“Ugh!”
Evelina opened her eyes in surprise at the dull voice in her ear. Falling off the horse, she was not sick at all. However, she didn’t seem to be the one in danger.
“Kaiden…”
Evelina cried, freaked out. Where she fell on him, of all things.
Below that, Kaiden was stabbed by something.
“Ah…! Doctor, doctor…!”
Evelina rattled and groped something through Kaiden’s abdomen. It was a long silver iron that was driven on the floor to distinguish the rails on which the horses were running. It was sticking out through his lower abdomen.
“Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty! Are you all right?”
“Your Majesty!”
Evelina became pale as she saw blood spilling from his waist.
“Ah…”
“Lina.”
She felt more frightened by the strange frowning of Kaiden’s expression calling her.
“Because of me….”
“Lina, I’m fine, I’m fine.”
Evelina was more frightened by his poor voice.
What if he died because of her? Why the hell did he save her? If one falls off a horse, one can die. But isn’t it better for him if she died so ridiculously?
But why did he save her?
She trembled for fear of the dreaded question what should he do if he died like this?
“Lina.”
“Ugh…”
She was crying unconsciously, and tears that blurred her vision flowed wildly down her chin. She was pressing her hand as if to stop the blood from his waist, and the blood flowing through the cracks of her hands was moistening her fingers.
“Because of me, because… Kai, Eden…”
“No, this is because I fell over, Lina.”
She became more afraid when she saw his cold expression. Even more to think that he might die because of her.
“Ah…”
“Take His Majesty!”
Evelina looked at him in amazement at someone pulling her up from behind for a moment. Then the servants and doctors ran and took her away from him.
She breathed more and more irregularly.
Evelina’s breathing became difficult when she breathed erratically, and soon her whole body seemed to be relaxed by the familiar pain felt in her heart.
“Ah…”
“Her Majesty needs a doctor, too!”
“Bring me the gauze! Your Majesty, we must stop the bleeding! Bring the cutter, too!”
In a place that quickly turned into chaos, Evelina began to hear severe ringing in her ears.
“Ah…”
The moment when the high tone of the beep filled her ears.
“Your Majesty!”
Evelina fainted. with a sharp pain in the heart.
~~~~
“Oh my…”
When Evelina opened her eyes, she could not hear the sound around her. She still had a headache because of the ringing in her ears.
“… wake up…!”
She realized that this was Empress’ Palace, which felt strange now. However, the intense pain felt in her heart was putting a lot of pressure on her as if her heart would stop immediately.
It was as if a very strong and slow shock was transmitted throughout the body as if the dead heart was beating forcibly.
“Argh!”
She took hold of her chest and turned over. Then the blood from the mouth and nose soaked the white sheet.
“Bring me the antidote!”
“Bring me a new syringe!”
“Tie her arms!”
“Heu, up!”
She fainted again like that.
~~~~
When she opened her eyes again, she seemed to have regained some stability. Evelina couldn’t understand what the hell was going on.
“Your Majesty…!”
“What about Kaiden?”
“His Majesty is safe. But…”
“But what?”
Her chest still hurt so much that she couldn’t control herself. It hurt as if someone was hitting her with a big bat every time her heart beat.
“Someone said His Majesty’s horse…”
“What about Louis?”
Evelina frowned as she looked at the constantly blurring words.
“They say poison was injected.”
“What?”
“The name of the poison is Euros. It was a slow-spreading poison. So when you first rode it, it was okay…”
“What about Louis?”
“…died.”
Evelina’s head was still throbbing. The ringing was getting better, but her heart was still beating painfully.
Louis was dead. That black horse.
In addition, it is said that someone injected poison into Louis. If it’s spread slowly.
“Me riding a horse was an impulse. Who knew that and did it?”
“The culprit is still unknown. But…”
“But what?”
“There have been reports that the onset of the medicine would have been delayed by two hours if Your Majesty had not taken it. And originally, after those two hours, His Majesty…”
“…Don’t tell me.”
“Yes, it was time for His Majesty to ride a horse.”
Evelina felt blood cold when she realized that the poison injected into the horse was not aimed at her, but at Kaiden.
“Are you saying someone targeted Kaiden?”
“It seems to be the case.”
For a moment, Evelina tried to get up from her seat without realizing it.
“Argh!”
As soon as she got out of bed, her legs were released and she sank to the floor.
“Your Majesty!”
“I want to go to the Imperial Palace. Help me get to His Majesty.”
She felt like Kaiden was hurt because of her, so she had to look at him with her eyes. No matter how much poison was injected into the horse for him, it was Kaiden who was injured when she fell.
Her whole body trembled because she still remembered the image of Kaiden bleeding from his stomach because of her.
