Chapter 54:
Crimson Nightroot
As Marquis Belland hurried into the room, pulled by Charlotte's iron grip on his arm, Clarence was still gasping for air, clutching his throat as he choked and coughed, his face pale and clammy. The queen patted his back with her hand, grabbing the handkerchief from a nearby maid to wipe the fresh sweat off of his forehead. Only some of the knights were left to defend the room. The others were sent outside to investigate, closing off all possible entrances and exits from the palace to prevent the criminal from escaping before justice could be brought upon them.
As Clarence collapsed into his seat, it felt like time began to slow to a crawl. Any movement was as if moving through molasses, any screams felt like they had gone through a long, winding tunnel. Marquis Belland blinked slowly as he watched the horror and grief form on the faces around him, but then his eyes turned to the pallid, sweating prince. As if his body was moving on his own, the marquis broke out into a run, racing around the tables and running up to the table the queen and prince were sitting at. Earnest circled around the decorated table, with the steaming food still sitting on a plate, and hurried up to the prince.
"What happened?" Earnest asked, opening Clarence's mouth and looking inside.
"He took a bite of the food." The queen cried, standing to the side and watching Earnest closely. Earnest glanced towards the food, then placed his ear against Clarence's chest. He waited for a moment, then nodded his head.
"His heart is beating. That is good." Earnest then looked at Clarence's plate. He grabbed a nearby fork and poked at the food, stabbing a little and bringing it to his nose. He lightly sniffed it, but shook his head. He then dropped the fork and tore at the food, ripping it open and looking at it closely. The queen watched closely as he did this, trying to control the urge to snap or yell at him as Clarence laid limp in his chair. Earnest then put a small amount on his tongue and waited for a moment. After a moment, he spit it out and rinsed out his mouth with water.
"Crimson nightroot." Earnest said, turning towards the guards, then changing his mind and turning towards the queen, "Your Majesty, is there someone you trust here?"
The queen snapped her fingers at one of the waiting girls behind her. She immediately came to the queen's side and bowed. Earnest then nodded at her,
"Go to the kitchen as fast as you can and get me some thistle and ginger root. A handful should do. Remember: thistle and ginger." The waiting girl nodded before she raced out of the room.
"So he's been poisoned?" The queen whispered. Earnest paused for a moment while he sat Clarence up, supporting his back with his hand. He then nodded shortly.
"Yes."
The queen grimaced deeply, bending down next to Clarence in his seat, her hand gently pushing the hair out of her son's pale, damp face, "Will he live?"
Earnest paused again, sticking his fingers near Clarence's mouth and nose, "I… I can't say right now with certainty, but I think he will survive." The queen closed her eyes and sighed lightly in relief, loosening some of the tension on her face.
"Your Majesties!" A voice said as he hurried into the room, the large doors shutting quickly behind him.
"Doctor!" The queen said in relief, standing up, "Come quickly, please. This young man believes Clarence has been poisoned."
Earnest stayed at Clarence's side, but nodded in agreement with a serious expression, "Yes, crimson nightroot. It was mixed into his food."
The doctor hurried over, and Charlotte quickly followed behind him, trying to stay out of the way, but close enough she could see what was happening. The doctor looked over Clarence quickly, then turned towards the food. Like Earnest did, he smelled the food, then put a small amount on his tongue.
"Without a doubt," The doctor said, nodding, "Crimson nightroot. We need thistle stem and ginger root."
The queen looked over at Earnest quickly before she nodded at the doctor, "It has already been sent for."
As if on cue, the waiting girl raced into the room, the thistle and ginger gripped tightly in both of her hands as she approached the doctor with a short bow and placed the ingredients carefully on the table. The doctor put a bag that he was carrying on the table next to the ingredients and pulled out a pestle and mortar.
"You did all this?" The doctor asked seriously, staring towards Earnest as the young marquis nodded his head lightly in response, "Then you know to peel the stem?" Earnest nodded again, looking more determined than before as his confidence increased. The doctor mumbled to himself lowly in response, his face grim as he finished, "Then I will leave that to you."
Without another word, Earnest approached Prince Clarence with careful footsteps, moving quickly as he approached the prince's side. Clarence had already fallen unconscious, but he was still breathing. Though his breathing was labored, he was able to force out air from his lungs as he coughed, his body attempting to force the poison out through his throat. Seeing this, Earnest assessed the prince's pulse again as the queen and Princess Charlotte watched from the distance, standing to the side of the room as they had been ushered to the side, inexplicitly forced to the side and out of the way.
The queen's hands were trembling as she clutched her handkerchief in her hands, the fabric straining from the tightness of her grip. Charlotte fanned herself anxiously as she watched Earnest and the doctor prepare the medicine, ignoring the flurry of servants and knights moving to and fro like masterless beasts. It was not until Charlotte felt a familiar presence at her side did she stop looking towards the prince and turn to her side, her eyes falling on a missing figure.
"Where have you been?" Holding her fan to her face, Charlotte whispered quietly to her knight, speaking in a voice too low for the queen to hear next to her. It would not have mattered how loud Charlotte had spoken though, because all of the queen's senses were completely consumed with watching her dying son.
