Stretching widely to the northwest of the empire, the elongated Dathion Mountain connects to the Antrow Mountain Range at its end.
Strange rumors have been circulating there lately.
“Did you hear screams around here yesterday?”
“No kidding. The ridge over there had all its trees broken and flattened, a complete mess.”
Two passersby chatted animatedly about the recent rumors while anxiously looking around.
“Hurry and move along. It feels ominous here.”
“I guess we should go the other way for a while.”
“I won’t be coming here anymore.”
As the shadows of the departing passersby faded, two black figures emerged.
Clack. One of them was about to draw the sword from his waist.
“Stop it. We’ll get in trouble if we cause more trouble here.”
Another person standing beside them intervened.
The one with the sword shook his head.
They were the ones behind the ominous rumors spreading on Dathion Mountain lately.
They, too, were uneasy due to the periodic eruptions caused by Roxis.
“We need to stop the rumors.”
“Killing them won’t solve the rumors. It’s more urgent to go to the Lord and inform him of the important matter.”
While descending to the village to get ice, they heard some high-level information.
[Her Highness, the Crown Princess, is said to be coming out of the palace to meet Countess Rivolain.]
It came from an information dealer who mainly sells information related to the Imperial Palace, so its accuracy can be trusted.
Roxis had come to Dathion Mountain solely to meet the Crown Princess, Rohiriel.
Although they didn’t have detailed information, it was speculated that it had something to do with Roxis’s current eruptive state.
“Hurry up.”
The two figures swiftly moved deeper into the mountains.
Their hiding place was a nearby peak, a pond where a waterfall cascaded down.
Choosing a location that might catch the eye as their hiding spot was all due to Roxis’s peculiar symptoms.
When he immersed his burning body in the cold water, it provided some relief.
“My lord, the Crown Princess is coming out of the palace.”
The black figure standing on a large rock near the waterfall reported it to Roxis with a bow.
“The appointed time is tomorrow at noon. It’s Countess Rivolain’s mansion.”
Roxis slowly opened his eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Through the glistening teardrops, his silver eyes shone. Roxis’s lips parted, and his deeply cracked voice flowed out.
“What are the chances it’s a trap?”
“Fifty-fifty.”
The figure bowed deeply, as if expressing remorse.
Roxis lowered his trembling eyelids once again.
Caught in Rohiriel’s trap in the Antrow Mountains, he lost more than half of his subordinates. Some were lost in the fight with Liliana, but the impact of Rohiriel’s actions was greater.
An unknown potion thrown by the Imperial Knights. He initially thought it was just a tracking scent.
However, soon, Roxis and his subordinates had to endure painful days engulfed in excruciating agony.
Some among them couldn’t bear it and chose to end their lives.
In the end, Roxis administered a potion to the remaining ones, ensuring they wouldn’t wake up for a while.
‘What kind of poison is this…!’
He demanded over ten physicians come and treat them, but the medicines they produced were useless.
They couldn’t even create a potion to alleviate the pain, let alone a cure.
The dreadful pain felt as if his entire body was in a scorching furnace. Being able to escape from the Imperial knights in that state was nothing short of a miracle.
‘The frequency of his eruptions is decreasing as time goes on.’
Trying to calm himself, Roxis took a deep breath.
No matter how much he soaked in the water, there were times when the pain was out of control.
At those moments, he swung his sword with all his might. That was his only way to forget the pain.
If he erupted again this time, it would be the fifth time.
At this rate, the peaks of Dathion Mountain might not survive.
Before that happened, he needed to meet Rohiriel and somehow obtain an antidote.
“Please give the order, my lord.”
Roxis looked at Decan, his loyal subordinate, waiting for his orders.
Decan, the third of the Brillo family, was the most loyal among the vassals entangled by Roxis.
Of course, it was probably because of the “reward” he offered, but since Decan was so clear about what he wanted, it was easy for Roxis to manipulate him.
“Thoroughly prepare and execute.”
Now there was no more time to delay.
The pain was driving him insane.
His endurance had reached its limit.
If he continued to do nothing and just endured, he would end up with nothing in the end.
“Even if it’s a trap, there’s no choice.”
If it’s a trap, the only option is to break through and get what he wants.
