Chapter 95: Tainted Crown (1)

“Whew. I must have drank too much.”

Clack. Clack. The clicking noise of heels filled the hallway. Queen Magentano smiled meaningfully.

But I didn’t drink more than I usually do.

She felt nauseated, and her heart beat a little faster than usual.

I must have worked too much lately.

She looked back at her schedule as she walked across the hallway. Each day was another challenge yet to be finished.

The flood damage from the spring rain was greater than I expected, and the wasteland in the east is concerning as well.

Enemies surrounded the kingdom, and there were a lot of powerful figures that yearned for her downfall. Among their enemies, the sultan kingdom “Asfahan” over the eastern range of the wilderness was her nemesis. She had battled against them twice already.

Something wasn’t right.

She had planted spies in Asfahan. Their reports came to her mind. They said that the kingdom had been increasing its weaponry in recent days. They were concentrating their forces against the western region that faced her kingdom. This couldn’t be simple military training.

Invasion maybe? No. A vast wasteland stands between us. If they were vying to attack us, they would have gathered the forces up north where both territories meet. So, what could it be?

The question left her wondering for several months. But no answer came to her mind, especially now when she was inebriated.

Tsk. I need to put it out of my mind for a while.

Her smile deepened. Thinking about it now solved nothing. It would only add unnecessary stress. So, she decided to focus on the present, sober up, and get back to the hall. She entered her exclusive resting room and leaned against the comfortable sofa. After drinking a cold glass of water, she caught her breath to regain some focus in her mind. It didn’t work though. Her stomach still churned with nausea, and her palpitations didn’t get any calmer. She breathed fainter and faster than usual.

Something’s off.

She furrowed her brow. There was no one else that knew her body better than herself. She was a sword fighter that rose to the level of a sword master. Sobering up from slight intoxication was a breeze for her. Supposedly. She just had to control the mana in her system. But that wasn’t working very well at the moment. Now, her vision grew dizzy and faint.

Something’s gone wrong.

Thump! Thump! Her heart started to beat faster. She started to break out in a cold sweat. She got down from the sofa as an ominous feeling rushed through her. Removing her shoes, she let her body collapse to the floor. And she sat down, straightened her back, and started to breathe properly. Her manaheart awakened. The powerful organ moved at her call.

I should inspect every corner of my body first.

She pushed the fully loaded mana through the manaheart into every vein inside her. And the mana, which spread like a network throughout her whole body, began surging through her. At that moment, she reflexively clutched her chest.

Sink!

“…!”

The shock almost bent her back. The pain almost burst her heart.

“Argh!”

Everything before Queen Magentano was starting to drain in color and turn white. She fought to stay awake, not to lose consciousness. In a frantic manner, she put her hands on the floor and got to her feet, clenching her molars.

Poison? It couldn’t be.

She hoped not. But the pain that started from her heart spread all throughout her body in an instant. It was flowing along the mana within her vein, attacking every corner of her organs. There was only one explanation behind this.

Poison? How?

The queen gritted her teeth. The servants inspected her food and drink and tasted every one of them. They waited for four days to see whether they showed any symptoms or signs of illness. Only after that four-day process did the food make it to her table.

It was the same today.

The food and drink she had eaten at the banquet passed the same procedure as any other day. And no servants had died or passed out.

So what happened?

She wondered how this happened, but there was no way of knowing. She could only speculate. There was a mole behind the process of checking the food.

I should… call someone…

She needed help. The poison was spreading even now. The more she attempted to suppress it using the mana, the faster and wider the poison would spread. Queen Magentano yelled, squeezing every strength in her.

“Is someone… out there?!”

But no one answered. That was something else that was sketchy.

Dammit.

She did ask the servants to leave before she entered this room. But not without the instruction to wait outside the door. It was strange that no one answered.

“Argh… Argh!”

Staggering sideways, she hobbled toward the door as her hands propped against the wall. Her consciousness grew fainter every step of the way. She had to bite her lip hard to remain conscious. It was merely a few steps, but her mind blinked on and off like a light switch.

It’s too far.

The distance she would have easily traveled with a leap felt far now. The rest area was too wide. Though she moved with much strength, the distance ahead of her was greater than how much she traveled. She let out a chuckle at the ridiculousness of this situation. How did she get into such a mess? She wondered. She was about to plunge into despair when…

Clack. Like a miracle, the door opened. It was the man she was the closest with.

“Sir Kyle?”

The man she trusted the most. The royal commander that protected her at all times, her teacher in sword fighting, and her fellow sword master. Her face brightened when she saw him. Trying to not lose dignity, she spoke.

“Sir Kyle… Just in time… I am glad that you are here amid this difficult time. Here, my hand.”

She held out her hand toward the commander, smiling in the hopes that he would help her. Sir Kyle smiled at her the same.

“Yes, I am glad that I am with you, Your Highness, at this difficult time,” he stated.

But he didn’t take her outstretched hand. Instead, his hand moved to the hilt of his sword.

“Once a monarch of the kingdom. May you rest in peace.”

Fatal hostility flashed through his eyes.

“It looks like the queen is in danger.”

“Excuse me…?”

Lloyd’s whisper came as a surprise. Javier cocked his head to the side.

“I do not know what you mean.”

At first, he thought Lloyd was making a nasty joke. But when he looked into Lloyd’s eyes, he knew he was serious.

“I’m telling you. Be quiet and lower your voice.”

