A Trap (15)
* * *
“The chief physician is currently occupied with treatment, so I am here in his stead.”
The royal physician, who entered the hall, bowed his head.
It was the very same royal doctor that Aristine had contacted.
“This is good. The royal physician had seen the situation unfold since royal father collapsed so he’ll be able to explain better.”
Aristine said.
The Queen looked at the royal doctor nervously.
Please say it’s poison…
She needed it to be poison to reverse the tables.
However.
“His Majesty collapsed due to an acute myocardial infarction.”
The words of the royal physician ruthlessly squashed the queen’s hopes.
The Queen struggled to stop herself from staggering.
“How is His Majesty’s condition?”
Aristine asked and the royal doctor politely replied:
“Thankfully, it was spotted early and treated in the early stages, so His Majesty’s life isn’t threatened. We’ll have to watch the situation develop but for now, I think you can relax.”
A deep sense of relief welled through Aristine, soaking her body with it.
Aristine heaved a sigh.
‘He’s alive. His Majesty is alive.’
The tragic future shown to her from the Monarch’s Sight had disappeared. Death had bypassed Nephther.
“This is all thanks to the Princess Consort.”
Just as people were feeling relieved by the royal doctor’s words, they heard this and their eyes went wide.
‘Thanks to the Princess Consort?’
“Her Highness mentioned that when she saw His Majesty the other day, she saw traces of bruises and was concerned about His Majesty’s health.”
Of course, those were the lies she said to motivate the royal physician. She only said that because myocardial infarction was a disease caused by a blood clot blocking a coronary artery. If a blood clot forms in a blood vessel, it might cause a bruise or swelling might occur.
“When the chief physician examined His Majesty, nothing abnormal was found but Her Highness asked if I could take special care of His Majesty. That is why I was close by.”
“Yes. I thought it would be terrible if a blood clot blocked something as important as a brain vessel. At that moment, I thought it would be important to have a royal doctor on standby.”
“Agreed. The first aid after a blood vessel is blocked is very important. The Princess Consort’s wisdom saved His Majesty’s life.”
The royal physician and Aristine looked at each other and smiled.
Frankly, that wasn’t the only reason why the royal physician was watching Nephther.
Aristine said that she received a tip about a conspiracy to poison Nephther and the royal physician was always on standby to block it. The source of the report was unclear and the peaceful atmosphere had barely settled so she asked him to remain silent about it.
Furthermore, if Nephther collapsed and it wasn’t because of poison, she asked him to tap the floor a few times to let her know.
That’s why Aristine was convinced that Nephther wasn’t poisoned and was able to pressure the queen.
“How can it be thanks to me? It’s thanks to all of you who are treating His Majesty.”
The sight of her humbly deferring the credit to others made people smile.
‘The Princess Consort has great medical knowledge.’
‘I knew swelling occurs when there’s a problem with blood circulation but I didn’t know about bruises.’
‘His Majesty really got an amazing daughter-in-law.’
‘Thanks to the Princess Consort’s scalpels, we are rapidly growing as a medical powerhouse and our reputation as a barbaric country is being washed away.’
‘Don’t forget about the stainless steel too. Isn’t that an outstanding invention that elevates our national prestige?’
‘Now she even saved His Majesty’s life…’
‘But rather than praise the Princess Consort for her contribution, the Queen treated her like a criminal.’
‘For a poisoning that didn’t even happen, at that.’
The voices grew louder and louder, covering the hall like a cloud. Eventually, people began to raise their voice at the Queen.
“Your Majesty the Queen, how are you going to explain this!”
“Won’t you say the Princess Consort is a first-class contributor in saving His Majesty’s life?!”
“How can you accuse someone like that for attempted poisoning?”
“To do such a thing when His Majesty isn’t even poisoned…we can’t help but think of this as political retaliation!”
Their attitude was completely different from when Aristine first came to Irugo. At the time, there was an incomparably large number of people who supported Hamill as the next King.
If the atmosphere was the same as back then, people wouldn’t have raised their voice.
However, things were different now.
Aristine’s actions improved Tarkan’s political position day by day, and now, there were a lot of nobles who wanted to tie themselves to Tarkan.
Even at this moment, there were people who were acting more aggressive in an attempt to appeal to Tarkan and Aristine.
“If Silvanus focuses on this matter, what are we to do!”
“This is not an internal problem for Irugo alone! We will lose prestige in the face of other nations!”
“Is this something Your Majesty should be doing?!”
The Queen gritted her teeth.
She wanted to scold the nobles for their impertinence, but the situation was not in her favor.
The situation right now was very different from when Hamill was firmly established as the next king.
And it was all because of one person.
The Queen felt sweetness rising in her throat.
She looked at Aristine, her face wiped of any color.
Aristine merely returned an incredibly calm gaze.
But to the Queen, that expression looked more relaxed than the smile of a victor.
It was a complete defeat.
Translator’s Corner:
**Wow, I actually fell asleep mid trying to post. I didn’t know that was possible lolol.
