician stubbornly refused to accept my words, clinging to his own assessment.

“Even with severe lung inflammation, these symptoms can occur. I understand your wish to save the patient, but this is my duty as an official physician.”

“Then how do you explain the blood dripping from his fingertips?”

“I… I will re-examine him properly.”

Ridiculous. Claiming a re-examination could somehow reveal the poison’s identity was just a way of putting authority above care.

“You claim you’ve never heard of this poison, yet you think another examination will reveal its name?”

“There is no poison! Surely there must be another cause—!”

“Why are you stopping me? If my suspicion is correct, time is critical!”

The physician’s cheeks twitched as he tried to contain his anger, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“Your Highness, you should know, Cetrium is toxic to healthy individuals. You must handle this carefully—he is a palace knight.”

“I have made a careful diagnosis. He is clearly poisoned. Cetrium is necessary.”

The tension in the court was palpable. Cetrium could indeed be poisonous to healthy individuals, but Ares was unquestionably poisoned. Rapid treatment was essential.

Ugh…

As the physician and I argued, Ares’s body began to convulse. Gasps of concern rose from around the room.

“We cannot delay any longer. Bring Cetrium immediately!”

“Your Highness, do you intend to disregard my authority? As the Imperial Physician, I cannot allow a dangerous prescription to be followed for a knight!”

The physician had no intention of yielding. I gave up on persuasion.

“Then I, as Crown Princess, am giving the order. Bring it immediately.”

A heavy silence descended over the court, broken only by the faint blinking of eyelids.