Chapter 45
About fifteen minutes later, Paulian appeared with Ilias. Ilias looked unwell.
“Ash! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Then Paulian took charge.
“Prince, it’s best if you leave for today.”
My gaze shifted to Paulian, and he looked uneasy.
“He had been resting in the lounge. Seeing his discomfort, I examined him, and it appears he had an upset stomach.”
“Ars, let’s go. We.”
“It’s a shame, though. We came to this party together.”
“I’m fine. You come first.”
“Then I’ll do as you wish. Excuse me first.”
Everyone bid Ilias farewell formally. As we prepared to leave, a knight from Duke Crothos rushed to the Duke, who then exited quickly with him.
‘He’s acting so convincingly. Even mimicking an upset stomach flawlessly. What’s going on?’
Then Ilias lifted his arm and draped it over my shoulder. Startled by the sudden action, I realized something was off with Ilias. His body felt unusually hot, as if feverish. He leaned on me for support, his weight pressing into mine. To others, we must have just been walking closely.
I didn’t react outwardly and boarded the carriage. Paulian joined us in the carriage as well. Once seated, Ilias relaxed, and soon after, he lost consciousness.
I was about to scream in shock but clamped my hand over my mouth. Looking to Paulian, I asked,
“What’s going on?”
Paulian spoke urgently.
“He has been poisoned.”
“Poison? How? Should I contact Sir Zion for a physician?”
Paulian shook his head.
“I’ll handle it for now.”
He placed his hand over Ilias’s chest.
* * *
Zion and the knights carefully laid Ilias on the bed. His pallid complexion was alarming—he looked like a man on the brink of death.
“Everyone, please leave.”
He spoke with a concerned expression.
“I’ll stay by his side.”
When I looked at Paulian, he nodded reassuringly.
Zion addressed Paulian.
“His Highness has developed resistance to poison since childhood.”
This meant the poison wasn’t ordinary. I looked at Paulian with worry.
“I’ll examine His Highness first.”
Paulian set up a chair beside the bed and began casting healing magic. Blue energy flowed from his body into Ilias, healing him.
After some time, Paulian’s serious expression deepened.
“This isn’t just any poison.”
Stopping the magic, Paulian turned to me.
“There’s dark magic embedded in it. Adeline’s divine power will likely be needed.”
“Me?”
“It requires holy power to counter it.”
“Can I do it?”
“Of course. You were my top student.”
At this point, I was unaware that I was the only one Paulian had taught, which filled me with a surge of confidence. Left with no choice, I nodded firmly.
Paulian reassured me gently.
“Adeline, it’s not difficult. Just follow what I taught you.”
I removed the pendant necklace that controlled divine power and approached Ilias. Grasping his hand, I carefully channeled my divine energy.
In my previous attempt, I had recklessly unleashed my power without control, leading to unintended consequences.
This time was different. Thanks to Paulian’s teachings, I managed to control my strength more effectively.
Concerned I wouldn’t strain Ilias, I proceeded cautiously.
Ilias gradually regained his normal complexion, and both Paulian and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“We’ve passed the worst. But we’ll need to keep a close watch tonight. Adeline, Sir Zion.”
“Thank you for your help. I’ll repay this debt someday.”
Paulian smiled warmly.
“As your friend, and as the son of House Lint, I did what was expected.”
“Still, thank you. But what exactly happened? Pol, can you explain?”
“When I found His Highness in the underground, he had already been poisoned. There wasn’t enough time to gather details, so I swiftly escorted him out.”
“This could have been a serious disaster.”
Suddenly, I remembered Duke Crothos, who had been informed by his knight as we were leaving.
“Do you think Duke Crothos suspected something?”
“Most likely. He must know someone entered his office and poisoned His Highness. He’s seen knights with protective magic before, but using poison is something he’s only heard of. This was the first time.”
“So, using poison isn’t common?”
“Right. I’ve heard of using poison to protect vaults or sensitive documents, but typically, it’s more of a warning to eliminate anyone who tries to access them. And with the dark magic sensed, it’s likely His Highness would’ve lost his life without divine power.”
I looked worriedly at Ilias.
