Chapter 9
The day of the Queen’s coronation ceremony has arrived. In the meantime, Karloi tried to intensify the meals that were served to him and combined them with antidote elements. It had been limited to plants that could only be used for poison.
When he saw Duke Delois, Karloi felt that there would likely be more attempts to poison him.
Doing this might not avoid all poisoning attempts, but it was better than doing nothing. The Duke had a terrifying effort, so it couldn’t be forgotten how he would often try his best to assassinate him.
After his marriage to Yvonne, Duke Delois never thought of him as his son-in-law, and after a year, he no longer felt safe.
Luckily, his predictions were wrong, Karloi’s meal was fine, and there were no assassins targeting him.
“What’s the benefit to the Duke of Delois to harm Your Majesty now? He’s not a person who behaves so recklessly, that Duke.”
Gorten said calmly, as if to reassure him. He wasn’t wrong.
“That’s true.”
At Gorten’s words, Karloi nodded unconsciously.
The duke was a man who had his own procedures for dealing with his silence. It’s a problem because he doesn’t know what the damn procedures could be.
“What about the Empress?”
“She’s quiet. She seems to be busy preparing for the Queen’s ceremony.”
“She’s the daughter of the Duke, and I don’t know what kind of tricks she’s got up her sleeve.”
“What else can the Empress do to Your Majesty? She’s not even close to Your Majesty, anyway.”
That made sense.
However, at the time when Karloi was feeling relieved, a secret letter was delivered to Keana, informing her of something. It was two days before the ceremony.
“You’re saying that I’m an easier target than Your Majesty. Well, getting my support would take a lot of effort for the Duke. I’m not that strong against poison.”
Keana muttered after reading the letter. The letter mentioned the Duke of Delois plans to poison Keana at the Queen’s ceremony.
Neither Karloi nor Keana was particularly surprised. It was obvious for the Duke of Delois to do. Considering the Duke’s actions, it would be rather unusual if he did not try this.
Rather, it was even more surprising that someone had ratted him out. This has never happened before.
“I think it’s a trap.”
“A trap?”
“There has never been a secret letter like this. Who among the Duke’s servants could send us something like this?”
“That’s true, but what kind of trap would you think this could be?”
Well….I need to get my evidence sorted, I can’t do an investigation if I don’t know in advance. It’s more difficult if I investigate and then plan changes. So I don’t know if this is indeed a trap or not.
So they held their breath and waited for the ceremony as if they had become bait themselves.
On the day of the ceremony, it wasn’t only Karloi and Keana that focused all of their attention on the coronation ceremony.
The Emperor’s nobles opened their eyes wide and tried to catch a fault with the Empress. Though they couldn’t do anything with Yvonne, the daughter of the Duke, they still wanted to find fault in her / that didn’t stop them from wanting to find faults in her.
But the coronation ceremony was perfect. There was nothing to blame, from the procedure to the scale. Rather, it was the Emperor who was to be blamed because Karloi didn’t dance with the Empress, let alone exchange a single glance with her.
“You seem more beautiful today.”
“Oh, Your Majesty, you also look more handsome.”
The Emperor and the Queen’s love affair continued, which no one was pleased about.
Keana was more glamorous than anyone else in the banquet hall. Colorful trinkets hanging here and there seemed to show off Karloi’s affection.
Yvonne did not glance at Karloi, who talked and danced only with Keana. Like always, she just sat still, without any motion, in her own seat, breathless.
The nobles felt frustrated just by looking at her, wanting to beat their chests for no reason as it felt stuffy.
It would be nice to do something to recover the relationship, but the Empress was sitting like a noble crane, as if she had never given a thought about it, even in her dreams.
“Your Majesty, isn’t the Empress is behaving too bluntly? What’s the reason she became an Empress?”
A noble muttered fearlessly, and Duke Delois glared at him fiercely. The nobleman, who had spoken, hurried to evacuate. The Duke’s gaze at Karloi and Keana was spiteful, but the gaze to his daughter Yvonne wasn’t too favorable either.
Karloi, who dances at the ceremony, was not feeling particularly comfortable.
Nonetheless, he and Keana had drank the antidote in advance, but it was stressful to worry about whether the information in the letter was true or not, and if so, worrying about when and who would be poisoned.
It’s annoying to see Yvonne sitting peacefully, whether she does or doesn’t know her father’s disgusting intentions.
It was also possible for the Duke to make such a grand plan because the ceremony was in the hands of the Empress.
In addition, the Empress might have been planning to poison Keana herself. At least, she might not be unaware of the plan.
“…You prepared well for the ceremony. I think it must have been difficult for the Empress to do it alone.”
Yvonne narrowed her eyes and looked at Karloi next to her. Since it was the first time that Karloi didn’t make criticism or sarcastic remarks at an official event.
