I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 10 - Countdown to Ruin
Noah will arrive at the royal capital soon.
Just hold on until then.
By now, Noah’s return was Henry’s only hope.
Hurry back. Even though he was the one who banished him to the frontier, Henry clung to that wish.
Rather, Henry even thought of it as giving Noah a chance to redeem himself.
Noah had an affair with the king’s wife.
Henry fully believed the maid’s testimony and the temple’s report.
That was why he thought Noah would work to make up for his past scandal.
Seeing the restless king, Lamium looked at him with pity.
Henry was breathing heavily from fear, his hands trembling, and the bl00d drained from his face.
At night, even when he lay in bed, the angry voices of the people echoed in his head.
Even now, what if the castle was attacked and fell?
What if enemies sneaked in while he slept?
What if, when he woke up, he was already captured and awaiting execution?
The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. Henry hadn’t slept properly in days.
Stella was currently visiting the Duke of Zenefelder.
She said she was trying to get financial support from the duke, but—David did not think well of Henry.
David had repeatedly urged Henry to reconsider his relationship with Stella, but Henry ignored him.
‘This is not something a mere noble should interfere with.’
When Henry said that, David’s face clearly showed disappointment.
For a moment, Henry thought he might have said something terrible, but he dismissed the thought.
He was the king, the ruler of the nation.
He could do whatever he wanted, so he ignored it.
As a result, when Stella became queen, the temple gained power and ultimately betrayed the royal family.
Would David now come to save Henry and Stella, who were about to be dragged out of the castle?
Seeing Henry lost in thought, Lamium considered increasing his dose of sedatives.
(Once this is over, I need to consult the royal physician…)
Then, he suddenly realized something.
The royal physician had fled the castle days ago, fearing an attack.
(There’s no choice. I’ll have to bring a pharmacist instead.)
Henry had started taking sedatives every night before bed.
But he had grown so exhausted that the medicine no longer worked.
As his condition worsened, his dosage increased.
In the end, he developed a resistance to the drugs, creating a vicious cycle where they became less effective.
The same happened to Stella. Both of them were now addicted.
Medicine wasn’t cheap.
After Stella’s seven-million-pound ring scandal, the national treasury was completely empty.
They couldn’t even collect taxes from the people anymore.
Of course, there was no help from the temple.
Lamium hesitated before speaking.
Gathering his courage, he finally said,
“The Arcana Empire… A letter arrived just now.”
Henry, not noticing Lamium’s heavy tone, brightened as if seeing a glimmer of hope.
“Really!? What does the emperor… What does Arcana’s emperor say!?”
Henry had asked Arcana for help.
After all the skirmishes they had fought, it was a desperate move.
Henry was willing to grasp at straws.
Lamium answered with a grim expression.
“‘The matter of Utis has already been settled with Prince Noah of your country. Arcana will not interfere in your kingdom’s turmoil.’”
“What… What did you say…?”
Henry collapsed to the floor.
Recently, Arcana had reached out several times, wanting to discuss the skirmishes in Utis.
However, Henry had refused, wanting better terms for Victoire.
At the time, he thought it was the right decision.
After all, Noah had won military achievements in Utis, and the battle had reached a temporary truce.
Victoire was in a favorable position.
With the war in a ceasefire, negotiations would be advantageous for Victoire.
That was what Henry believed.
He thought that if he offered to make concessions on the Utis issue, Arcana would be willing to help.
But in reality, Victoire was in chaos, on the verge of revolution.
For Arcana, its long-time rival, this was the perfect opportunity to attack.
Despite this, Henry had assumed Arcana would listen to him just because they had reached a truce in Utis.
Seeing Henry stunned, Lamium spoke.
“Your Majesty, it is over. We must leave the country. Across the sea is the kingdom of Tsobellar. The former king’s sister married into that family. If we follow that connection…”
“Are you telling me to abandon my country!? Me!?”
“But we have no other options! Even if Queen Stella is executed, it won’t be enough to quell the people’s anger. Unless the king is replaced…”
Lamium spoke with hesitation.
Henry held his breath.
The people would not be satisfied unless the king himself was beheaded.
“…Was I wrong? Was Chalize the one who was right?! Tell me…!!”
Henry, in a frenzy, grabbed Lamium.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
A servant came to announce Stella’s return to the castle.
—Bringing with her the terrible news that no help would come from Zenefelder.