“…”

“I’ll tell you the details later. Just follow me.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Javier nodded, knowing that if his words were true, there was no time to goof around and stall. The details and explanation could come later. It was time to move, but not too closely. A few steps away from him. Lloyd instructed him through his eyes. Javier, who was quick to take hints, stepped away. And he asked Lloyd through his gaze.

Where are we going?

Over there.

Lloyd’s eyes pointed to an area near the ball. That was where the resting room for the queen was located.

It’s obvious. The queen is nowhere to be seen, and that’s the only place where she could be.

The monarch was still human, so there would be times when she got drunk and tired during banquets. That was why there was a rest area for her, so she could sober up or get some air without losing her dignified air in front of people.

That’s also the place where they attempt to assassinate her in the novel.

The story popped up in his mind just then. The incident happened two and a half years from now. It was the day it snowed for the first time that year. Queen Magentano almost died from poison when she stopped by the resting area during the ball. But she impressively used her mana ability, befitting the status of a sword master, and barely made it out alive. The assassination attempt fundamentally changed the destiny of the kingdom.

But it happens today? Why?

He couldn’t wrap his head around why it was happening two and a half years earlier. He came up with various speculations, but nothing really stood out except for one.

Something changed.

The plot must have been altered for some reason. If that was the case, he might be the reason behind it, thought Lloyd to himself.

Let’s check it out first.

Not too hastily. Just naturally as they blended in with the people at the banquet. Sometimes drinking from a cup with elegance. Passing by the servants with a smile. Doing such things, they removed themselves from the hall and entered the long hallway. Lloyd and Javier walked side by side, and their walking became faster. Lloyd quickly formed a plan in his head, but he was a bit nervous about it.

Why did it have to be Sir Kyle, really, out of all the people?

Lloyd recalled what he had heard a while ago about how the banquet would last until the moon set. That harmless line was actually pretty famous amongst the readers of the novel. This was because the line was the code shared among the assassins that altered the history of the kingdom. So, Lloyd knew the line as well. The problem came from the fact that the person who said it was Sir Kyle.

If the assassin is really Sir Kyle, can we stop him?

Sir Vergado Kyle. The commander of the royal guards and an even greater sword master than the queen. It was shocking that he could be the assassin. But more than that, Lloyd was anxious about whether they would stand a chance against him. As such, Lloyd was of two minds about saving the queen.

I mean, we could be the ones that are done for.

He was hesitant, so he thought about it for a few minutes. Save the queen or turn a blind eye to her? Lloyd meticulously weighed the pros and cons between the two options. And at last, he arrived at a decision.

It’s a bit risky, but it’s more beneficial to save the queen.

Actually, there was no reason for Lloyd to mull over this. Queen Magentano had unreserved trust in him at the moment, to the point of granting excessive favors. And should she fall into the tragedy in the novel, losing an arm and becoming a tyrant…

It’d be a big loss for me.

The queen cherished and trusted Lloyd very much, willing to bestow land and a title at any time. Her fondness and favor for Lloyd were unrivaled, so Lloyd had the most powerful person in the whole kingdom as his supporter. What would happen if she got poisoned, lost an arm, and became a massacring tyrant?

Goodness, I don’t even want to think about it.

He could be degraded into her punching bag, not to mention the fact that he would be losing his greatest supporter. He might wound up in a tragedy where he could get framed for wrongful sins. His family status, title, and property would go down the flames. Worse, he could end up beheaded.

So, I’ve got no other option but to save her.

Even if it meant his opponent was Sir Kyle, Lloyd needed to trust Javier and get there fast.

Sprint! Lloyd and Javier were now running, but something was strange. They saw no one during their run through the long hallway. No servants or maids they usually saw. Turning the corners three times and moving up the stairs, they traveled a long way, but no one was in sight.

“Something is definitely sketchy.”

Javier’s voice turned low and icy.

Suppressing his nervousness, Lloyd asked, “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“Excuse me?” Javier arched one of his brows as he ran.

“Your sword. You don’t have it.”

“I will be fine.”

Clang! Javier wielded his right hand at the same time he answered, and he snapped the candlestick hanging on the hallway wall. The snapped candlestick turned a few times in the air as it reflected the light. Javier grabbed the lower part.

Thwack!

“This will be enough.”

They were unarmed for the banquet, but now, that problem was solved. Next, when they took the last corner to the entrance, they met a horrifying scene. There was a pool of blood on the floor of the door to the rest area. Six servants lay in the bloody puddle, all of them not breathing. It only meant one thing.

Slam! They both kicked and rushed into the room, the door smashing in half. Two people were in there. Sir Kyle pressing his sword down, and the queen, struggling to block it. Javier reacted first as he saw the scene.

Slash! The candlestick in Javier’s hand slashed the air, creating a string of ferocious wind invisible to the eyes. Sir Kyle moved his sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The candlestick and sword collided several times, and the burning fire danced in the air. Javier’s veins in his right popped, and Sir Kyle frowned. The two beastly eyes met one another. Lloyd passed by the fight right away and made way for the queen.

“Lloyd Frontera…?”

“I am sorry, but I need you to keep your mouth shut now.”

“What…? Argh…”

Lloyd’s large hand cupped her mouth. And he gently forced her to lie on the ground without sparing a second of resistance. His actions would have normally been unacceptable, but right now, the queen was poisoned all throughout her body. Since Lloyd knew that he did away with all his menial mannerisms and etiquette. He merely focused on healing her.

“I’ll get the poison out first. Relax your body. Loosen up.”

Ziiing! Lloyd placed his palm on her stomach, and he rotated the three circles at their highest speed, absorbing the mana inside her body.

“…!”

Queen Magentano’s eyes flew open in horror.