Charlotte's knight stood tall, his armor shining as it had before as he stood, protecting Charlotte as he spoke in his low voice, "I was scanning the perimeter while you were in your meeting, Your Highness." His tone was flat, as was his expression, making it difficult for Charlotte to worm any other information out of the stoic knight. With the queen standing to her side, it was inconvenient to question him further. Thinking this, she kept her gaze forward as she looked back towards the prince, her eyes moving over the doctor and Earnest's once again before she noticed something strange.
Where is that rude Duke Cyneric? He was tied to the prince's hip last time I saw him. Maintaining her expression, Charlotte fanned herself as her eyes wordlessly scanned around the room, passing over the servants in the room once again before she frowned behind the cover of her fan. What is that child up to?
"Princess Charlotte, we should leave the room." The knight beside her mumbled, his deep voice running deep through his throat. Charlotte shot him an angry look, lifting her fan as she glared, but as she glanced back at Clarence, her face fell.
"It seems you are right." Charlotte said, lowering her fan and collecting her train, gently putting it over the crook of her elbow like a Yursinean noble, "Lead the way." Following Charlotte's commands, the knight carefully led the princess out of the room before her presence attracted more attention. The rest of the candidates would be sniffing around for information, and she was not planning to give them even a crumb.
As the queen stood by, carefully watching her son as the ladies in waiting nearby carefully watched the queen's expressions, attempting to soothe her, a nearby servant spoke to the doctor with a serious expression before they bowed low to the doctor and approached the queen with quick footsteps. The young servant bowed his head low, speaking to the queen in a polite but firm voice.
"Your Majesty, the prince has been treated with the medicine and is being sent to his room to recover. The royal physician will be monitoring him through the night." Though the servant was nervous, he calmly relayed the physician's words without a single stutter, maintaining his calm demeanor as he felt the eyes of the other servants resting on the back of his head with a heated gaze, curious to hear more about the prince's condition. "It would be best if there were no visitors until tomorrow, when he recovers."
The queen was uncomfortable leaving Clarence alone for so long, but she knew the royal physician would not lie about Clarence's condition. Understanding, she responded coolly, "Then I will be waiting for the physician's report tonight." She looked towards her ladies in waiting as she spoke to the young servant, "I expect this problem will not be discussed outside of this room." The chill in the queen's heavy voice traveled through the room, silencing the mouths of all of the nearby servants in the room. "We will be returning to my palace to calm the worried candidates."
While the queen prepared to leave the hall, the final preparations to clear the room had started. The nearby knights were ushered forward, one guard lifting the prince onto a stretcher to the side of the room. The royal physician quickly followed at their side, motioning for Marquis Earnest to follow him, mentioning he had more to discuss with the young noble. With a nod of his head, the marquis followed, and the surrounding knights led the prince and the physicians out of the room.
Clarence's unconscious body was carefully carried out on the stretcher, his face pale and clammy as the physician stood nearby, directing the knights as they cautiously walked with hurried footsteps down the hall to the prince's quarters, using the side halls and other passages to take him without catching the eye of any of the other palace members. The queen's threats were heavy, and the knights were sworn to secrecy while serving under the royal family. If they were to be seen by anyone, even a sleeping infant, there would be dire consequences.
They were quick on their feet and quietly returned to the prince's room without incident. It was only when Clarence had been taken back to his room that he was able to open his eyes. Laying on his bed, his limbs weak from the effects of the poison, he looked up at the canopy with a fuzzy, far away expression before he could focus his eyes.
"Prince Clarence!" While in the presence of palace servants, Alywin entered the room, pushing open the doors frantically as sweat dripped down his face. The top of his button-up shirt had been opened, and the collar of his shirt had been wrinkled. Even his hair, often immaculately styled, golden colored curls, had been disheveled, as if he had fallen down the stairs on his way to the prince's residence. Seeing the prince laying on his back on the bed, breathing steadily, Alywin let out a large sigh of relief before he walked to the prince's bedside and collapsed into a chair with an unceremonious plop. His breathing was rapid, and it took a moment for him to catch his breath before he could address the prince.
Clarence sat up in the bed, leaning his spine against the backboard of the luxurious canopy bed. His deep blue eyes scanned the room with a dark light as he cleared his throat and spoke in a hoarse tone, "I want this investigated now. Send some of the knights to inspect the palace, now." He coughed, looking particularly frail as he added, "Doctor Beneik, I would appreciate it if you could prepare a medicine to soothe my throat."
The group of knights bowed and walked out of the prince's sleeping quarters, entering the sitting room as they began to divide roles according to the prince's directions. With the crowning ceremony approaching, the servants of the palace had already begun to take orders from the prince as if he were already the king of the kingdom. Their respect for the young prince had grown over time, and many of the servants wanted to be in the temperamental prince's good light as he ascended to the throne. In addition, the thought of being the one to catch the murderous traitor made many of the knights excited. If they were to catch the criminal, they could only imagine how generous the reward would be.
"The rest of you may leave. Duke Cyneric and I have matters to discuss."
