Sebastian’s face, which had been scowling, began to smile. He felt better when the queen, who rarely visits without his invitation, showed up in person.
“My queen, what wind brought you here?”
“Do you go through all of my mails?”
“What exactly do you mean?”
“If that’s the case, why did you leave out the medicine that the Duchess of Arpad sent me?”
“Oh, that cure?”
Only then did it occur to him that Agnes had sent the queen the medicine again, a cure for the epidemic. He gave the order to remove it when the chief enquired how to handle it.
“We’ve made it a point to monitor all mail from the West, not just the Queen’s.”
“This is Prince Robert’s cure; please return it.”
“Cure? Ha. I’m glad it’s not a poison.”
“Your Highness!”
Ilona took a step forward.
“Robert is dying and hasn’t been eating or drinking properly for days; the only hope I have now is a Western-made cure.”
“Ilona, why are you so naive? It’s just a rumor they made up.”
“I’ll try even if it’s a lie,” she replied. Her eyes radiated a strong will. Sebastian shook his head.
“It is forbidden to administer faulty medication to a prince.”
“The only thing the royal doctors prescribe is a fever reducer, so who on earth can I trust?” She had a particularly incisive tongue. He stopped and turned to face Ilona.
“My son is currently on the verge of passing away, and I can’t trust the pathetic and incompetent physician!”
“Ilona.”
“Your Highness, please give the medicine to me. Give it to me, ah, please.”
The queen was unable to complete her words. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Sebastian leaped from his chair and went over to her.
“Ilona, my queen, don’t cry; I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Your Highness, I can’t live if Robert dies. Please, please, let me live.”
Ilona cried and pleaded while holding his hem. He is such a terrible man, but for the time being, she had no other person to cling to. If she can save her child, Robert, she will beg the devil, not just Sebastian.
Fortunately, the king did her a favor. Ilona dashed into the prince’s bedroom without wiping her tear-stained eyes.
She then placed it in Robert’s mouth, as instructed in Agnes’ letter.
{I believe the prince will wake up healthy, Although this medicine is incomplete and does not work well unless the disease is in its early stages.}
She was concerned about the sentence at the end of the letter, but this is the best she can hope for. There is no other option available.
“Baby, I beg you, stay with your mother.”
* * *
“Shouldn’t we send a messenger to Devon right now?”
“Do you think they’ll accept that if we’re only sending it now?”
“Then are we just going to stay like this? The war can’t go on much longer when the treasury is depleted.”
Count Jante, who had been opposed to the war from the start, shouted loudly. Despite Queen Ilona’s opposition to the war, her family avoided the king’s wrath.
“We’ll have an advantage in negotiations if we pretend we can’t win, so let’s send a messenger to Devon first and ask him if he wants to negotiate a cease-fire.”
“This is frustrating; why didn’t we negotiate a cease-fire sooner?”
“Oh, if only I had known that this would occur.”
“Marquis Devorsen, say something.”
“Is there anything else our great marquis has to say?”
“What do you mean?”
Count Jante’s sarcasm enraged Count Gent, who was sitting next to Marquis Devorsen. In the conference room, which was surrounded by dozens of nobles, Count Gent was the only one who sided with Marquis Devorsen.
“Marquis Devorsen urged us to invest, so did I say something incorrectly? Are there only one or two people in this room who have failed financially as a result of following their advice?”
“Why are you bringing it up now?”
“Why? Am I not supposed to talk about it here? Marquis Devorsen! Tell me if you have a mouth!”
The veins in the count’s neck rose as he shouted loudly.
“You talked so much when you asked me to invest in a spice ship that I wondered if you were breathing; why are you so quiet today?”
“Quiet.”
Count Barania, who had been silent, spoke quietly. The conference room, which was as noisy as the market, was calmed by her words.
“Your Highness will arrive soon; maintain your dignity.”
As soon as Count Barania’s words were finished, the door to the conference room opened. It drew people’s attention. However, someone else—not the king—opened the door.
“They’ve already arrived.”
“Marquis Songrad, you ought to arrive early,”
“Ha, it’s not easy to move in a carriage as I get older; you’ll understand when you’re my age.”
Marquis Songrad smiled as he settled into his designated seat. Right across from him was Roland Sandor. He gave the marquis a big smile and spoke to him.
“You’ve arrived, Marquis Songrad.”
“Marquis Sandor, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
“Was your journey here difficult?”
“What’s so difficult about it?”
Marquis Songrad spoke monotonously. The door swung open once more. This time, it was the person everyone had been waiting for. Numerous nobles stood up from their seats.
“Your Highness.”
Count Barania approached him and greeted him. Sebastian looked around. Then Marquis Songrad looked into his eyes. The marquis bowed his head, Sebastian’s mouth shook so subtly that it was difficult to see.
“Has everyone arrived?”
“Yes.”
“Duke Arpad still hasn’t arrived.”
Someone casually mentioned Arpad’s name. The atmosphere dissipated in an instant. None of the high aristocrats were aware that Arpad and the king were at odds.
“Hmmm, it appears that everyone has arrived.”
“I requested a meeting today because I had something very important to do; please sit down now.”
“Say it.”
The majority of nobility anticipated Devon’s war would end. It was natural. However, the king’s subsequent remarks were beyond their comprehension and imagination.
“Robert, my first son, died last night.”
“Oh my.”
“God, even the first prince, oh my.”
The buzz didn’t go away easily. Although noble infant deaths are common, it is another tale when two successors pass away one after the other.
“Is Her Highness all right?”
“The queen isn’t feeling well right now, so she won’t be out there for a while; please don’t ask for an audience.”
Count Jante, Ilona’s father, had a drab appearance. When the commotion died down, Sebastian once more opened his mouth.
“Suspicious elements in the death of Prince Robert were discovered.”
“What do you mean ‘suspicious?’“
“Prince Robert was conscious when the palace physician examined him, but his symptoms worsened rapidly and he died at one point.”
“What happened?”
“When I questioned the queen, she said the prince’s condition suddenly deteriorated after ingesting some Western medicine.”
The atmosphere became increasingly strange. Those who noticed it exchanged glances. Count Jante was enraged.
“Are you saying that the prince died after taking medicine from the West? Who in the world would do such a wicked thing?”