I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 9 - The Puppet King, Henry
“Drag the king out!”
“Execute the upstart queen, Stella!”
“Capture the foolish king and the lying queen who care nothing for the people!”
A wave of frenzied voices echoed from outside.
Listening to them, Henry bit his nails.
If he did not do something, he would be overwhelmed by panic and fear.
The number of people surrounding the castle far exceeded the number of soldiers inside.
At this rate, they would eventually break through the gates.
(If that happens… what will become of me!?)
Suddenly, he remembered the words Chalize spoke before her death.
“After they bring me down as their target… the next prey will be you.”
“Damn it, damn it, damn it…!! That woman left behind a curse…! I’ve been cursed! This wasn’t supposed to happen! This wasn’t supposed to happen!!”
Henry paced frantically around the room before sinking deep into the sofa.
He clutched his head in despair.
“Why did the temple betray me!? When is Noah coming back!? What is Arcana doing!?”
As he mumbled to himself, a knock came at the door.
Henry flinched violently at the sound.
Had the mob already reached him?
If he had been thinking clearly, he would have realized that the castle gates had not yet been breached, making it impossible for the rebels to be here already.
But Henry was so terrified and shaken that his mind jumped to the worst conclusion.
The one who entered was his close aide.
His name was Lamium.
Originally a commoner, he had risen through the ranks under Henry’s favor and was promoted to the royal guard.
Lamium looked at Henry, who was trembling and pale, with a pained expression before shaking his head.
“…There has been no word from the temple.”
“L-lies, that’s a lie!! There’s no way my uncle would abandon me…!!”
The head of the temple was officially the High Priest, but the one truly in control of the organization was Aidan Lips, the former king’s younger brother.
Aidan had approached Henry when he was troubled about not being able to marry Stella, convincing him to switch allegiances to the reformist faction.
(I trusted him…)
Henry felt as if the world had gone dark.
As he fell silent, Lamium continued speaking in an even tone.
“There is good news. Prince Noah will be arriving in the capital soon.”
When the people first began surrounding the castle, Henry had urgently summoned Noah from the remote land of Utis.
With his military experience, Noah would be able to command the royal guards and gendarmerie effectively.
Henry had heard of Noah’s accomplishments in the frontier.
Despite years of stalemate, Noah had temporarily brought a ceasefire to a long-standing skirmish.
The latest reports indicated that he was negotiating a meeting with the Arcana Empire.
Though it was likely thanks to General McGregor’s assistance, it was still an incredible feat for someone not yet twenty years old.
Henry had always hated Noah.
Noah had always been the type of boy that adults adored, and he accepted their affection with a shy smile.
People found Noah more approachable and easier to talk to than the crown prince, Henry.
Noah was popular.
Chalize’s gaze, full of silent judgment, had always infuriated Henry.
As if she was comparing him to Noah.
Chalize never directly said anything, but her eyes spoke volumes.
(Why can Noah do it, but you can’t, Henry?)
That was how Henry had interpreted it.
Chalize and Noah were close.
They never acted improperly, but whenever they met, Chalize greeted him warmly and smiled in a way she never did for Henry.
She was always expressionless in front of Henry.
At the time, Chalize was eighteen, and Noah was sixteen.
Servants commented on how they looked like affectionate siblings, but Henry never saw it that way.
At some point, Henry became terrified that Noah would steal his bride.
He did not love Chalize, but he refused to be known as the fool whose younger brother took his wife.
So, Henry distanced himself from Chalize and sought comfort in Stella.
He turned to the temple for advice and obeyed his uncle Aidan’s instructions.
“Just frame Chalize for a crime. That way, she won’t be able to act so high and mighty.”
When Henry heard Aidan’s words, his mind went blank.
He hated Chalize.
He hated her, but falsely accusing her of a crime felt wrong.
Seeing his hesitation, Aidan continued.
“She’s involved with Noah. Your maid saw them together.”
Henry summoned the maid and questioned her.
Just as Aidan had said, Chalize had been meeting Noah in secret.
One day, the maid claimed she had witnessed the scene firsthand, and everything changed.
“Her Majesty invited Prince Noah into her chambers and betrayed His Majesty the King!!”
With a direct witness, Chalize’s position became precarious.
She was harshly condemned, and soon Noah faced accusations as well.
Watching those two fall was far more amusing than Henry had imagined.
To prevent an uprising, Chalize was executed.
Noah was exiled to the frontier as punishment for the scandal.
Everyone Henry hated was gone.
He had won.
The victor is always right.
The one who wins writes history.
So then—why?
Why had things turned out like this?
“Drag the king out!”
“Execute the upstart queen, Stella!”
“Capture the foolish king and the lying queen who care nothing for the people!”
The angry voices outside did not stop.
(Why? Why did this happen?)
Why had the people turned against him?
Why had the temple suddenly stopped all communication?
And now, the people were calling for Noah to be the next king.
Henry could not understand.
He had been betrayed.
By the temple, by the people.
From beginning to end, Henry had been nothing but a puppet.
And the true misfortune was that he never even realized it.
Henry became king at the age of twenty-two.
The previous king had died young, forcing him to take the throne early.
And that—
That was the greatest misfortune of Henry’s life.
Or so later generations would say.