The window that had been opened was closed again, and the incense burner that had been extinguished was lit once more.
Elodie quickly looked at the smoke filling the bedroom with troubled eyes.
Her heart felt uncomfortable knowing that she had to leave it alone even though she knew it was poison.
That was only for a moment, as she quickly led Adenmir outside.
As they walked down the corridor lined with soldiers, soon no one was in sight.
“Your Highness. Can’t we replace the medicine?”
The toxicity strengthens when the poison in the incense and medicine combine.
So if he doesn’t take the medicine, maybe it could prevent his health from deteriorating.
Adenmir suddenly stopped and looked down at Elodie.
“It’s impossible. The Empress watches while the Emperor takes his medicine.”
“Ah. Then…….”
Elodie’s hidden thoughts were perceived by Adenmir, who nodded with a smile.
“Yes.”
The person Adenmir suspected was none other than the Empress Salbatriche.
Both the background and motivation for using poison against the Emperor were clear.
Just before collapsing, the Emperor had intended to appoint Adenmir, the First Prince, as his successor.
The Empress, who was hellbent on making the Second Prince the Emperor, would not let that happen.
She must have made the Emperor incompetent and seized control of Wilentia.
Indeed, that’s how it had happened.
The nobles who were promoting Adenmir as the Crown Prince were expelled from politics, and mostly only people of Empress Salbatriche remained in key positions.
At that time, the engagement with Elodie Ferdia saved the precarious position of Adenmir.
‘If I had not been a princess, I would have been eliminated without anyone knowing.’
Killing a powerless young prince would have been simple.
Indeed, there had been several assassination attempts in the bedroom and more than a dozen poisoning attempts.
The assassins were blocked by Adenmir’s authority, and the poisoning attempts were somewhat prevented by the poison resistance he had developed since childhood.
It was possible to stop at that thanks to the protection of Duke Ferdia. Anyway, there was no dispute about the fact that he survived thanks to his engagement with Elodie.
Adenmir looked at Elodie, who had not looked well since leaving the Emperor’s bedroom.
“The Emperor won’t be in immediate danger.”
“That must be so.”
Not only Adenmir, but the Second Prince and Empress Salbatriche would also be in great danger if the Emperor died.
They needed a puppet Emperor sitting on the throne until they had the upper hand, so they couldn’t get rid of him as long as he had value.
So they would have made him look like he was alive but not living by using poison.
‘Truly cunning.’
Adenmir had also suspected the rapid deterioration of the Emperor’s health and had tested the food and medicine several times, but the result was the same.
No problem.
But strong toxicity that appears when the components of incense and medicine combine.
‘Perhaps the pharmacist I hired was bribed.’
Empress Salbatriche was more than capable of doing so.
“We have to be careful. So that the other party doesn’t notice.”
“That would be best. Be careful, Princess.”
Elodie recalled the Empress, whom she had met at official events.
A cold impression even when smiling. She had not spoken to her many times, but she was a person who stood out with her nervous temperament.
They are not on good terms even now, and she did not know what would happen if she fell out of favor.
Elodie, who had pondered for a moment, answered with a smile.
“When we break off the engagement, she won’t care what I do, will she?”
By then, they would not be engaged, but strangers.
“Ah.”
Elodie, who exclaimed, added one more thing, just in case.
“But I’ll send you an antidote, so don’t worry.”
“……Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome. We have to help each other to survive.”
“…….”
Suddenly, silence came.
For some unknown reason, the silence made Elodie look at Adenmir with a shy glance.
‘He seems very worried about His Majesty the Emperor…….’
Certainly, the father who was said to have collapsed from illness was in fact exposed to poison, and his children, who learned of this, must have felt distressed.
Furthermore, being unable to do anything and only being able to watch must be disheartening.
Thus speculated Elodie, and to console and report, she said to Adenmir,
“I’ll send you the antidote as soon as possible.”
“What?”
“And don’t worry about keeping it a secret. The person is really trustworthy.”
Since she could not reveal that she was the maker of the antidote, this was the best she could do.
Adenmir, who had been looking at Elodie, responded curtly.
“I trust you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The princess, and Ferdia’s pharmacist, too. You’re vouching for them.”
Elodie was secretly surprised, because she didn’t think that Adenmir would say he trusted her.
It was a relief that he believed her words anyway.
“Okay.”
Elodie, who had nodded her head slightly, looked up and made eye contact with Adenmir.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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