Chapter 33
By the time Arten—who had wandered off at his leisure—reappeared at the imperial palace, the imperial physician and Bowshell had completed the antidote and were on their way to the infirmary where Elizabeth lay.
Karlcia and Arahan, having been informed, were already gathered there as well.
“Looks like I arrived just in time. I found the list.”
As if it were nothing, Arten handed the list to Karlcia and then moved to check Elizabeth’s condition.
“Has she been given the antidote?”
“Yes. We administered it just now, but there’s been no response yet…”
At the physician’s reply, Arten stepped to Elizabeth’s side, placed a hand on her forehead, and began murmuring something as though performing a ritual.
A priest of the Holy Region.
That title carried enormous meaning.
Because he possessed both healing ability and divine power, no one dared interfere with what he was doing.
Whatever it was, it could only help Elizabeth.
When Arten finished the incantation, a faint hint of color returned to Elizabeth’s face.
Horn and Maya breathed sighs of relief at the sight, and Arahan felt the same.
Only one person did not.
Karlcia.
Looking at Elizabeth lying there, Karlcia recalled what he had discovered earlier.
Before the antidote was completed, he had searched the imperial library for records about Elizabeth.
Strangely, there was nothing about her childhood.
As if someone had intentionally erased it.
Elizabeth had drawn the imperial family’s attention from the moment she was born—
just like her mother, Cecilia Arlesia.
Cecilia Arlesia.
Elizabeth’s mother, and the only daughter of Anais Vincent.
Before marrying into the Arlesia family, the late Emperor had tried to take her as Empress—but Anais opposed it, and the plan was rejected.
Karlcia had also assumed Elizabeth’s own Crown Princess candidacy had been dismissed because of Anais.
But—
There’s something there, Elizabeth. Between you and me.
Broken memories.
Recurring dreams.
It felt as though he was trying to remember a single repeated scene, yet nothing surfaced—
except that the child in the dream was Elizabeth.
He still disliked her.
She resembled the deep, oppressive red he hated.
But it wasn’t hatred anymore.
Not contempt either.
Though freed from that lingering déjà vu, something unknown still gripped him.
“……”
After staring at Elizabeth for a while, Karlcia decided to set the thoughts aside for now and spoke.
“Standing around here won’t help her recover. Leave only the minimum staff and clear the room.”
“…Indeed. No matter how strong the healing power is, if she can’t rest properly, neither the antidote nor healing will matter.”
At Arten’s words, Karlcia nodded and gestured toward the door before leaving first.
Arahan followed, then Bowshell, Horn, and Maya in turn.
“Lord Bowshell, just in case—would you be willing to remain in the palace for a while?”
Arahan asked cautiously.
Bowshell nodded, saying he would make more antidote together with the imperial physician.
“…Count Arlesia—wouldn’t it be better if you stayed by her side?”
At Arahan’s careful question, Horn shook his head.
“The priest said he’d watch over her. There’s nothing I can do right now anyway. I’ll help Lord Anais focus on finding the culprit instead. Maya, go fetch Ellie’s clothes—and tell the kitchen to prepare food in case she’s hungry when she wakes.”
“Yes, Count!”
Watching Horn and Maya hurry off, Arahan stood silently, looking at the infirmary door.
It was Karlcia who broke the silence.
“When Marquis Vincent brings the evidence, convene a noble trial.”
“…A noble trial, Your Majesty?”
“Yes. Regardless, a noble lady was nearly murdered. If we fail to identify the culprit properly, this will happen again.”
“Understood. However, since a noble trial itself is considered disgraceful among the nobility… I wonder how Marquis Luciella will respond.”
“It will be less disgraceful than having his daughter branded a murderer. Assuming he loves and cherishes her as much as Marquis Vincent does his granddaughter.”
“…Are you testing him?”
“Who knows.”
Karlcia couldn’t bring himself to tell Arahan about his memories.
Nothing would change even if he did.
If anything, he would sooner confide in Anais.
