After Count and Countess Selene found out about her poisoning, it didn't take long for the news to spread. Signs of prolonged poisoning starting from a few weeks ago, and all sorts of rumors started to fly around. Since the Grand Duchess was presumably sick, no one could see her but everyone was curious about the reaction of the Grand Duke. And the Grand Duke...
"She's…..dying?"
"According to what I was told, the poison had damaged her internal organs beyond repair. She's been moving around with willpower for the last few months or she's supposed to be bedridden by now. I fear the Grand Duchess only has mere weeks to live"
Fredrich felt rage for a brief moment. How could she be dying?
"Where is she right now?"
"She's on her way to the Mansion with the royal family"
"Why is she with the royal family?"
"The Queen requested that the sick Grand Duchess follow her in her carriage to be treated by the Royal physician. By my estimations, they should be arriving anytime soon"
Fredrich immediately stood up, heading to the front gates of the mansion. A few minutes after, the royal family's carriage showed up in a distance. The servants lined themselves up to welcome the royal family, ready with a velvet carpet lined up at the entrance. The first carriage had the King, the crown prince and the first princess. Since the Second Princess had already departed to Berinda, she was the only missing member of the royal family. The second carriage had the Queen and the Grand Duchess, who looked like she was the daughter-in-law of the royal family instead.
The Queen helped her off the carriage as she walked gingerly to the steps of the stairs. The Queen looked incredibly worried and under the sunlight, Fredrich could see she was pale. No, he had always seen that she was pale, he just delibrately ignored it.
"Welcome, your majesty" Fredrich bowed once he was in front of the King. His gaze flitted to Natalia and this once, she met his gaze, smiling. Whether it was to reassure him or to send some other message, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that it was real. She was actually dying.
"I thought it was great fortune for the Grand Duchess to marry into your family and I thought you had a great relationship but to think your wife would be severely poisoned under your roof, it makes me question your genuity, Fredrich" The King said.
"I…..have no excuse. I should've paid more attention" he softly said, clenching his fist. Although it resembled concern, the royal family were finally seeing it for what it was. They couldn't believe he would be that careless.
"Why don't we all go inside? It's a little uncomfortable to keep standing around. Besides, I'm undergoing treatment so it's not like I'm going to keel over anytime soon" Natalia intervened. Since she spoke, it would just be reckless for them to say anything else. Natalia departed from the comfort of the Queen and went right to her room on her own two feet once they were inside. It was the same sight of her back he saw every time. Thinking he wouldn't be able to see it again created a sort of void in his heart.
"If you cannot handle your own household, how are we able to expect you to handle the Extermination Campaign? It's only unfortunate that it's happening in a few days or I would have handed it over to my son. But now that it's done, the command would be handed over to William"
"...yes, your majesty"
It wasn't like Fredrich was particularly concerned about the command, which would've been important had he not already planned to get rid of the royal family. But his emotions were real enough to come off as disappointment.
"We already tried to call the Saintess to heal her but according to what the Church said, the Saintess entered deep meditation a week ago. They don't know how long she would be in deep meditation so they just sent us a healer and a bunch of herbs. Luckily, the royal physician has been able to remove some of the toxins from her body" the Queen said, worry creasing her face.
"Even if you don't like that child, she musn't die, Fredrich"
"She won't die, your majesty"
The royals finally got settled in various rooms and Fredrich found himself going to Natalia's room. It was the second time he had gone of his own accord. In the past, he would've avoided going there but his heart palpitated as he stood before the door, unsure of what he would see if he opened the door.
He walked in to an empty bed. His eyes widened in panic and he searched the room frantically, looking for her. The bed was warm so she hadn't been gone for long. He saw that the door to the veranda was open so he walked there. He saw her gazing over the trees with a soft look, a small smile on her lips. It only took a few seconds for her to notice he was there.
"Did you need anything, your grace?"
"Why aren't you lying down?!"
"I couldn't sleep so I came here for a fresh breath. Did you have something important to say?"
"You...you want to die so badly?!"
"Isn't that what you wish for? Once you take the throne, you would have no other choice but to make me your Queen to control the commoners and the nobles. But if I die, you wouldn't have to do that. You would be free to marry the woman you wish to marry. It's a happy ending for you, isn't it?"
"Screw all that! You're doing this to spite me, aren't you?"
"How did you know?" she smiled beautifully, the wind rippling through her hair. She had a pure aura but he could sense the darkness in it.
"There is no way I can be free from you if I'm alive. There is no happy ending for me. Even if I become your Queen, you would just find some type of way to get rid of me. I'm fine with dying like this. If I'm born into a better life after this one, one where I wouldn't have to see all of you, I couldn't be happier"
"YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE THAT!" He yelled, punching the wall. It made a clean hole yet she didn't flinch and she was still smiling. What was the worse he could do? Kill her? It would actually be better if he sped up the process.
"Even you cannot control the life of someone after death. If you try to keep me alive, I would keep trying to find ways to die. Since I cannot hurt you, this is my best revenge. My life might not mean much to you but to other people and this kingdom, I am indispensable. I have but a few weeks to live, your grace. What would you do?"
In the past, he wished for her to die. Now that he knew that she was actually going to die, he couldn't imagine it. There was nothing he could do to stop her from dying, except…..
"Dragon blood can prolong your life. You will not die until I wish for your death" he suddenly said, calmly.
"You're being selfish, your grace. If I ingest dragon blood now, I would die almost immediately. Then you would've killed me with your own two hands. This is something I really wish to see"
Now that he had run out of options, he stormed out of the room. She clicked her tongue, looking at the wall. With the Fairy magic she had running in her veins, she would die on contact with dragon blood since the two energies opposed each other. She reached for the elixir in her pocket, putting it in her mouth. Every single one of her symptoms disappeared almost immediately. She couldn't falter. She was getting closer to the day she would be free.
Various ladies came to visit her over the next few days. She maintained a fragile appearance but she made it look like the situation wasn't as bad as initially stated. They all expressed concern but it was hard to tell which was really genuine. What Natalia liked the most was the seed of doubt growing against the church. How could the Saintess suddenly go into deep meditation while the Grand Duchess was sick? Most of the rumors were grossly distorted, making it look like the two incidents were related.
There was no way Adelie would heal Natalia. She took this into account and continued to count her days peacefully.
"Did you hear, newbie? They say the Grand Duchess is dying. This might be a bad omen for the Extermination campaign. Do you think they would cancel it?" An old man dressed in dusty clothes spoke to the tall blue haired man in a gruff tone. Marvis only nodded his head, carrying from the stacks of straws in the warehouse. He loaded the carriage and came back for more.
"You're always so quiet. It's only the two of us around. You can talk"
Marvis once again, didn't reply. The man had been trying to get closer to him for days, hitting on him with the assumption that he was a woman in disguise. The inappropriate occasional brush against his behind was enough evidence. Marvis would've killed the man a long time ago but he couldn't jeopardize his mission at any cost.
"You're the stubborn type, I see. The Forest of Damnation is going to be very dangerous but if you stick with your big brother, you won't get hurt. Let's go for a drink after work, okay?"
The man finally left and Marvis was able to rid himself of the bloodlust he built from having to stand beside the man. What he said was interesting though. The Grand Duchess was a key influential figure. If something were to happen to her, it could throw the kingdom into chaos. Marvis wondered if it was the work of his master or just a strange coincidence.