Roxis’s silver eyes stone sharply amidst the turmoil.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
“How long are you going to keep that scary face on?”
I asked Julion as I pulled out my medical tools.
The answer came from Countess Rivolain, who was beside me.
“I was surprised too. To think that Your Highness would come out of the palace at such a chaotic time.”
“Haha… That’s why I brought so many guards.”
In fact, I had planned to come only with Julion.
Fewer people would make it easier for Roxis to move around.
I kept saying that Roxis needed me and that he could never hurt me, but Julion was adamantly against it.
[Even if he needed you, Roxis Cassian would think, ‘I don’t think you need to have two legs.’]
It sounded quite plausible, so I couldn’t bring myself to strongly disagree.
With Duke Cassian’s intrusion and other threats, Julion must have been quite frustrated.
[Since you don’t take care of your own body properly, relying on inadequate guards won’t do at all.]
So, the compromise was to bring a lot of knights. And Julion would not step out of a one-meter radius of me.
‘Roxis will have to bleed a lot to get close to me.’
No matter how many layers of defense were around me, Roxis would find a way.
A somewhat reckless but unyielding individual. That’s who Roxis Cassian was.
That’s why it was predictable that he would somehow manage to get his hands on Hemion at the spring banquet.
Although he received a severe scolding from the Duke for that incident, people don’t change easily.
Especially when their rational minds aren’t working as well as they should.
“Well, then, I’ll take a blood sample.”
I rolled up Harkiel’s sleeve. His skin was almost back to normal now.
Of course, there were ugly marks from dead skin being peeled off and new skin growing, but the black poison was no longer detectable.
With a snap, I found a vein, tapped it with my hand, sterilized it, and jabbed the needle in.
Harkiel watched me silently and then quietly spoke.
“Your Highness, you are quite mysterious.”
“Well, it’s a bit different from Imperial medicine.”
“No, not the medicine, but you, Your Highness.”
Wondering what he meant, I raised my head and looked at Harkiel.
Then, his pink eyes softly folded into a crescent shape, creating a beautiful smile.
“I feel safe and comfortable when I’m with you. But at the same time, I feel like you might disappear at any moment.”
“Me?”
“Yes. That’s why Your Highness…”
His pink eyes turned to Julion, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
Julion, for some reason, was looking at me with a more crumpled expression than before.
Harkiel continued speaking.
“Isn’t that why you want to protect Her Excellency?”
Harkiel resembled Countess Rivolain, with a smooth facial contour.
His gentle smile and warm words made it clear why the Countess cherished her younger brother so much.
“It’s only natural to want to protect your wife. Do I need a reason?”
Just as I finished drawing blood and was about to put away the syringe, Julion approached.
For a moment, Julion’s words felt a bit unfamiliar.
Not addressing me as the Crown princess but calling me “his wife.”
‘It’s like we’re a real couple.’
Feeling strangely awkward, I quickly put the blood-filled vial into the bag and organized the tools.
“Is the examination over?”
“Uh, yeah. One last thing…”
I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the medicine I had made for Harkiel.
“Now, you should take this medicine. One pill every morning when you wake up.”
It was a pill made in the shape of a bead, meant to be chewed and swallowed.
Harkiel accepted the pill bottle and expressed his gratitude.
“I truly appreciate this favor… Your Highness.”
“Oh, no need for thanks. If you get well, that’s enough for me. You don’t have any other discomfort, do you?”
“No. I’ve been really happy lately.”
Harkiel’s smile closely resembled that of Countess Rivolain.
After finishing organizing the bag, I stood up.
“Well then, Countess, I believe we have some important matters to discuss.”
As I turned to the Countess and spoke, she seemed to have a sudden realization and nodded.
“Oh, yes! I’ll guide you to my office.”
Julion had already given her instructions.
It was about arranging a secret meeting with Marquis Thetman, and since we were at the Countess’s residence, we planned to discuss this matter as well.
“Just… wait, Your Highness. His Highness.”
As we were about to leave the room, Harkiel hesitated and called us back.
Turning back, I saw Harkiel, with a determined expression, tightly clutching the bedsheet as if he had made a firm decision.
Thanks a lot!❤️🔥