Chapter : 86
The incident happened so suddenly that neither I nor the Second Empress could issue any orders—we froze on the spot.
It wasn’t just us. The attendants and knights standing nearby were the same.
“Ah… M-Mama…?”
The moment Sixth Prince Joel’s voice reached us, I snapped back to my senses.
If I didn’t pull myself together now, the situation would spiral completely out of control.
“Summon the imperial physician immediately,” I ordered. “Chief attendant, if you have any antidotes on you, bring them at once!”
Next, I instructed the knight known for his upright character to take Sixth Prince Joel and Coco to the Winter Palace.
‘In a situation like this, the Second Empress and I could easily be framed as the culprits.’
The fact that my mind immediately began calculating possibilities felt almost cruel.
But I had to stay sharp.
Otherwise, we’d be the ones swallowed whole.
‘…This isn’t a trial.’
In the original story, the Emperor did meet a mysterious death.
However, to the public, it was said he passed away after a long illness, so it wasn’t emphasized much in the narrative.
Still, his death drastically altered the political landscape.
In the palace left without the Emperor—who had acted as a brake on the First Empress—Cassian and Roselita had been forced to endure with everything they had.
‘Maybe I relied too much on the original story.’
No—perhaps things had been deliberately arranged to make me think that way.
I had been focusing solely on the “trial,” only to be struck out of nowhere by a prophecy that felt unpublished and unfinished.
‘But this is my reality too.’
Which meant that this reality—offering no hints at all—had to be resolved by my own strength.
And to do that, the Emperor’s life had to be saved first.
At the very least, things couldn’t proceed the same way as in the original story. My instincts screamed a warning.
The Emperor surely carried far more truths than we imagined—truths befitting his position.
Neither Cassian nor I could allow him to leave this world with those questions unanswered.
“H-He swallowed it!”
While I was gathering my thoughts, the Emperor barely managed to swallow the antidote the chief attendant always carried.
“How’s his pulse?”
“…It’s weak, but still beating. Adviser Saliche, f-from now on—”
“All we can do now is pray the imperial physician arrives quickly. And until then, no one—including the Second Empress and myself—must move.”
I told the chief attendant to guard His Majesty closely, then spoke with unwavering eyes.
“If you don’t wish to be suspected.”
With so many people witnessing the Emperor collapse after drinking tea, this incident couldn’t be swept under the rug.
And in my mind, a prime suspect had already surfaced.
For now, it was only circumstantial suspicion.
‘The First Empress.’
She had made her move.
And as if to prove my hypothesis, not long after the imperial physician arrived, the First Empress appeared at the Sun Palace.
“What is the Imperial Guard doing?! Why haven’t you arrested the criminals?!”
She pressed the knights more aggressively than she questioned the physician about the Emperor’s condition.
Naturally, I was about to speak up to defend us—
But then the Second Empress rose from her seat, stepping in front of me as if to shield me.
“First Empress, whom exactly are you calling criminals? No investigation has even begun.”
“Who else could it be? You and Adviser Saliche—those present when His Majesty collapsed.”
“That seems like exceedingly weak grounds for branding someone a criminal.”
Strength settled firmly into the Second Empress’s voice.
“Then what—you expect me to release the most suspicious parties on the spot? Those who harbored treasonous intent toward His Majesty?!”
The First Empress raised her voice indignantly.
“Release them simply because there’s no immediate evidence?!”
“That is not what I said. I merely felt a sense of déjà vu.”
“What?”
“When I was still the Fourth Consort, there was a riding accident.”
“Why bring up old matters now?”
“Back then, you said something very similar, First Empress. That there was no need to investigate—because only the knight riding closest to the horse could have caused such an accident.”
“Second Empress!”
“Yes, First Empress. I trust you’re well aware that I am no longer your subordinate, the Second Consort. Yet you address me as though you still stand above me.”
The Second Empress stared at her coolly.
At that heavy tone, the First Empress’s face reddened as deeply as her hair.
“No matter what, there is a clear difference between the First and Second Empress! Even the order of entrance into the palace differs!”
“To boldly suggest rearranging the hierarchy officially recognized by His Majesty—in a place with so many ears—surely you must be prepared to bear the consequences.”
