Chapter 97

Josh tells Kyle some alarming information, while Tara braces for a confrontation with the Countess.

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Episode 97. About a Year (24)

"Yes, there's a herb that I wrote about in a journal before I met her. It's a plant from the East called wolfsbane, and it's classified as a poisonous herb that can cause death if ingested improperly."

"And?"

"Surprisingly, however, the root of this poisonous plant has analgesic, sedative, and even local anaesthetic properties when applied directly to the skin, which I wrote about in a journal. However, this is definitely a poisonous plant, and when I ground up the root, extracted the juice, and sprayed it on the dragon fruit, it created an acute allergic reaction. In an instant, I had difficulty breathing, burning pain all over my body, and a skin rash. This is a common reaction for anyone who is not desensitized to wolfsbane."

"Why did you study this herb with dragon fruit?"

Josh explained, more excited now that the Prince was listening seriously to his explanation of his long-term herbal research.

"I was trying to find things that shouldn't be taken with wolfsbane so that I could commercialize it, and I was curious about what would happen if I mixed it with a dragon fruit, also known as the 'Elixir of life'. But I couldn't afford it because dragon fruit is so expensive, and then..."

"Tara Elias showed up."

"Yes, that's right, Your Highness!"

The sound of Kyle tapping his chair was so rhythmic that Josh had ceased to notice it, and he couldn't recall when he had started doing it.

"And in addition to dragon fruit, cucumbers and radishes also caused mild allergic reactions, although not as strong as dragon fruit. It was easy to find this reaction, but it was quite difficult to prepare medicine to treat it. I started to think it was too difficult, so I only tried for two months before giving up. But then...”

“Seeing as you've come this far, you succeeded.”

"Yes, Your Highness, the cure for the allergic reaction to the dragon fruit is, interestingly enough, also wolfsbane. If you drink a juice made solely from the roots of wolfsbane, mixed with my water in a 1:2 ratio, it should calm the reaction within half an hour. If it weren't for the allergic reaction, I'd estimate that the combination of wolfsbane and dragon fruit could save quite a few chronic heart condition sufferers."

"Should?"

"I can't tell you exactly because it hasn't gotten through the third phase of clinical trials yet."

"So you're saying it made it through the second phase."

"Yes, sir. Your Highness." Josh continued. "Phew... Then the Elias family has been cleared of suspicion. The topic of my research was unofficial. Other than Lady Tara, no one else in the family knows, including the patriarch. The plant is not cultivated in the Empire, and I had difficulty obtaining it since it's an Eastern herb."

"....."

The Second Prince, who had been giving short but consistent answers to Josh's questions, suddenly closed his mouth.

"...Is there something wrong...?"

"Does the third secretary know you're here?"

For a moment, Josh thought the Prince's questioning had become sharper, but he decided he was mistaken.

"The Third Secretary does not know yet. I intend to send her a letter in Durben after I leave the Palace today."

“You came purely because of a request from 7 months ago?”

"Yes, I never expected such an incident to arise... Of course House Elias Pharmaceuticals was also involved..."

By this time, Josh was beginning to dimly realize that something was not quite right.

"So did you bring the medicine?"

The Prince stood up and tugged at the cord beside his desk.

"Oh... yes, Sir. Your Highness."

"Go and speak to the Palace Doctor to deliver the cure and explain how it works. You are free to leave the Palace tomorrow."

The Prince's expression and voice remained the same, but somehow the atmosphere seemed different, colder.

"Huh?"

"Nick!"

A knight wearing the livery of the Order of the Phoenix opened the door and entered.

"You called for me, Your Highness?"

“After guiding him to the Palace hospital, please get a written statement from this man.”

"Huh? A statement?"

No one answered Josh's question. Everything was already in motion.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The 2nd Prince walked to his desk, picked up his quill, and wrote something down without hesitation. Then, he rolled up the written document and handed it to the knight named Nick.

"Where shall I deliver this?"

"House Elias!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Nick politely grabbed Josh's arm and sped away.

Stunned, Josh glanced back at the Second Prince as he was dragged toward the door, unable to utter a single word. But it would have been better if he hadn't looked back.

For it was only the impassive look on the Prince's face that made him finally realize that something about his visit to the Palace today had gone horribly wrong.

***

Upon seeing his interrogator, Eric, for the first time in over twenty hours, Jason Elias spent the first few minutes screaming at the top of his lungs.

The main content of his complaints started with the words,“this isn't fair” and ended with, “I've been framed.”

Eric watched wordlessly, and only when Jason grew tired and stopped ranting, did he speak himself.

"About a month ago, the Imperial Officer who was in charge of spice acquisition at the Palace was caught deceptively inflating the prices of his ingredients, but he feigned innocence. So I ripped off the nail of his little finger."

“Wh...What are you talking about?”

"But he still refused to confess, so I pulled out his ring finger nail, and then his middle finger... I was about to pull out his toenails, but then..."

Jason's eyes were wide as saucers. Very slowly, Eric recited the details of his torture tactics. Jason's pleas were punctuated by his fists slamming down on the desk. After Eric left the interrogation room, Jason was left shaking, white as a sheet.