“When Marquis Vincent arrives with evidence, summon him to my office immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Leaving Arahan bowing behind him, Karlcia headed toward his office.
Yes.
Asking Anais directly would be better.
This feeling—that Anais knew the whole truth.
And if anyone loved Elizabeth more than anyone else, surely he would know everything about his granddaughter.
* * *
Because Bowshell and the imperial physician had stepped out to prepare more antidote, the infirmary held only two people:
Elizabeth, collapsed from poison—
and Arten.
Silence filled the room as Arten watched her.
Elizabeth Arlesia.
There was no way he wouldn’t know that name.
As a priest of the Holy Region, he had often heard nobles insist she should be “reformed.”
Among those nobles had been Osborne Luciella’s father—
Marquis Selfia Luciella.
More precisely, the nobles aligned with Marquis Belua’s faction.
He’d heard that name so often he was sick of it—
so when Osborne Luciella herself had called him to heal Elizabeth, he’d been genuinely taken aback.
After straightening the bedding, Arten remained beside her, watching.
Then—
just for a fleeting moment—
Elizabeth’s finger twitched.
A small smile formed on his lips.
Placing a hand lightly on her forehead, he murmured softly,
“Heh… my lady, you truly are a soul that requires a great deal of care.”
* * *
BANG!
When the office door burst open, Karlcia set down his pen and looked up.
Anais strode toward him with frightening momentum, holding a teacup that looked utterly out of place in his hand.
“…That damned little wench had it.”
“The teacup Lady Arlesia drank from, I assume.”
“…Yes.”
The single word was ground out through clenched teeth, heavy with murderous fury.
“Where is Rath?”
“He went to check on Ellie’s condition.”
“…We’ve decided to hold a noble trial.”
“Well now—that’s a fine method. The one who dared try to kill our Ellie…!”
“Before that, there’s something I want to ask.”
“……”
At Karlcia’s cautious tone, Anais sat down on the sofa and looked at him.
He knew well that when Karlcia resembled his father—speaking with that serious expression—his golden eyes burned like the sun.
And Anais sensed immediately that this was no trivial matter.
“There are no records of Elizabeth in the imperial library.”
“There’s no need to put our Ellie’s story in the imperial library.”
“More precisely—nothing about her childhood.”
“……”
“What exactly happened?”
“…Did you ask Ellie that?”
Karlcia shook his head.
It was only curiosity born from that sense of déjà vu.
He had no intention of troubling Elizabeth with it—
especially not while she lay unconscious.
Anais seemed to think Karlcia had known earlier.
But until recently, Karlcia had had no connection to Elizabeth—and therefore no interest.
Of course, that was no longer true.
“Then, kid… you should just let it go.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I’ll put it politely. Let Ellie’s childhood remain buried, Your Majesty. What matters now is how we punish that damned Luciella girl who tried to kill her.”
“……”
“I hear Your Majesty even danced with that girl. So protect the one you cherish so much. I’ll even praise your bold idea of using her to monitor the noble faction. But this matter is separate. If you want to keep playing politics, then protect that girl. I will protect my one and only granddaughter—Ellie.”
At Anais’s firm line in the sand, Karlcia became certain.
There was something.
Something in Elizabeth’s childhood.
“…Do you cherish her that much simply because she’s family?”
“More than that. Ellie is.”
The short, decisive reply made Karlcia sigh.
He was about to move on and bring up the teacup—
BANG!!
The door slammed open just as loudly as when Anais had entered.
Karlcia frowned and looked up.
“…Imperial physician? What is it? Has something happened to Elizabeth—?!”
“Lord Anais!! Your Majesty!! Lady Arlesia has awakened!!”
“…What?!”
Anais leapt to his feet and hurried out at once.
Karlcia did the same.
Elizabeth was still surrounded by unanswered questions—
and at a time when the noble faction’s conspiracy had yet to be fully uncovered,
Elizabeth was an extremely important hidden card.