“You need to rest more, Your Majesty.”
“I didn’t hear myself ask you to let me go!”
Evelina shouted differently than usual. She breathed heavily as if she would be exhausted just by shouting, and at her cry, the servant sighed and gestured. Then the servants and maids nearby supported Evelina.
“Your Majesty is sick now.”
“Tell me as you go. I want to go to the Imperial Palace.”
“…All right.”
In that way, she put on a simple coat and headed straight to the Imperial Palace. As she walked to the Imperial Palace, the servant opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty, your heart got worse rapidly. He said it was probably because of the shock.”
“Hans?”
“Yes, and the other palace doctors said the same thing.”
Evelina sighed, thinking that was why her heart was burning.
“Lina.”
“Ian, give me a piggyback ride. I need to go to the Imperial Palace.”
As she spoke in a shrill voice, Ianathas sat right on the floor. So that she could be carried on his back.
So she headed straight to the Imperial Palace.
* * *
“Let me get off.”
Evelina got off in front of the emperor’s bedroom. Then she opened the door and went into the bedroom where Kaiden was lying.
Inside the bedroom, three doctors, an aide, and several attendants stood guard.
“What about Kaiden? Is he okay?”
The palace doctors bowed to Evelina’s question.
“I can’t guarantee it yet.”
“Where did he get hurt?”
“I’m done with the surgery. Fortunately, his organs were not injured.”
Evelina was pale, waiting for what the doctor said.
“He lost so much blood, I think we’ll have to wait and see.”
“If he can’t get up now…”
“It’s because of the medicine. Because he took a sleeping pill for the surgery.”
“Ah…”
Evelina felt strange when she saw Kaiden sleeping with a whimper. It was painful for her heart to beat, but now it felt more painful.
She couldn’t understand his behavior. Why did he get hurt so much while saving her? Can he do such calculating behavior in such a short period?
“He’ll be all right.”
Evelina looked at him pitifully as if she couldn’t understand the palace knight who was looking at her with pity. But she realized that she was crying because of the handkerchief he handed her.
No matter how much she hated him, she couldn’t ignore the fact that he was hurt because of her. Because it was her responsibility that he got hurt. She thought the reason for the tears was guilt.
“I want to stay here. Until Kaiden wakes up.”
She said that then got a chair next to his bed and sat and waited. Until he woke up.
~~~~
It had been three days since Kaiden didn’t woke up.
He was breathing, but he couldn’t open his eyes. While she waited there, he saw only a small movement, like a real sleeper, and continued to lie in bed.
“Give it to me.”
Evelina sent her out, receiving a bucket of water and a white cloth from a maid who came to wipe his face.
Evelina was also not in normal condition, but not enough to go back to her room and rest.
She soaked the warm water in the bucket on a cloth and pressed it against Kaiden’s face. Then she slowly wiped it off.
His face was still beautiful, and his face was moist and shiny.
“Get up quickly.”
She said that and wiped his face.
Because Evelina didn’t leave the emperor’s bedroom, the palace was much more depressed.
She fell asleep beside him while nursing him. She, who was in a daze, soon fell asleep squirming beside his arm.
She did fall asleep, but she was awake. As if in a state of sleep paralysis.
She felt a touch tickling her ears and a touch running over her hair. She realized that the big, warm touch was Kaiden’s hand.
“Kaiden?”
At that moment she woke up.
But unlike what she felt in her sleep, he laid there looking at the ceiling in a straight posture, as if he had never moved.
“Ah…”
Evelina sighed, realizing for a moment that it was a dream.
– Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Queen Evelina!”
Evelina realized that the voice that knocked on the door with the strength of breaking it belonged to the Dowager Empress. Then, before she could react, the door burst open.
“We found evidence that you were siphoning the royal budget! On top of that, you tried to kill the emperor!”
Evelina tried to hide her hatred by laughing at the Dowager Empress, who did not come straight when the emperor collapsed.
“I know you’ve concocted all this.”
“Your Majesty the Dowager Empress.”
The Dowager Empress was accompanied by Princess Elsius next to her, leading other ministers.
“I’m going to hang this filthy girl on the guillotine right now.”
Evelina was always in this situation. When her heart felt stuffy. It was funny that the Dowager Empress and the Princess moved according to their scheme.
“The Dowager Empress is the one who will get the guillotine.”
She waited so long for this day but was not happy even though she knew that she would soon be able to get rid of the Dowager Empress and the Princess. Because of Kaiden who fell asleep because of her.
“What?”
“I am giving you a chance. Get down on your knees and beg me. Then I will give you a chance to live, Your Majesty the Dowager Empress.”