After a short check up from the palace physician, Clarence sent the old man away, including the nervous Marquis Earnest Belland, who looked as if he wanted to say more before the physician led him out with his hand on his back, eager to discuss future endeavors with the young, promising marquis. The other nearby servants were quick to follow, shooting Alywin one more discreet stare before they ushered themselves out of the room, closing the door to Clarence's bedroom with a quiet click.
After Clarence had adjusted his posture, Alywin stood up from the chair, his face still damp with sweat as he asked in a nervous voice, "What happened to you, Clarence?"
Clarence looked towards Alywin with a heavy stare, "I was told that my food was poisoned. It almost killed me, but Marquis Belland managed to save me in time." Clarence's gaze immediately hardened as he glared at Alywin, who recoiled slightly at the foreign glare, "Where were you, Alywin?"
Hearing Clarence's hoarse tone, Alywin's stomach dropped as he began to worry again. Unsure of Clarence's condition, he responded, "I was doing something important."
"What could have been so important that you missed the opening meal?" Clarence mused, his gaze darkening as he stared at Alywin's figure, "If you were there, you might have seen who did it. Maybe if you were there, I wouldn't have been poisoned at all." Clarence speculated in a misty tone.
Alywin raised his voice slightly, feeling angry at both himself and Clarence. "That would've made no difference, Clarence. You know that."
Clarence raised a brow, "The most important fact was that my most loyal ally was not at my side when I needed him most."
"That's not fair, Clarence." Alywin said, his face dropping, "As soon as I heard, I ran here as fast as I could. They didn't even tell me if you were dead or alive."
As Alywin hunched down in his chair, trying to hide his expression, Clarence could not help but smile. He then sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, "Oh, well. At least I lived. Even though you weren't there."
"That's not fair, Clarence." Alywin repeated in a weak whisper, shaking his head.
"But it won't stop us, will it Alywin?" Clarence asked, smiling again. Alywin finally looked up, his face still sour, but he nodded too, "Good. Now, let's discuss my plans."
…
Led by her knight, Charlotte returned to the queen's palace. Her heeled shoes echoed on the marble floors, attracting the attention of the various candidates that had waited outside of their rooms, gossiping quietly amongst themselves to hear what had happened to the prince. All of the nearby servants were quiet, and respectfully told the candidates to return to their rooms when asked more about the situation, leaving the candidates to discuss the past events without their input in the middle of the hall.
"Princess Charlotte, where were you?" Princess Sagara was the first to speak up. She coolly walked forward, stepping closer to Charlotte as she approached, leading the small group of women. "What happened to Prince Clarence?" They were unable to hear anything before being ushered out of the room. Any information on him was a valuable asset.
Knowing this, Charlotte smiled politely, stopping within a comfortable distance of the woman and herself before she spoke up and said, "In the flurry of people, I was pushed behind, making me late." Bowing her head lightly, she added, "Unfortunately I have heard no information of the prince's condition." It was a bold lie, but Charlotte was not willing to share the true information she had heard with these women. Anything could be used against her in the race to marry Clarence, and with the Yursinean throne on the line, there was no such thing as an unfair advantage.
Philomena, standing to Sagara's right, stepped forward and pushed back her light brown, styled curls over her shoulder as she said with a frown, "I hope that Prince Clarence is alright. He looked so frightful before we were all ushered out."
As the girls grew more restless, there was the sound of echoing heels once again, and as one of the girls leaned to the side to see down the hall, she froze for a moment before she turned to the rest of the candidates and said with a pale face, "My goodness… Queen Racliffe is coming!"
Hearing this, the nearby girls were thrown into a whirl of confusion and terror. Though their questions about the prince would soon be answered, there was a thick, unsettling feeling in the air knowing the Yursinean queen came to address the candidates. Seeing the queen's servants trailing behind her, carrying the queen's decorated, heavy train behind her, Charlotte's eyes narrowed slightly, but she held her fan to her lips and disguised her expression as she stood to the side of the group, her knight standing only feet behind her as he watched around them attentively.
"Good morning, ladies." The queen pronounced as the doors to the room opened, revealing the queen in person, "I do apologize for this morning. Let us sit for a moment, and we shall discuss it."
...
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Just a note: Crimson nightroot is a fictional plant I made. Notes directly from the chapter from me: Fictional deadly plant found in the elven forest. I was thinking of it being a red-rooted, small leafy plant with pointed leaves. Only the roots are poisonous, but the leaves have a distinct spicy odor.
Thank you all for reading! Today we see more of Clarence's manipulative pull on poor Alywin. It's horrible and fascinating to watch his mental health spiral. More graphic psychological themes are coming as I continue my own studies on the side. My current interest is the difference between paraphilias and paraphilic disorders. I'm very happy to see there's finally a distinction between the two! A future project of ours will touch on these more.
Just a note. I'm changing some of the appearances of the candidates to better fit my mental image of them. Philomena as styled light brown hair, so a little curly. This will be reflected in ch 49 when I get there. I will also update the character chart which can be found on the novel page. Hunny won't let me forget ;u;
Again, thank you all very much for your comments and for reading! Your feedback helps Hunny and I continue the direction of YMtK ♥ To my friends (Coco especially), if you're reading this, stop reading this!