CH 135

Conspiracy (8)

Gilov also sped up as if he could not afford to lose. But soon, the distance between the two of them began to widen yet again.

‘But well, he can just follow me on his own. He is the Knight Captain of the Seroif Imperial Court anyhow.’

Kergel thought so and accelerated even further. His horse also galloped faster and faster at the will of its owner without showing any signs of exhaustion yet.

It was a steep mountain path. It had been so narrow that it was difficult to move on horseback and there were steep cliffs almost everywhere, so they could have been in a precarious position as well.

However, Kergel had never slowed down or stopped even for a while except just a moment ago.

As Gilov had said, there was no reason to rush.

‘Roelin.’

He just didn’t want to leave that woman alone any longer.

Moreover, it was even more so when he recalled that she had gone to Rakain, where she didn’t have any good memories in the first place.

Was that why he kept on getting impatient like this?

It was right just then—

“……!”

Kergel had his eyes widened for a moment. At the same time, he grabbed a hold of his chest tightly with his hand still holding onto the reins.

The seal on the left side of his chest, right near the heart, was vibrating immensely. And an intense pain soon followed as if someone was actually severing the seal.

“Your Majesty!”

Kergel’s body, which had missed the reins, immediately lost its balance and fumbled under the horse. Gilov, who was trailing from behind, could be heard shouting in surprise.

“Ugh…”

Kergel stood up while ignoring the pain in his shoulder. Gilov hurried down from his horse and ran ahead.

“Your Majesty, are you all right?”

“……I’m good.”

He refused Gilov’s help as he instantly stood up with his legs feeling all tightened. Then, he pressed the left side of his chest again with his hand. Gilov, who saw his behavior, opened his mouth with an expression of some doubt.

“Is there any problem with the seal?”

“Well—”

Kergel frowned and tore his clothes away. It was because he didn’t have enough time to unbutton and doff his clothes properly.

He checked the seal on his chest that was revealed through the torn coat. The red seal appeared to have not much difference from usual.

“I don’t think there’s actually a problem with the seal.”

“But why did that happen? Just now…”

Gilov also asked in a more comfortable voice since he had already confirmed with his own eyes that there was no problem at all. Kergel eventually answered by just shrugging his shoulders instead.

Then, he approached his horse as if nothing had ever happened. Kergel’s horse quickly nudged his head as he drew nearer. He was acting cute to apologize for letting go of his master unexpectedly.

“Never mind. I just fell, you didn’t even drop me. It gives me goosebumps when a guy like you who has never acted cute before is acting all cute now.”

Kergel smirked as he stroked the horse’s mane. But his expression soon hardened.

Gilov said that there was no problem, but somehow, it didn’t feel good at all. Of course, it was not grounded yet. That was why he didn’t even say it right out of his own mouth.

‘……Roelin.’

Why? He felt like the pain which he felt a while ago was closely related to her.

If the seal was broken, the only one who could prevent the catastrophe had been the ‘companion’ solely.

But… what if something had really happened to his ‘companion’?

“I’ll get moving again.”

Kergel clenched his molars and mounted back on his horse. Then, he steered his horse right away.

He had hit his shoulder hard as he tumbled to the ground, but that was not important right now.

Roelin—until he could see his companion safe and sound with his own pair of eyes.

He kept a hold on the reins with one hand and pressed the seal on his chest once more with the other.

* * *

“What happened to the Empress? Why did she vomit blood all of a sudden?”

The Duke of Bönt examined Roelin’s condition before grabbing the Palace Doctor who had gotten out of the carriage and asked urgently. Then, the Palace Doctor sighed with a dark face as he seemed hesitant to speak.

“Poison… She seems to be poisoned.”

“Poison! What do you mean?”

As soon as Duke Bönt heard the Palace Doctor’s words, he became shocked and raised his voice. Then, the Palace Doctor wiped his forehead that was already drenched with cold sweat and continued to talk with a sad expression.

“There are clearly symptoms of poisoning. It is not exactly known what kind of poison that she got poisoned with, but her blue lips and those blue spots appearing all over his body as well as the vomiting of blood are all proof that she had been poisoned with an extreme poison.”

The Palace Doctor’s voice sounded trembling. It had been inevitable since it was painful and disastrous for him to say this himself too.

“When on earth…… Didn’t she seem okay even until she had left Rakain’s palace?”

The Duke of Bönt swept his face down with both of his hands and opened his mouth again as if he couldn’t understand anything at all.

“I think it is a poison that will work only after some time…… Oh, Empress!”

The Palace Doctor hurriedly returned to the carriage while still responding to the Duke of Bönt’s words. This was because he could see Roelin, who had been lying in the carriage, suddenly rose herself up with Lucy’s support.

“Are you now conscious?”

“……Did you just say that I was poisoned?”

Instead of answering the question of the Palace Doctor, Roelin asked back to confirm what she had just heard in a rather hazy spirit. Then, the Palace Doctor paused before he bowed his head down to answer.

“That’s what I’ve found.”