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“Put it in Her Majesty’s mouth.”
“Your Highness!”
The horrified Deacon blocked the way.
“Her Majesty the Empress is currently receiving my treatment. I understand you’re anxious, but you must not do this!”
“Must not?”
Eokaste made a straight face with an expression as if hearing the most bizarre thing.
“You’ve been using the same method for months and she can’t even open her eyes, so shouldn’t you change the treatment method? Must not?”
“My treatment cannot be mixed with other treatments. In the worst case, Her Majesty may never wake up again!”
“Anyway, she’s not waking up now either.”
Eokaste retorted indifferently.
“Whether this way or that, if she’s not waking up, we should try any method.”
“I am saying this out of concern not only for Her Majesty the Empress but also for Your Highness the Princess.”
“What. You’re concerned about me?”
“Yes.”
Deacon bowed deeply.
Due to being in the Empress’s closest circle all this time, he was under the illusion that he had attained a comparable position.
So he dared to cross the line with his words.
“If something happens to Her Majesty after taking the medicine Your Highness brought, what will become of Your Highness’s safety?”
“Ha.”
One corner of Eokaste’s mouth twisted up.
The room fell silent.
Even the head maid, who had been huffing in anger, covered her mouth and lowered her breathing.
In the chilled atmosphere, Eokaste folded her eyes narrowly and fanned herself while speaking calmly.
“I’m so touched that you’re thinking of my safety that it brings tears to my eyes. Then, if Her Majesty the Empress takes this medicine and becomes fine, does that mean your head will fly off?”
“What?”
What is this about? The flustered Deacon hurriedly lifted his head.
Eokaste was smiling faintly.
“You warned that if something goes wrong with Her Majesty, my head will fly off. So in the opposite case, your head should fly off.”
“N-no, I didn’t say your head would fly off!”
“I see. But I understood it that way, so I’ll have your head fly off.”
At this, Deacon couldn’t continue with a bewildered face, then appealed with a wronged expression.
“I, I have only the sin of treating Her Majesty the Empress with all my heart until now. How could you-!”
“You did, but Her Majesty couldn’t wake up.”
“…….”
“The beastmen tried to send medicine to treat Her Majesty from long ago, but you incited the nobles to refuse it. So if she wakes up after taking this, you should prepare yourself.”
Having finished speaking, Eokaste nodded to the imperial physician she had brought.
At this, the desperate Deacon used his last resort.
He blocked her path.
“You must not do this, even if she takes it, you need to get permission from His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“Permission? Since when did the Crown Prince become the first authority in the imperial palace?”
Eokaste sarcastically mocked in a joking tone.
She had come taking advantage of the time when the Crown Prince was absent from the palace, knowing he would act like this.
“I’ve never heard such a thing. Drag him out.”
“No, Your Highness! Your Highness!”
The desperate cries continued, but it was useless. Deacon was dragged out by the sturdy attendants just like that.
In the meantime, the imperial physician Eokaste brought succeeded in feeding the medicine to the Empress without any hindrance.
Not long after that.
“Uuuuk!”
With violent retching, the Empress sat up abruptly.
* * *
The news that the Empress had awakened was also delivered to Crown Prince Reinhardt, who had been away briefly and returned late.
The attendant who brought the news said joyfully.
“Her Majesty the Empress has awakened. She is only slightly weakened in energy, but her health is completely fine!”
However, despite hearing the good news, there was no particular change in Reinhardt’s expression.
And rightly so, because he was the snake beastman hybrid mage who had taken over the Crown Prince’s body seven years ago.
Belatedly, Reinhardt smiled softly.
“Yes, that’s really fortunate.”
But inwardly, he was thinking something entirely different.
‘Tsk, the engagements will be wrapped up soon.’
In fact, it was he who had incited the Empress, who cherished her son terribly, to cause conflict with the beastmen.
Since the empire’s situation had changed a lot from seven years ago, he had resorted to this extreme method.
Back then, there were many in the empire who supported war with the beastmen.
Because the three ducal houses except Monlepe viewed war with the beastmen positively.
However, now the situation had changed.
Skya had collapsed, and Starafit was in seclusion after the great shock from the Fear attack incident seven years ago.
Also, Sunrise was in turmoil as the lord and lady had recently died in an accident.
Only Monlepe alone was persistently opposing the war with the beastmen, joining hands with Eokaste.
