Chapter 7
I said, "I was reading an ancient text a few days ago that mentioned an exotic poison from the West Regions. The symptoms are almost identical to what Isolde is experiencing now."
"Really?" Cassian's suspicion grew even stronger. "Which book?"
I replied, "It's called 'Records of Strange Tales from the Southern Border.' It's on the bookshelf in my room. If you don't believe it, you can have someone pick it up."
I looked at him calmly.
The book was real, and what it said was true.
But the part about the antidote was torn out by me.
Cassian immediately sent someone to fetch the book.
Soon, the book was handed to him.
He turned straight to the page I'd mentioned, scanning the lines and checking every detail against Isolde's symptoms.
With every word Cassian read, his face grew darker.
Every detail in the book lined up exactly with what was happening.
Even worse, the book said the poison would spread through the blood, and in less than ten days, the victim's whole body would start to rot, and they'd die in agony.
Cassian slammed his fist down on the table and yelled, "How could this be?"
When Isolde heard that her body would rot, and she'd die, she was so terrified that she fainted right then and there.
The whole place erupted into chaos.
Amidst the turmoil, I just stood and let a cold, barely noticeable smile curl at my lips.
Cassian, now, was just the beginning.
I would not only ruin Isolde's beauty, but I was also going to break her spirit.
I wanted to hear Cassian admit, with his own mouth, just how far he'd pay for that antidote.
Just then, a guard rushed in from outside, looking flustered.
He blurted out, "Your Highness, something bad has happened!
"Someone from Lucian's mansion said something happened to Lucian."
The guard was gasping for breath and did not dare to continue.
Cassian, already furious, barked, "What happened? Out with it, right now!"
The guard dropped to his knees with a thud.
He cried out, "Lucian has been poisoned, too. His symptoms are the same as Isolde's.
"The physician says there's no cure for this poison."
Lucian had been poisoned, too.
The news crashed like a boulder into a tranquil lake, sending shockwaves through everyone present.
Cassian's first reaction was disbelief.
He snapped, "Nonsense!
"How could he possibly be poisoned with the same thing?"
He knew just as well as I did that I gave the cat to Isolde.
The source of the poison could only be the Crown Prince's Palace.
Lucian was in his own mansion. How could he have been poisoned?
A terrifying thought crossed Cassian's mind.
He snapped his head toward me, fixing me with a glare that could cut through steel.
His eyes were like icy, razor-sharp blades. He looked like he wanted to flay me alive.
He snapped, "Seraphina, you did this, right?"
His words were squeezed out through clenched teeth.
"It was you! It had to be you!"
I met his cold, predatory gaze with utter innocence and bewilderment on my face.
I replied, "Your Highness, what do you mean? I don't understand.
"I only just found out about Lucian being poisoned. I'm really worried about him."
Cassian snarled, "Drop the act!"
He grabbed my wrist, his grip so fierce it felt like he might snap my bones.
He accused, "You gave her that cat. You're the one who poisoned them!
"Spit it out! Where's the antidote?"
There was a sharp pain in my wrist. But I didn't fight back.
I just lifted my head, meeting his gaze with a bleak, mournful look.
My voice laced with sorrow as I asked, "Your Highness, are you so sure that I'm the one who poisoned them?
"In your heart, I'm nothing but a cruel, wicked woman?
"Couldn't it be that someone wants to frame both Lucian and me at the same time? Killing two birds with one stone?"
My words made Cassian pause for a moment.
That was right. Everything about this felt off.
If I really did it, why would I use a book with such obvious evidence to expose myself?
And how could I have managed to poison Lucian at his mansion, right on cue?
It just didn't add up. Unless someone else was behind it.
Someone who had access to both the Crown Prince's Palace and me, and could also reach Lucian's mansion.
Someone who was our common enemy.
Cassian's mind raced, a flood of political enemies flashing across his mind.
The murderous glare in his eyes was gradually replaced by solemnity and suspicion.
I slipped my wrist from his grasp and rubbed the spot he'd squeezed so hard it was turning red.
I said softly, "Your Highness, now isn't the time to look for someone to blame.
"Isolde and Lucian's lives are what truly matter now."
With just a few words, I pulled his focus back to the urgent situation before us.
That was right. The antidote was all that mattered right now.
Cassian forced himself to calm down.
He immediately ordered the news to be kept under wraps and sent his most trusted men to investigate, both in the open and behind the scenes, determined to hunt down the true culprit behind the poison.