Half an hour later, Walter entered the room.

"I understand that you just happened to get caught up in this. It's common for nobles to be unaware of the criminality of their actions. I will listen to your story with the utmost consideration. Your sentence could vary greatly depending on the date of your confession, and the Elias family is one of the Empire's most prestigious noble families, which will be taken into consideration at trial... Come on... Just stop crying and you'll be fine. You’ll get to walk out of here with all your limbs intact. Geez!"

Steam rose from a hot mug of chrysanthemum tea. The version of Jason who had been so reckless and thoughtless toward his family name no longer existed.

The sound of a quill scraping across paper filled the room with a steady, incessant scratching.

About 20 minutes after Walter came in, Jason had completely lost all of his willpower. He filled out a four page document with a lost expression on his face before falling asleep on a cot.

***

The Elias Family office.

Just as I was about to ask Niels about Bernard's whereabouts, Dixon hurriedly knocked and opened the office door.

“Someone has arrived from the Palace.”

When I looked at Dylan in surprise, he was unable to hide how shaken he was due to the unexpected situation.

“Is there a verdict already?”

"Of course not, Imperial law is strict in these circumstances. Let's listen to what the messenger has to say first."

Without sparing a moment’s thought, I hurried out into the hall. All of the remaining vassals and Elias family members, except for Aria, were already present.

The Palace guard who had entered the hall glanced at the gathered crowd with a cold expression, then opened his scroll and began to read.

"Tara Elias, daughter of Count Lloyd Elias, is hereby summoned as a witness in the case of the attempted murder of the Emperor. You are hereby summoned to report to the office of the Imperial Guard's Special Investigation Team by 4:00 p.m. today, on behalf of the principal investigator, Commander-in-Chief Kyle Amure, ."

The room erupted at the unexpected mention of his name.

"Oh my God, Baby..."

My mother rushed to me as soon as she heard my name read out. She grabbed me by the shoulders and held me against her.

Her grip was strong, like a protective mother duck determined to protect her duckling.

‘The young lady as a witness? But she only came back today!'

‘It's shocking enough that she came back looking so different, but now she's been reassigned to the capital so quickly...?'

‘You're right. What on earth is going on?'

‘I have a bad feeling about this... This doesn't look good.'

The Elias vassals agonized over the future with concerned expressions. Each of them occupied roles in the family business ranging from large to small.

One of them mustered up the courage to move toward me, but Chloe was one step ahead of him.

"Tara. What are we supposed to make of this?"

"I don't know exactly....!"

"AAAARGH!"

I was forced to cut myself off because of the sudden screeching. All eyes in the hall turned toward the source of the sound.

It was the Countess. She shook off the arms of her maids and came straight towards me.

"You wicked bitch! What are you up to? What have you done? I knew this would happen. Ever since you started acting out, things have been going badly for us. Even my son has suffered because of YOU!"

Wow. She was really laying on the victim act!

I pulled away as she stumbled over to me and reached out to grab my hair.

Her forcefully grasping fingers scrabbled on empty air in front of my face.

Meanwhile, four of the maids in the hall, taking their cue from Dixon, rushed forward and restrained her arms and torso with all their might, stopping her.

"Let go of me! Let go of me! You wretch! You cursed bitch! It's this crazy bitch's fault that my son and I are going through all this cruelty! I knew it! It's all that little whore's fault! She's going to ruin the family....!"

"Stop!"

Silence descended yet again. This time, it was Chloe who had raised her voice.

She always moved with class and grace. I was mildly surprised, as I had never seen her show anger, unlike Aria or Jason.

"That's enough! Mother, you must defend your dignity! You're in the presence of our vassals!"

"Wh- What did...You... To me...?"

Chloe's frosty words stunned her, and she seemed unable to get out complete sentences.

“We still don’t know exactly what’s going on. First, we need to listen to what Tara has to say so we can figure out what’s happening!”

My big sister was being assertive. I wanted to applaud.

I was in awe. Out of nowhere she reminded me of a super-cool student council president from high school.

But the Countess wasn't the type to back down.

"You don't understand. Do you know what that bitch said to me when she came to my room? She dared to threaten me! That little bitch!"

‘Ugh... Not this again...'

‘If only she hadn't signed off on this...'

‘She recklessly persisted with her nonsense even without the board’s approval, tsk tsk.'

The twenty or so retainers couldn't help but lament the situation. Few of the Elias vassals were unaware of the Countess's famous temperament.

Outwardly, she was the consummate noblewoman, leading the household of the fifth highest ranking merchant House in the Empire with the prestigious Philippe family backing her every move.

However, among the upper echelons of House Elias's vassals, the Countess had been slowly gaining a reputation for selfishness and flouting the rules, and this perception was only growing more and more entrenched.  

After this incident, that image would be very firmly established.

The vassals in the crowd shook their heads, but the Countess seemed puzzled by the atmosphere in the hall. My mother's expression was surprisingly cold as she stood behind me and patted my back. 

At the same time, Logan, who had been standing silently nearby the entire time, smiled slightly.

Huh. Was he laughing at me?

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