So he had prepared the seed of war with the help of the Empress who cherished her son terribly.
‘That Monlepe Duke threw ashes on it.’
He was truly an unwelcome fellow.
‘Well, since the research succeeded anyway, it doesn’t matter…….’
Reinhardt fiddled with the red orb in his hand.
The ominously glittering orb was an artwork and magical tool he had created after seven years of continuous research.
If a divine beast held it for a long time, not only would the covenant break, but the authority would transfer to him.
Of course, befitting that excellent effect, there was one very fatal flaw.
Just then, the attendant guarding outside announced a visitor.
“The young lord of Sunrise has arrived.”
“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
A young boy who seemed to have just entered his early teens came in and bowed politely. He was dressed in dark clothes to mourn his parents’ death.
The young lord fidgeted.
“You called for me…….”
“Yes, sit down.”
Reinhardt, having dismissed all the attendants in the room, pointed to the seat in front of him with graceful hand movements.
“I called because I have something important to tell you, young lord.”
“Yes…….”
The hesitant young lord sat in the seat Reinhardt pointed to.
Reinhardt stared at such a young lord like easy prey to devour, then went straight to the main point.
“I’m truly sorry about the Duke and Duchess. Especially since it doesn’t seem like a simple accident.”
“Y-yes…… What?”
The young lord, who had been nodding absentmindedly, paused.
“Not a simple accident? What do you…….”
Not long ago, there was a major accident in the capital where a building hosting a charity party collapsed.
Most attendees were safe, but the Sunrise Duke and Duchess, crushed under the debris, unfortunately died instantly.
The divine beast of the Sunrise ducal house, ‘Sol’, who should have protected them, was at home looking after the young lord by the Duke’s order.
Reinhardt opened his mouth as if genuinely regretful.
“Wasn’t the previous Monlepe Duke, Ikart Monlepe, next to the Duke and Duchess? Also, Monlepe’s divine beast Rain was there too.”
“…….”
“Many questions remain as to why those two couldn’t save the Duke and Duchess right next to them.”
“Th-that……. When the debris was cleared, it was already too late…….”
“No.”
Reinhardt lowered his voice.
“According to the investigator’s report, the two were still breathing until then. That means the previous Duke Monlepe lied.”
The still young young lord’s face turned pale white.
Having grown in a greenhouse and unable to discern right from wrong, he never thought that those words could be false.
So he stammered and asked Reinhardt.
“Wh-why would he tell such a lie?”
“Who knows, perhaps the previous Duke was involved in the two’s death.”
“……!”
“Of course, it’s just my speculation. The investigator’s report could be wrong, couldn’t it?”
Reinhardt concluded in a light tone as if throwing out an interesting gossip.
However, in the young lord’s mind, it was already concluded that Ikart had killed his mother and father.
The young lord murmured with a dazed face.
“Why…….”
“Ah, I heard the young lord is sending the divine beast to the young lady for a while.”
Reinhardt casually changed the topic.
The Sunrise young lady was the same age as Edenber, and she was currently on vacation in the south for a while. Then, upon hearing of her parents death, she was returning to the capital.
The young lord mumbled.
“Yes……. It’s hard to see Sol’s face. I want to be apart even for a while. If Sol had gone with them, mother and father would be alive…….”
“I understand.”
Reinhardt nodded as if truly sympathetic and handed him the red orb he was holding.
The young lord blinked with a puzzled face.
“This is?”
“It’s made by the imperial mage. You must have many worries having just inherited the divine beast’s authority, if you make this into a necklace and have the divine beast wear it, it will obey your words well.”
“Ah……. Thank you!”
The young lord’s face brightened for a moment.
He had been worrying whether Sol, who was his father’s divine beast, would obey him well.
Of course, the covenant was inherited, but obeying well is a completely different story.
After all, even Starafit’s divine beast Fear is famous for not obeying the Duke well.
The young lord took the red orb and tucked it away carefully.
Reinhardt looked at such a young lord and smiled meaningfully.
Although there was a flaw in the orb due to hastily finishing the research, it didn’t matter.
Because it was a flaw that would absolutely never be revealed unless there was a beastman nearby.
How many beastmen could there be in this vast empire.
Moreover, there couldn’t be a beastman who could approach close to Sunrise’s divine beast.
Thus, he completely relaxed his mind.
Subsequently, he let the news that Lady Erzébet was returning after finishing her countryside convalescence flow in one ear and out the other.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
