I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 50 - Delivering the Final Blow

At that time, in the royal castle─.

Lately, it had become an everyday thing for monsters to appear in the castle town.

That’s why Henry didn’t think much of this latest incident.

The monsters only attacked the town. As long as he stayed in the castle, he was safe.

He was supposed to be safe─.

“Prince Noah has betrayed us…! He led an army from the frontier, and with the people, the traitor Noah has entered the castle. Their target is this room, Your Majesty!!”

Panting for breath, a royal guard reported this.

Henry froze in shock, then shouted.

“What are the royal guards… what are the knights doing!?”

“Well─”

The kneeling knight was about to answer when—

The door flew open violently.

Everyone in the room turned to look.

And standing there was─

“Noah…”

With a dry voice, Henry called his younger brother’s name.

Noah had reached the office faster than expected.

Behind him stood the revolutionary army.

He looked at Henry, who was frozen and pale, and Queen Stella, who had fallen to the floor, still holding her dress.

Then, he smiled slightly, looking a bit relieved.

“Good. Brother, Your Majesty the Queen, so you were both here. You’re safe, I see?”

His voice was calm, nothing like someone leading a rebellion.

Because of that, Henry wondered—

Maybe the report from the guard was false. Maybe Noah hadn’t betrayed him after all.

Henry clung to that one last hope.

Holding onto that hope, he looked at his brother as if seeking help.

“Noah, you’ve come to save me?”

“Save you?”

Then, Noah laughed.

But it was no longer a gentle smile—it was cold enough to give chills.

He drew his sword and pointed the blade at Henry.

The guards immediately prepared to defend Henry, but Noah didn’t even glance at them. His eyes were fixed on Henry alone.

“You must be joking. The one I came to save is this country—and the people I love who live in it. You are not among them.”

“W-What are you saying!? Are you betraying us!? Noah!!”

The one who screamed was Queen Stella.

Noah turned to her, as if suddenly remembering her presence.

He looked at her like she didn’t matter at all.

Stella flinched slightly under his icy gaze, but still held her dress as she stepped forward.

“You’re betraying the king? Betraying your own brother!? That’s a terrible betrayal!!”

“Queen Stella. I never thought you’d be the one to say that. You pushed your own sister aside, took her husband, and stole her place. And now you say that?”

His voice was full of sarcasm and bitterness. Stella was at a loss for words.

Henry was the one who answered.

“D-Don’t be ridiculous! If I had known… if I had known you were after the throne, I would have killed you long ago…! Have you been trying to kill me all this time!? You want the throne that badly!? Noah!!”

“The throne?”

Hearing that, Noah wrinkled his nose.

Then, he let out a mocking laugh.

“I don’t care about the throne. What I want is peace for this country, and a world where the people I love are not hurt unfairly. But you kept destroying that peace, and each time, you pushed me into despair. …Brother, now you must face the consequences—or rather, take responsibility.”

“You don’t mean… are you talking about Chalize?”

Henry swallowed hard and asked Noah.

He must have noticed Louis standing behind Noah, sword at the ready.

Louis had once been Chalize’s royal guard.

After her execution, he resigned and cut ties with the Count of Zyler’s house.

(He’s been with Noah all this time…?)

In truth, he had been with the still-living Chalize, but when Henry saw Louis standing behind Noah, he jumped to that conclusion.

Chalize─.

That name brought different reactions from each of them.

Noah held his breath, his brows furrowed in pain.

Louis said nothing, just stared at Henry with terrifyingly cold eyes.

And then, Stella─.

The one most shaken by that name was Queen Stella.

She suddenly stood up and quickly walked up to Noah.

Even though Noah had his sword drawn, she didn’t seem to care.

No—she was more shaken than that. By that name.

“Chalize!? You said Chalize!?”

With a voice like a scream, she rushed up to Noah.

Noah narrowed his eyes, then lowered his sword and pointed it at her.

“Any closer, and I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“Who cares about that? You… you just said Chalize!? What… what is this!? Everyone’s going on about Chalize, Chalize—it’s ridiculous!! Now, after everything!? All of you used to call her an evil queen, a wicked woman! And now what!? This is hypocrisy!!”

She shouted, spitting out her anger.

Louis’s shoulders twitched slightly at her words.

But Stella just laughed.

“You all spoke badly about my sister! You said the country would change if I became queen! That’s why I became queen!! So why!? Why am I suddenly being blamed like this!? This isn’t my fault!! The temple is to blame… Yes, Aidan Lips and Henry!!”

She shouted loudly.

Her wild emotions overwhelmed everyone—they couldn’t get a word in.

She truly believed it.

Deep in her heart, she believed none of this was her fault.

“Aidan Lips and Henry!! They’re the ones to blame!! They’re nobles by birth! Nobles have always lived in luxury, right!? Isn’t it their duty to bear the burden—what was it called? Noblesse oblige!? That’s their responsibility!! But I’m not like that! I was a commoner!! I was an orphan who knew nothing!!”

After shouting that, she gasped for air.

Her breathing was heavy from how worked up she had gotten. Everyone around her was silent, feeling something was terribly wrong─and then, Noah spoke.

As if delivering the final blow to someone who couldn’t admit their mistakes.

“That doesn’t make sense, Queen Stella.”

“What…?”

“Those words might apply to someone with no rights, who never lived in luxury. But not to someone like you—a duke’s daughter, and a queen. You are part of the privileged class.”

“What did you say…?”

Stella growled in a low voice.

She was not in her right mind anymore.

Because she had been abusing tranquilizers, she was no longer able to think clearly.

She wasn’t even listening to Noah’s words.

What mattered to her was that her words were being denied. That was all.

Realizing that, Stella snapped and tried to grab Noah’s collar.

“You’re saying I’m the one at fault!? You too!?”

“Queen Stella.”

Before she could grab him, Louis caught her wrist from behind and held it down.

He wasn’t rough, but she twisted dramatically.

From all the tranquilizer abuse, her emotions were out of control, and everything she did was exaggerated.

“It hurts!! Let go!! Let go of me!!”

Her voice echoed all the way down the hallway.

Noah fixed his messed-up collar from when Stella tried to grab him, then turned to his brother, whose face was pale.

“…Brother, I don’t want to use force. Will you come with me?”

Henry had also been using tranquilizers, though not as much as Stella.

He fell silent, then finally hung his head as if giving up.

Perhaps he had finally realized—it was all over.