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86.

The sudden turn of events left both me ‌and the Second Empress frozen, unable to issue any commands ‌‌in that critical moment.
Nor were we alone—the attendants and knights stationed nearby stood ‌‌‌equally paralyzed.
"Ah, Father...?"
But the moment I heard Sixth Prince Joel's voice, my mind snapped into focus.
If I lost my composure, the situation would spiral into complete chaos.
"Summon the Imperial Physician at once! Chief Attendant, if you have any antidote on hand, bring it immediately!"
I then ordered a knight renowned for his unwavering loyalty to ‌‌‌‌escort Sixth Prince Joel and Coco to the Winter Palace.
'In this situation, both the Second ‌‌Empress and I could be accused of ‌being the culprit.'
I felt a chill at ‌‌‌how swiftly my mind ‌‌‌turned to calculation.
But I ‌‌‌had to keep my wits about me.
Otherwise, we would be the ones consumed by this crisis.
'...This isn't a trial from the prophecy.'
True, in the original work, the Emperor did meet a mysterious death.
But it ‌‌was presented publicly as the result of a prolonged illness, so it wasn't heavily emphasized in the narrative.
Still, the political landscape had shifted dramatically because of it.
In the Imperial Palace left without the Emperor—who had once restrained the First Empress—Cassian Artez and Roselita Salice ‌‌had to endure with all their strength.
'Perhaps I relied too heavily on the original work.'
No, the board had been arranged to make me think that way.
An unreleased, incomplete prophecy ‌had been thrust upon me just as I was ‌‌focused solely on the ‌‌trials.
'But ‌‌‌this is my reality too.'
So this present crisis, stripped ‌of any hints, had to be solved by my own ‌‌‌‌strength.
To do that, I first had to keep the Emperor alive.
My instincts screamed a warning that I couldn't let things unfold as they did in the original work.
The Emperor surely held far more truth than we ‌‌‌‌imagined, befitting his station.
Neither I nor Cassian Artez could simply let him slip away with our questions unanswered.
"He's swallowed it!"
While I gathered my thoughts, the Chief Attendant managed to get the antidote he always carried into the Emperor's mouth.
"His pulse?"
"...Weak, ‌but still beating. Salice Advisor, from here on...."
"We can only pray the Imperial Physician arrives quickly. And no one—not myself, not the Second Empress—must move from this spot."
I instructed the Chief Attendant to guard the Emperor closely, then spoke with steely resolve.
"Unless you wish to fall under suspicion."
With so many witnesses having seen the Emperor collapse after drinking tea, this incident could not be buried or overlooked.
And a likely suspect had already formed in my mind.
Though for now, it was only suspicion.
'First Empress, Your Majesty.'
She had made her move.
And as ‌‌‌if to prove my hypothesis, not long after the Imperial Physician arrived, the First Empress reached the Sun Palace.
"What are the Imperial Knight Order doing! Failing to apprehend the criminals!"
She pressed the knights harder than she asked the Imperial Physician about the Emperor's condition.
Naturally, I was about to open my mouth to defend myself against the First ‌‌‌Empress.
But then, the ‌‌‌‌Second Empress rose from her ‌‌seat, blocking my path.
"Which individuals are you designating as criminals, First Empress? No investigation has even begun yet."
"Who else ‌‌‌would it be? Obviously you and the Salice Advisor, who were present when His Majesty collapsed."
"That seems far too flimsy evidence to condemn someone as a criminal."
Steel entered the Second Empress's voice.
"Then, Second Empress, ‌‌‌‌are you saying I should release the most suspicious individuals here? Those who harbor treacherous thoughts toward His Majesty!"
The First Empress raised her voice loudly, as if indignant.
"Release them simply because there is no immediate evidence?!"
"I did not say that, but I merely felt a sense of déjà vu."
"What?"
"When I was still the Fourth Consort, there was a riding accident."
"Why dredge up old matters now, of all times?"
"At that time too, First Empress, you ‌‌spoke similarly. Questioning whether an investigation was ‌‌‌necessary, saying only the knight who rode the horse nearby could have caused a riding accident."
"Second Empress!"
"Yes, First Empress. I am well aware that I am no longer the Fourth Consort beneath you, yet you conduct yourself as though you were my superior."
The Second Empress regarded the First Empress with a composed expression.
At that weighty tone, the First Empress's face flushed as red as her hair.
"Even if we are ‌‌both empresses, there is clearly a difference between First and Second Empress! The order of entry into the palace differs as well!"
"With so many ears present, you ‌‌‌dare ‌‌openly declare you will reorganize the hierarchy of ranks that His Majesty himself has recognized? You seem confident you can bear the consequences."
The Second Empress lowered her eyes slightly, then gestured to the table for the Imperial Physician, who had just completed urgent treatment.
"There will be poisoned tableware or food ‌‌‌within this. Since His Majesty collapsed following the Salice Advisor's swift orders, no one has touched anything."
"Yes, I shall investigate at once."
