I Was a Royal Palace Knight, But I Turned Out to Be an Omega, So I Had to Resign (BL) - Chapter 29
“—It seems to be taking effect at last.”
Everyone in the room gasped at Prince Leon’s emotionless voice.
Prince Kyle, who had collapsed to the floor, was visibly losing color in his face, his whole body trembling slightly. It was clear to anyone that something serious was happening to him.
Prince Leon looked down at him, observing without surprise.
“W-what did you do…?”
Prince Kyle struggled to speak through his pain. His voice shook, and the commanding attitude he had just moments before was completely gone.
“Did you… poison me?”
At the word “poison” from Prince Kyle, the doctor beside him suddenly raised his voice in panic.
“K-Kyle’s meals are always checked by a poison taster beforehand! It should be impossible for poison to be mixed in!”
But Leon gave a faint smile, one that was cold and unlike him. That merciless smile made me shiver.
“The poison I used takes several hours to show symptoms. So even the poison taster wouldn’t notice right away. It’s only natural they didn’t catch it.”
“You… you really poisoned me…?”
Prince Kyle put his hand on the ground, trying to stand, but his body convulsed again and he collapsed back down. Cold sweat appeared on his face, and his breathing grew heavy.
“Poisoning a member of the royal family… even if we’re brothers, that’s punishable by death! Are you sane!?”
Kyle’s expression was fierce, filled with anger and fear. But Prince Leon ignored his brother’s state and calmly said,
“I’m fully aware of that. I have nothing left to lose. If I’m to drag you down to hell with me, so be it.”
Kyle was speechless at those words.
Watching this unfold, I couldn’t help but catch my breath. Prince Friedrich, nearby, also seemed shaken by Leon’s behavior.
I never expected Leon to risk everything like this. He’s usually cautious. For him to take such a dangerous step… something about this feels off.
Worried, I looked at Adrian, who gave me a small nod, telling me to stay calm.
(…I see. There’s a plan here.)
For now, I decided to trust them and watch quietly.
While I looked at Adrian, the doctor continued his examination of Prince Kyle, still shaken but focused. He checked his pulse, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and examined his pupils.
After a few minutes, the doctor frowned deeply and looked up.
“Prince Leonhart! What kind of poison did you use? From the symptoms, it doesn’t seem immediately fatal…”
Leon glanced briefly at the doctor, then returned his gaze to Kyle.
“Brother Kyle, aren’t you familiar with this poison?”
“What do you mean…?”
“This is ‘Rune Bane,’ a poison hidden in the Eastern Fortress.”
Kyle’s face twitched briefly. He quickly masked it and replied weakly,
“R-Rune Bane…? I’ve never heard of it…”
The doctor shook his head as well.
“I—I don’t know of any such poison…”
At this point, Adrian stepped between them.
“Rune Bane is a magic poison developed by the Solderia Empire. It disrupts the flow of magic energy in the body, causing a magical overload. Early symptoms are fever and fatigue, then hallucinations and uncontrollable magic bursts, and finally…”
He paused dramatically, glancing down at Prince Kyle before continuing.
“In the end, it causes internal bleeding. From a medical standpoint, internal bleeding is a very painful way to die. I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Kyle’s expression twisted. Adrian, unbothered by Kyle’s reaction, pressed on.
“—Most importantly, if an antidote is not given within 24 hours, death is almost certain.”
Kyle’s face drained of color. Nearby, Prince Leon spoke again.
“This poison was used on our knights during the investigation of the Eastern Fortress. The fortress manager, Baron Valen Kirshtein, secretly kept both the poison and the antidote in a hidden warehouse.”
Suddenly, Leon dropped to his knees and crawled close to his brother’s face.
“It’s well-known that Baron Valen was one of your loyal nobles. From that, it stands to reason—”
Leon’s icy blue eyes locked on Kyle’s.
“You knew about this poison, didn’t you?”
Kyle shook his head violently, his already pale face going even whiter.
“I… I don’t know anything about that poison!”
“Denial is fine.”
Leon stood up and looked down at Kyle again.
“But if you stay silent, death will come for you.”
The doctor hurriedly stood and confronted Leon.
“Your Highness! If you have the antidote, please give it immediately!”
“Foolish. I gave my brother this poison knowing we would die together. Even if I had the antidote, I wouldn’t hand it over so easily.”
I shivered again. Leon was terrifying beyond reason. I wanted to believe it was an act, but he looked deadly serious.
Leon turned back to Kyle.
“You likely made a secret pact with the Solderia Empire long ago. When I was shot with a poison arrow by their soldiers during last year’s Eastern Fortress inspection, you probably orchestrated it.”
Kyle said nothing, his shoulders heaving as he struggled to breathe.
“Fine.”
Leon sighed.
“Even if you keep your mouth shut, death awaits you. No matter how fast we move now, it’s impossible to get the antidote from the empire before your time runs out.”
Then, with a cold sneer, he added,
“—Unless you already have the antidote.”
Kyle’s shoulders trembled briefly.
“What do you mean…?”
Prince Friedrich, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke up.
Adrian explained further.
“If Prince Kyle really made a pact with the empire and obtained this poison through Baron Valen, he probably has the antidote hidden somewhere. Using it would save his life… but it would also bring an official investigation into why he possessed an illegal poison from the enemy.”
Kyle was completely lost for words.
Only now did I understand Leon’s plan. He poisoned Kyle with Rune Bane, hoping to force him to reveal the hidden antidote. If Kyle has it, it proves his secret deal with the enemy.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Everyone’s eyes fixed on Prince Kyle, their silent pressure making him tremble.
Then suddenly, Kyle collapsed, face down on the floor, muffled curses escaping his throat.
“Damn it! Damn, damn, damn it! This can’t be happening…!”