Lowering her gaze slightly, the Second Empress gestured toward the table, where the imperial physician had just finished emergency treatment.
“Among these items will be tableware or food tainted with poison. Ever since Adviser Saliche reacted quickly after His Majesty collapsed, no one has touched them.”
“I-I’ll investigate immediately.”
“I brewed the tea myself, and we all held our cups together.”
At her calm directive, the First Empress scoffed in disbelief.
“So this is your desperate attempt to clear your name!”
“If I am guilty, I will accept my punishment. But First Empress, I simply believe there should never again be an unjust death like before.”
“W-What did you say?”
“You may not know this, but when I was merely the Fourth Consort, I was terrified. The Third Consort lost both her life and her unborn child in that riding accident—despite being an excellent rider.”
The Second Empress met the First Empress’s gaze without wavering.
“So I questioned it. Was there truly no other cause? Why would a knight so loyal betray his precious master?”
“How long do you intend to stall with old stories?”
“First Empress—do you truly believe I never reached the truth back then?”
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on the Second Empress’s lips.
“And do you think there was no evidence?”
The confidence in her words made the First Empress’s mouth twitch.
But soon, she sneered dismissively.
“I’ll ask again—what does that ancient tale have to do with this? Evidence? Investigation….”
She clicked her tongue.
“The investigation records and the knight’s confession are all preserved in the archives.”
At that, the Second Empress murmured so quietly only I could hear:
“As expected—the one who came to erase the evidence back then must have been the First Empress.”
After saying that, she sent me a brief hand signal.
I etched the gesture into my memory—and right on cue, the imperial physician announced the results of his hurried examination.
“T-The Emperor’s teacup alone reacted to the silver needle. H-However….”
“However what?” the Second Empress asked calmly.
“At present, we cannot determine whether the poison was in the cup itself, or added while pouring. No other items reacted.”
“Then let me ask one more thing.”
“Y-Yes, Your Highness!”
“I brewed the tea and poured each cup myself.”
The thought that had been forming ever since she stepped in front of me became certainty the moment she asked that question.
“The tea set was brought by His Majesty’s long-serving head maid over there. Adviser Saliche was merely seated, conversing with His Majesty.”
“Second Empress, are you trying to shield Adviser Saliche?”
The First Empress was quick to catch on.
But the Second Empress replied without the slightest hesitation.
“Do I have any reason to protect Adviser Saliche? My precious son Joel was playing here as well. Or do you believe you possess the ability to deceive the eyes and mouths of everyone present in an instant, First Empress?”
She was stating only facts—while the First Empress seemed desperate to entangle them into guilt.
“Even so, it is not for a criminal such as you to interrogate—!”
“You’re being hasty, First Empress. It has not been decided that I am a criminal.”
The Second Empress clicked her tongue lightly.
For a moment, it felt as though a biting northern wind swept down behind her.
She truly was a princess of the frozen northern kingdom—one who had survived harsh winters shoulder to shoulder with her people.
She continued questioning the imperial physician.
“Then tell me—who among those present could have poisoned His Majesty?”
The physician’s eyes wavered.
After staring blankly at the Second Empress, he bowed his head.
“T-The Second Empress… and the head maid who brought the tea set.”
At that, the Second Empress turned her gaze to the head maid.
The maid showed brief agitation, but quickly regained composure—befitting someone who had served in the palace for decades.
“Head maid, did you personally prepare the tea set?”
“No. I brought it after a servant prepared it in the tea room. The tea room is managed by the chief attendant and his subordinates—I strictly adhere to my own duties.”
She then cast a look of trust—not suspicion—toward the chief attendant.
“Today, His Majesty summoned the chief attendant to show him a newly finished toy for the cat Coco. That is why I alone went to the tea room.”
The chief attendant spoke calmly as well.
“Please don’t worry. When I went to retrieve the antidote, I ordered all servants who entered or exited the tea room to remain on standby. We can quickly identify anyone who worked during that time—or anyone who fled.”
Their composure made it clear they were veterans who had served the imperial family for decades.
When everything had been laid out, the Second Empress slowly walked toward the First Empress.
“Therefore, First Empress—wouldn’t confinement of myself, the head maid, and a portion of the servants suffice?”
It was the Second Empress who had been in danger—
Yet the confrontation felt as though the positions had completely reversed.