"I brewed the tea, and we all drank from the same ‌‌‌cups."
At that composed instruction, the First Empress grew even more exasperated.
"You thrash about trying to escape suspicion!"
"If I am a criminal, I shall face the appropriate punishment. But First Empress, I simply believe there should ‌be no more unjust ‌‌‌deaths, as before."
"What, what did you say?"
"First Empress, you would not know, but when I was merely the Fourth Consort, I was terrified and frightened. The Third Consort, who lost both her life and child to that riding accident, was originally an exceptionally skilled horsewoman."
The Second Empress met the First Empress's gaze with unwavering eyes.
"So I questioned it—was there truly no other issue? Why would such a devoted knight betray his precious mistress?"
"How much longer do you intend to drag this out with ancient history?"
"First Empress, do you think I failed to reach ‌the truth back then?"
For the first time, a faint smile appeared at the corner of the Second Empress's lips.
"And would I lack evidence?"
At her confident words, the First ‌‌Empress's lips twitched slightly.
But soon she responded with an incredulous expression.
"I ask again—what on earth does that ancient history have to do with now? Evidence, investigations...."
The First Empress clicked her tongue sharply.
"The investigation records from back then and the knight's confession statement are all kept in the Records Office."
At those words, the Second Empress murmured so quietly that only I ‌could hear.
"So it was the First Empress who came to destroy the ‌‌evidence back then, after all."
After saying so, the Second Empress sent ‌me a brief hand signal.
I committed that gesture to memory, and with perfect timing, the Imperial Physician's ‌‌rushed investigation yielded its results.
"Y-yes, the silver needle reacted only in His Majesty the Emperor's teacup. H-however...."
"However what?"
The Second Empress asked the Imperial Physician methodically.
"At this point, we cannot determine whether the poison was in the teacup itself or was added while pouring. Since nothing was detected elsewhere." ‌‌‌‌‌
"Then I have one more question for you, Imperial Physician."
"Y-yes, Your Highness...!"
"I brewed the tea, and I poured it into each teacup."
The thought I'd held since she blocked my path transformed into certainty the moment she posed her question.
"The tea service was brought by ‌‌the elderly Head Maidservant standing over ‌‌there, His Majesty's longtime attendant. The Salice Advisor merely sat and conversed with His Majesty the Emperor."
"Second Empress, ‌‌are you now shielding the Salice Advisor?"
And the First Empress was not one to miss such an intention.
Of course, the Second Empress answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Why would I need to shield the Salice Advisor? My precious son Sixth Prince Joel was also playing here. Does the ‌‌First Empress possess some ability ‌‌‌‌to deceive all these people's eyes and ‌‌ears in an instant?"
She was saying that while she spoke only facts, ‌‌‌‌the First Empress seemed intent on entangling and disposing of matters however she could.
"Even so, you—a criminal—have no right to interrogate...!"
"How hasty, First Empress. I haven't even been confirmed as a criminal yet."
The Second Empress clicked her tongue lightly.
Suddenly, a piercing gaze seemed to descend from behind her.
I felt distinctly that she was a princess from the Northern Snow Kingdom, one who had endured the harsh cold and lived through it.
The Second Empress then continued questioning ‌‌the Imperial Physician.
"Then tell me—who in this place could have poisoned His Majesty the Emperor?"
The Imperial Physician's eyes wavered.
He looked at the Second Empress with a helpless expression, then lowered his head and spoke.
"S-Second Empress Your Highness, and perhaps the Head Maidservant who brought the tea ‌‌‌service."
At those words, the Second Empress turned her gaze toward the Head Maidservant.
The Head Maidservant showed some agitation, ‌‌‌but as someone with long experience in the Imperial Palace, she quickly regained her composure.
"Head Maidservant, did you personally prepare ‌‌‌‌the tea service?"
"No, I brought ‌‌what the attendant prepared in the Tea Service Room. Since the Tea Service Room is managed by the Chief Attendant and his subordinates, I am careful to respect ‌‌‍‌the boundaries of my duties."
The Head Maidservant then cast a look of trust toward the Chief Attendant—not suspicion, but that of a longtime colleague.
"Today, His Majesty the Emperor said that a new toy for the cat Coco had been completed, so he summoned the Chief Attendant and I merely ‌‌went to the Tea Service Room."
At the Head Maidservant's words, the Chief Attendant also spoke calmly.
"Please do not worry. I have brought the antidote and instructed all attendants who pass through the Tea Service Room to stand by. We shall quickly identify those who worked during that time, and any who may have ‌‌fled."
It was a composure befitting someone who had served in the Imperial Family for decades.
When the arrangements were complete, the Second Empress moved with unhurried steps toward the First Empress.
"Therefore, First Empress, would it not suffice for the confinement to be managed by ‌‌‌‌myself, the Head Maidservant, and a few attendants?"
Though it was the Second Empress who faced danger, the confrontation seemed as ‌‌‌though their positions had reversed.

‌‌‌‌
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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