Free Web NovelChapter 162: Poison in Her System
{Third Person}
On Alexander’s side of the residence, the atmosphere inside his bedroom was tense enough to make even the experienced mages uneasy.
Alexander had lost consciousness not long after.
Though King Sebastian had reluctantly allowed the mages to work in private, he demanded updates every few minutes, his growing impatience reflecting the fear he refused to openly show.
Inside the room, however, the news was becoming increasingly troubling. One of the younger mages carefully set down a glass vial containing the sample taken from Alexander’s wine and frowned.
When Seraphina asked for his findings, he explained that the substance had been identified, but the results did not match Alexander’s symptoms.
The drug itself was designed to affect a person’s emotions and mental state. It could trigger agitation, aggression, instability, or a loss of control, but it should not have caused internal bleeding or the violent reaction witnessed during the banquet.
Jasper’s eyes narrowed as he listened. The explanation matched exactly what he, Barron, and Alexander had anticipated before the banquet.
They had expected an attempt to provoke Alexander into publicly losing control. What they had not expected was for him to vomit blood in front of hundreds of witnesses.
Several of the other mages quickly agreed with the assessment. The reaction had been far too severe to have been caused by the drug alone.
The discussion that followed shifted immediately away from the wine itself and toward a far more troubling possibility.
Seraphina studied Alexander’s unconscious form for a long moment before speaking. The drug had not become poisonous on its own. It had reacted to something already inside his body.
"The curse?" Jasper asked.
One mage shook his head. Another suggested a possible reaction involving the medicines Alexander had taken recently.
A third proposed that there might already be a harmful substance present within his system.
The theories continued, but none of them produced any certainty.
The more they discussed the matter, the clearer it became that they were no longer trying to identify a poison. They were trying to identify an unknown factor that had interacted with the drug and turned it into something far more dangerous.
Until they found that answer, treating Alexander would become significantly more difficult.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the residence, another examination was underway.
Barron returned much sooner than Mrs. Woods expected, accompanied by one of the younger mages from Seraphina’s delegation.
The mage wasted no time approaching Amara’s bedside. Unlike Alexander’s room, this one was quiet, disturbed only by the crackling fireplace and Mrs. Woods’ anxious pacing.
Amara remained unconscious, completely unaware of the concern surrounding her.
The mage began with a routine examination, checking her pulse, breathing, and eyes. Everything seemed normal until he reached for her wrist. There, he suddenly paused.
A slight frown appeared on his face before he carefully rolled back her sleeve.
Mrs. Woods gasped immediately. The markings had appeared again.
Thin red lines stretched beneath the skin of Amara’s wrist and forearm. What disturbed Mrs. Woods even more was the fact that the blue markings were gone. Only the red ones remained.
The mage’s expression grew steadily more serious. He rolled back the other sleeve and found the same markings there.
Several minutes passed as he examined both arms, then repeated portions of the examination a second time and again a third.
By the time he finally straightened, neither Barron nor Mrs. Woods liked the look on his face.
Mrs. Woods stepped forward anxiously. "My Lady is alright, isn’t she?"
The mage looked at her and answered without hesitation. "No."
The single word struck both of them like a physical blow.
Barron immediately frowned. "What do you mean?"
The mage glanced toward the unconscious Amara before answering. "She has been poisoned."
Silence filled the room.
Mrs. Woods stared at him in disbelief. Barron looked equally stunned. It was several moments before either of them managed to respond.
"That’s impossible," Barron said.
The mage calmly shook his head. "No, it isn’t."
Barron gestured toward the bed. "The symptoms she displayed at the banquet had matched those of someone who had been drugged."
"I agree."
The answer only confused him further.
The mage folded his arms before continuing. "She was drugged tonight. However, that is not what concerns me. The poison inside her body did not enter today."
Mrs. Woods felt her stomach drop. "What are you saying?"
The mage gestured toward Amara. "The poison has been inside her system for weeks."
Colour drained from Mrs Woods’ face as she echoed in fright, "Weeks?"
"Possibly longer."
