My Body Has Been Possessed By Someone - Chapter 36
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 36
A moment later, Amelia murmured with a bewildered expression.
“Duchess… I, I really do think it’s improving a little.”
“It’s bearable, isn’t it?”
“It’s still itchy, but it’s bearable! Really, it’s bearable!”
So until now, the itching had been unbearable. With that level of suffering, she could have easily sought out her old medicine.
‘I told her never to use it. She kept her word.’
Pleased with the Princess, I smiled gently.
“Starting today, a medicinal decoction will be brought three times daily. You’ll be using quite a lot, so you must drink every last drop.”
“Yes, I will, I’ll do that!”
Amelia nodded vigorously and rose from her seat. I stood as well.
“I’ll visit again tomorrow. Then…”
“Wait, just a moment.”
Amelia rose and grasped my collar.
“Um, Duchess.”
“Yes?”
“…I’m sorry for throwing the vase and acting out.”
“It’s quite alright.”
As I turned to leave, Amelia grabbed me once more.
“Would you like to have some tea before you go?”
Amelia’s face flushed as she spoke in a rambling manner.
“His Majesty gave me a gift. While procuring the Eastern Continent medicinal herbs you requested, he apparently purchased other things as well. It’s said to be an extremely rare tea…”
“I’d love to.”
There was no reason to refuse. I smiled warmly.
* * *
Several days passed.
Just as Amelia’s treatment was progressing smoothly, the Empress summoned me.
I presented the Empress with the perfume as I had promised some time ago.
“I never expected you’d actually give it to me. Is this the perfume you wear?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Empress sprayed the perfume on her wrist, closed her eyes, and inhaled the fragrance. Then she smiled with satisfaction.
“The scent is truly lovely. Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
“It is my honor, Your Majesty.”
Apparently deciding that the pleasantries were sufficient, the Empress immediately broached the main subject.
“By the way, is the Princess’s treatment progressing well? It’s already been two weeks since you started…”
She sighed deeply, her concern evident.
“On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be much change yet.”
“This is not an illness that can be cured completely in the short term. Besides, the itching has been almost entirely controlled. The treatment is progressing smoothly, so please rest assured, Your Majesty.”
How could a chronic skin condition simply vanish in two weeks?
‘Amelia is patient and cooperative, but the Empress is far too impatient.’
I was clicking my tongue inwardly when a knock sounded at the door, followed by the Servant’s voice.
“Your Majesty the Empress, the Second Prince has come to call upon you.”
“Show him in at once!”
The door opened, and a young man entered.
“Crescent!”
The Empress’s face brightened instantly, all her previous concerns vanishing in an instant.
“My precious son! What brings you to visit? Had you sent word, I would have gone to you myself.”
“I heard that my sister’s personal physician had arrived, so I came to see. Is this she?”
He appeared to be barely twenty years old.
A youth poised between boyhood and manhood with a solemn bearing, his rich golden hair bore a striking resemblance to Amelia’s.
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Duchess.”
“I am Kanna Adis of Valentino. The honor is mine, Your Highness.”
“How is my sister’s condition these days? I wished to visit her, but Mother has been most adamantly opposed.”
As expected, the Empress interjected swiftly.
“Absolutely not! Crescent, you must never set foot in the Princess’s Palace. It is nothing short of a breeding ground for disease—you must never enter such a place. Do you understand?”
A breeding ground for disease.
I nearly winced at such a blunt expression.
No matter how precious a son might be, surely one would not speak thus of the residence where one’s own daughter dwells.
“Please do not worry.”
“You must promise me! Have you not often broken your promises to your mother?”
The Empress cried out passionately, gripping the Prince’s shoulders.
“You must not go near her. Especially, you must not take tea with the Princess as you once did! You could become infected, could you not?”
At this, Crescent’s lips curled into a smile.
“Why? Are you afraid my sister might poison me?”
“Crescent!”
“I was merely jesting. This time, I shall keep my promise without fail.”
Only after extracting multiple promises did the Empress finally release Prince Crescent.
I observed the scene with a measured gaze.
* * *
“Duchess.”
As I was hurrying away, Crescent caught up with me.
“Are you on your way to see Sister Amelia now?”
“Yes.”
“Before you go, would you not take a brief walk with me?”
Having no reason to refuse, I walked with him through the Imperial Palace’s gardens.
“At Sister Lilienne’s birthday celebration this time, I was unable to attend due to poor health. However, I have heard much of your renowned beauty.”
“You are too kind.”
We walked while exchanging such pleasantries.
Yet something felt amiss—it seemed as though Crescent was deliberately guiding me toward a more secluded area.
‘The crowds seem to be thinning… or is it merely my imagination?’
What if it’s someone as unhinged as Argon? I was on high alert.
“At last, we’re alone.”
Crescent came to an abrupt halt without warning. Then he smiled gently.
“Finally, I have you all to myself, Duchess.”
Just as I suspected—he’d deliberately led me to this secluded place!
Every hair on my body stood on end as tension seized me.
“What is this about?”
Crescent suddenly seized my hand.
I gasped and reflexively tried to pull away, but I couldn’t break free at all.
“Your Highness?”
“Duchess, forgive my boldness.”
Crescent’s lips curved into an oblique smile. Then he bent low and whispered something into my ear.
“This must remain a secret from everyone else.”
….
Only then did his hand release me.
In my palm lay a small vial.
This was….
“Something that can save you and your sister.”
….
“It’s an antidote.”
I stared at him quietly before asking.
What on earth was he saying? What did he mean? Why would he think to give Amelia an antidote?—I was about to ask when….
“Duchess of Valentino Duchy.”
The sound of footsteps crossing the grass drew near. Armed knights were approaching.
“We greet the Second Prince, Your Highness.”
They bowed to Crescent before speaking in a strictly formal tone.
“We beg your pardon. An imperial decree has been issued to arrest the Duchess of Valentino Duchy.”
My shoulders stiffened.
Arrest? An imperial decree?
Whom? Me?
“What on earth are you talking about?”
At that moment, Crescent bit his lip. A whisper escaped him—had he been too late?….
“Just moments ago, Princess Amelia passed away.”
* * *
Amelia Isabelk was dead.
According to the maid who witnessed it, she’d complained of exhaustion all day long….
Then she coughed up blood violently.
She collapsed and never rose again.
A physician rushed to examine her and confirmed her heart no longer beat.
She had been poisoned by an unknown toxin.
The news struck the Imperial Palace like lightning.
The moment Crescent and Kanna Adis left, a Servant rushed to the Empress with the report. She lost consciousness briefly, but quickly regained her senses.
And she deduced the culprit.
There was only one reason for the poisoning.
Recently, she had been taking medicine containing strange medicinal ingredients that Kanna Adis had provided her.
“Arrest Kanna Adis of Valentino at once!”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————