“Even if we flee, we’d have to go to the temple to save him. Then Duke Crothos could quietly track down the culprit. Fortunately, thanks to Adeline, His Highness will be excluded from suspicion.”
“Even without appearing in the temple?”
“Then they’d likely assume he died during the escape.”
Thinking back, if Paulian hadn’t treated Ilias, he might not have returned safely home tonight.
Paulian’s presence at the party today was indeed a fortunate twist of fate.
“Dark magic is under investigation at our Mage Tower, so I’ll look into it.”
“Thank you, Pol.”
“Thanks, Paulian.”
Zion deeply bowed to Paulian.
“Your gratitude should be directed to Adeline. Without her divine power, His Highness would’ve needed to go to the temple.”
Zion started to bow toward me, but I quickly stopped him.
“As His Highness’s lover, receiving gratitude from Sir Zion might seem a bit strange. I’m simply doing what I should.”
Zion scratched his head awkwardly.
“Adeline, maybe I shouldn’t stay any longer. People keeping an eye on His Highness will be watching closely. This has been enough time for us to talk.”
“Thank you.”
“It seems you’ve said enough already.”
“I still feel like I haven’t said enough. Pol, I’ll repay this debt someday.”
Paulian smiled faintly and said,
“I’d rather not take it from you.”
“Pardon?”
Paulian said no more and walked out.
With Ilias’s issue resolved for now, I pushed aside thoughts of Paulian and focused on him. Although the poison was neutralized, sending Ilias to the palace was risky. His condition could attract too much attention, and if something seemed amiss, reports would quickly reach Queen’s quarters, where Duke Crothos might become suspicious.
At this point, the only remaining option was to expedite the contract marriage!
It was time to cover one issue with another. A scandalous night could easily be hidden, and it would be convenient to lead others to believe we spent a heated night together.
The Kinsteria Empire seemed like a conservative nation, rigidly governed by Confucian ideals. In such a place, a noble’s daughter spending a night before marriage would be a shocking affair. As a prince, I had to be extra careful, but it didn’t matter. After all, we were a groundbreaking couple, beyond the bounds of class distinction.
Determined, I nursed Ilias through the night.
* * *
“Adeline?”
I opened my eyes to see golden irises shining brighter than the sun itself, looking directly at me. It felt as though I was gazing into the sun itself, and emotions surged within me.
“I must have fallen asleep.”
As I regained my senses, I quickly turned to him and spoke urgently. Ilias, looking weak, asked quietly,
“What happened? How did I end up here?”
“Well,” I began, explaining the events of the previous night to him.
“I managed to completely neutralize the poison, but just to be safe…”
I gently wrapped my hands around his. His sudden movement startled Ilias, but I smiled reassuringly, sending divine energy carefully. He seemed surprised by the intensity of my power.
After checking on him, a smile of relief spread across my face.
“It’s a relief. You’re safe. I can’t express how worried I was.”
Ilias appeared momentarily lost in thought. Was his recovery incomplete? I was growing more concerned.
“The poison has been completely neutralized. What exactly happened yesterday?”
Ilias pondered for a moment before speaking.
“As soon as I opened the protected vault and took the documents, my breathing became strained, and I couldn’t move. I knew I was poisoned, but couldn’t do anything to stop it. Despite having built resistance over time, it was overwhelming. Eventually, I gave up when Paulian appeared. Thankfully, his magic helped me escape back to the party.”
The teleportation spell was a complex and difficult magic that few could wield.
Moreover, using it to transport someone else made it even more challenging, typically reserved for high-ranking mages.
“Paulian said it wasn’t just a simple poison, but several mixtures, including dark magic.”
“Dark magic?”
“Yes. Duke Crothos is a very dangerous person. He set up elaborate traps—if you tried to flee, he’d ensure you would end up at the temple, where he could easily capture you. Dark magic requires divine healing, not just magic.”
“Exactly.”
“So, Paulian performed the initial detox through magic, and I used divine power for the second round of detox.”
“Adeline, can divine power truly heal like that?”
“Yes.”
“I see. If the temple learns of this, things will get extremely dangerous.”
Ilias looked at me with a deep, penetrating gaze.
“You saved me.”