Barron immediately looked back toward Amara. None of it made sense. If she had truly been poisoned for weeks, then why had nobody noticed?
Mrs. Woods voiced the question first.
"How is that possible? My Lady eats normally. She sleeps normally. Aside from being sensitive to cold, she has never complained about anything."
The mage released a slow breath and looked once more at the markings beneath Amara’s skin. Then he pointed directly at them.
"Because these are not normal."
Both Barron and Mrs. Woods followed his gaze.
"These markings are evidence."
Neither of them understood.
The mage lowered his hand and delivered the explanation that made both their hearts sink.
"The poison is already circulating through her blood."
The room fell silent once again. Mrs. Woods felt her knees weaken as the implications settled over her.
Barron remained standing, but his expression had completely changed because what he thought was wrong with Amara was actually beyond it.
---
Elsewhere in the palace, Princess Elowen could not sit still.
For the past hour, she had been pacing her sitting room while repeatedly questioning every servant unfortunate enough to pass through it.
Every time she asked for news, she received the same answer. Nobody knew anything yet.
One of her ladies-in-waiting eventually suggested that she sit down and try to rest, but Elowen ignored her entirely.
Her mind kept replaying the events of the banquet. She could still hear the sound of Alexander’s glass shattering against the floor. She could still see the blood.
More than anything, she could still remember the look on her father’s face. In all her years, she had never seen him lose his composure so completely.
Then there was Amara.
Elowen stopped beside the window and stared out into the darkness. Only a short time earlier, Amara had been smiling and laughing with her friends. She had looked genuinely happy.
But now, things had changed drastically.
The thought tightened painfully around Elowen’s chest.
Unable to remain idle any longer, she abruptly turned toward the door. "I’m going to check on them." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
One of her attendants immediately stepped forward.
"Your Highness, the guards have strict orders not to allow anyone inside the residence."
Elowen groaned and dropped back into her chair. Of course they did. Her father had probably locked down the entire compound by now.
Elowen felt completely helpless. There was nothing she could do except wait and hope that the next person to enter her room would finally bring good news.
---
Zarek did not return to his residence immediately after leaving Queen Lysandra’s palace.
He wandered the palace corridors with no real destination in mind, his thoughts tangled in frustration and confusion.
Nothing had gone according to plan.
By the time he finally arrived at his Second Prince’s residence, his mood had darkened considerably.
The uncertainty was eating away at him. He still could not understand how a scheme meant to humiliate Alexander had somehow turned into an apparent assassination attempt.
The moment he stepped into the sitting room, he saw Julia waiting for him.
She was standing near the fireplace, her posture rigid and her expression stormy. It was obvious she had been waiting for his return.
The second their eyes met, Zarek knew this conversation would not be pleasant.
"Was it you?" Julia asked.
The question came so suddenly that Zarek almost laughed. But he chose to walk past her without answering.
He crossed the room, poured himself a drink, and took a long swallow.
Julia followed him. "Was it you?" she repeated.
This time, there was no mistaking the accusation in her voice.
Zarek closed his eyes briefly before turning toward her. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Julia let out a short laugh, but there was no humour in it. "Don’t insult my intelligence."
The muscles in Zarek’s jaw tightened. "I’ve had a long night, Julia."
"So have I."
The response came immediately.
For a few moments, neither spoke. The silence between them felt heavy. Then Julia took a step closer.
"You were watching him all evening. You kept looking at Alexander."
Zarek remained silent, forcing her anger to rise. "You knew something was going to happen."
Finally, Zarek looked at her. "And if I did?"
The words escaped before he could stop them. And the moment they did, both of them froze.
Julia stared at him. "You did."
It was not a question, it was a realization.
Zarek immediately regretted speaking, but there was nothing he could do now.
Julia shook her head slowly, disbelief written all over her face. "What is wrong with you?" she demanded.
"Enough."
"No!" Julia refused to back down. "No, not this time."
Zarek felt his patience slipping. The night had already been disastrous, and the last thing he wanted was an argument waiting for him at home.
"Julia."