“It’s your first time, so there must have been a lot of things you didn’t know, did you do it alone?”
It was a question that implied that she was helped by the Duke. Yvonne seemed to have noticed the meaning in the cold atmosphere from Karloi to accept it as a pure compliment.
“Yes.”
It sounded like a dry answer, or an answer indicating him to drop it off. Karloi was at a loss for words and turned his head forward again.
However, he spoke with feeble anger soon after.
“You better remember what I said.”
Yvonne looked at him with an expression, suggesting that she did not understand his words.
“I mean, if you do anything wrong, I will take you off the Empress’ seat.”
Karloi’s profile was as cold as always. The thick lines made him look sharper. It was completely different from the expression that he looked at Keana with earlier.
“What kind of things are you referring to?”
As if not understanding. Karloi looked back at Yvonne, frowning at her.
“If you’re planning to do something to Keana, I’m telling you to stop right now. The coronation ceremony was the Empress’s job, so if anything happens, you’ll be held accountable.”
Yvonne looked at Karloi without answering, there was silence again between the two.
“Leave Keana alone.”
Karloi said once more firmly. Yvonne opened her mouth a few times, then sighed.
“Do you think I’d do something like that?”
“Is that even a question? I think you are capable of doing more than that.”
Karloi replied as if he didn’t even need room to think.
“So don’t even try.”
“Why? Listening to the words, if the Queen is wronged, it would rather benefit Your Majesty. Since you could make me take responsibility and kill me, the one you hate so much.”
At her unexpected response, Karloi glared at Yvonne with a ferocious look. The expression on her face did not change even in front of Karloi’s eyes.
It seemed somewhat unfair that Karloi was dumbfounded.
“…Give it a try. I won’t kill you easily..”
Upon hearing that, Yvonne’s face changed slightly to more annoyed. She is the first to come up with a dog-like answer, so why do you have that face.
Karloi seemed bored and left his seat that was next to Yvonne.
Amid an unknown tension, the order of the coronation ceremony quickly progressed. A toast cup was placed side by side in front of the Emperor and the Empress, the Queen, and the nobles. The moment he looked at the glass, Karloi had a hunch.
“…For the glory of Croisen.”
Karloi raised the glass and shouted. Not much flowed into his throat. While Karloi slowly lowered the glass, he remained calm.
Watching it, Keana gulped from the tension. She thinks this would be the goal, as written in the secret letter.
Yvonne lifted the glass as Karloi put it down.
“For the glory of Croisen.”
Yvonne spoke in her heartless voice, and without hesitation, she held her cup to her mouth. It was a face that seemed to hope for destruction, not glory.
Seeing that, Keana grabbed her cup with her trembling hands since it was her turn next.
He repeatedly said that it would be okay because she drank the antidote that Karloi had carried around, but she couldn’t help but be afraid. First off, Keana wasn’t a poison-tolerant human like Carlo.
She still thought it was dangerous, and couldn’t believe that she had to risk her life this quickly. Keana sighed anxiously.
As Yvonne lowered her cup, Keana raised her toast cup in front of her. The moment when the cup was about to touch her lips.
“Empress!”
“Aaaaahhh!”
Yvonne, who was sitting next to Karloi, vomited blood.
In an instant, the hall turned into a chaotic mess. The Duke was surprised and stood up from his seat and shouted, all of the nobles screamed.
Keana took out the silver rod, which she had put under her arm, and put it in her own cup, which she did not drink. There was no change in the color of the drink.
Yvonne fell sideways onto Karloi’s shoulder. Yvonne’s blood was smeared on his shoulder. Her hand was shaking as if she was still conscious.
Her ears felt like they were about to burst because of the noise.
Karloid grabbed Yvonne, grasping her lightly with his trembling hand, and then, he pulled out a bottle with his other hand. He was so scared to open the bottle because his hands were trembling.
Karloi struggled to put the antidote into Yvonne’s mouth. After the antidote entered, Yvonne lost consciousness and drooped in Karloi’s arms.
Karloi again took out the silver rod he had always carried under his arm. When the silver rod went into Yvonne’s glass and was soaked in the remaining liquor, he could quickly see the darkened rod.
“… The Empress.”
He couldn’t muster his voice, so Karloi cleared his throat.
“The Empress is poisoned! Block all entrances to the Imperial Palace!”
As Karloi shouted in a trembling voice, the soldiers quickly surrounded the entrance of the banquet hall, and the head of the bodyguards left the hall. Karloi checked Yvonne’s pulse.
She was alive.
He ran out of strength.
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T/N:
Theories! Theories! Does anybody have theories? XD
Who do you think poisoned Yvonne? Not what Karloi and Keana are out of the picture? The Duke? Or even ……. Yvonne herself?
Or is this just a pure mistake?