TL NOTE: THIS WILL BE THE LAST ADVANCED CHAPTER I WILL UPLOAD HERE IN SALMONLATTE FOR THIS STORY. I WILL BE UPLOADING THE REST OF THE CHAPTERS AT “DUSKBLOSSOMS”.  MORE ADVANCED CHAPTERS ARE ALREADY UP ON THE SITE. 

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“Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”

“Doctor! Call a doctor!”

Everyone was in a state of shock. The blood that the once robust Crown Prince had vomited signified an attempt on his life.

‘How… how could this happen?’

I was barely standing, my legs trembling unconsciously. Cameron, who had vomited a great deal of blood, seemed to have already lost consciousness. I could see him being carried away on a stretcher by his attendants.

Cameron had definitely drunk the wine I gave him and then collapsed, vomiting blood. It meant the wine must have been poisoned. And there was a maid who had handed me the wine, claiming the Emperor had commanded it be given to Cameron. The maid who had said she couldn’t walk properly while collapsing.

In the midst of the commotion, I made eye contact with Roan, who was running towards me. I instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

The soldiers of the Imperial Palace guarded every exit of the banquet hall, ready for action. It seemed they had sealed the hall’s doors to prevent anyone from leaving, thinking an assassination attempt had occurred.

“What on earth is going on here?”

The enraged shout of the elderly Emperor was heard. I saw the Emperor descending from the platform. He too seemed to have returned after being informed of what had just happened.

Even though he had aged, an Emperor was still an Emperor. No one dared to speak in the presence of the furious Emperor, enraged by the attempt on his son’s life.

“Who dares to harm the Crown Prince of the Empire?”

The calm and composed voice that followed was the Empress’s.

The tension was palpable. It was clear that the maid was involved. The circumstances were too suspicious. I resolved to speak up.

At that moment, a young lady nearby pointed at me and said tearfully,

“The Crown Prince drank the wine given to him by the Duchess and suddenly…”

“The Duchess?”

“The Duchess of Bannister.”

In an instant, all eyes focused on me, standing beside the bloodstain left by the Crown Prince. The hall, which had quieted down with the Emperor’s shout, was again filled with murmurs.

“The Duchess?”

Even the Emperor’s gaze turned to me. His piercing eyes, surrounded by wrinkles, scrutinized me.

“Is that true?”

Suspicion. His eyes held suspicion. It was understandable, but I was so unfairly accused that I felt like I was losing my mind.

“It is true. However, I only delivered the wine after hearing the maid say that His Majesty had commanded it be given to the Crown Prince. I never touched the wine myself.”

“The wine was poisoned? I never gave such an order.”

Though I had expected it, confirming that I had been deceived so thoroughly made me dizzy. The Empress, maintaining her composure, asked,

“Where is that maid?”

“She said she was changing her clothes because of spilled wine, so she should be in the maids’ lounge or dressing room.”

“Check immediately.”

The Empress commanded a nearby maid, who quickly disappeared.

I couldn’t fully grasp the shocking reality of the situation. It seemed surreal that Cameron had collapsed, especially after drinking the wine I had handed him.

It was then that Roan, who was a short distance away, quickly approached and firmly grasped my hand. I snapped back to reality. His reassuring grip seemed to tell me not to tremble. I almost felt like crying for a moment. Roan had a stern expression. He seemed to have already realized that someone had set me up.

“Duchess.”

“Roan, I…”

“I understand.”

He said, looking me in the eyes. Meeting his gaze strangely calmed my previously anxious heart.

At that moment, the maid who had left earlier returned. She reported with a flustered expression,

“I checked the dressing room and the lounge, but there is no maid changing her clothes because of spilled wine.”

The murmurs grew louder again.

“That’s the report. Duchess, are you not lying?”

“No! A maid certainly told me that.”

It was maddening to only have the memory without the person to prove it.

“The Duchess has no reason to lie.”

Roan, still holding my hand firmly, spoke with a resolute face. His icy expression revealed his anger. He was barely holding it back, which I hadn’t noticed until he grabbed my hand.

“There could be a reason.”

The sudden clear voice belonged to Grace. She was the last person I expected to appear in this situation. Grace had an expression I had never seen before.

“Everyone knows that the Duchess once loved the Crown Prince, even after her marriage. And there are widespread rumors that I and the Crown Prince are meant to be together. Who can guarantee that the Duchess doesn’t still harbor twisted feelings for the Crown Prince?”

Why? I couldn’t understand. Grace should be the one most devastated by the Crown Prince’s condition, yet she was unnervingly calm and composed. Why was she now intent on framing me? Did she really believe I had tried to harm Cameron? I doubted it.

“Wouldn’t it make sense for her to eliminate what she couldn’t have? It’s enough to cast suspicion. Even at the last banquet, some witnessed the Duchess still showing lingering feelings for the Crown Prince. Didn’t they?”

Grace’s gaze turned to several people, and they nodded slightly.

“Oh my, look at how embarrassed the Duchess is by His Highness’s praise.”

I almost wanted to laugh bitterly. So that’s what she meant when she teased me for blushing at Cameron’s words. I had occasionally felt a chill from her, but I never expected to be stabbed in the back like this.

“Are you suggesting that my daughter tried to harm the Crown Prince?”

I looked towards the voice and saw the stern face of Marquis Caesar, whom I had never seen before. Beside him was Cain, his expression even more contorted than before. The Emperor looked at Marquis Caesar and smiled bitterly.

“Marquis Caesar, you are loyal, but… there is no guarantee that your daughter shares your loyalty.”

The Emperor signaled to the soldiers stationed throughout the hall. The soldiers began to move towards me.

I realized the situation was beyond repair.

“This is nonsense, Your Majesty! This is clearly a setup.”

At that moment, Jafflin stepped forward and spoke to the Emperor. Then the Empress, who had the same purple eyes as Jafflin, intervened.

“That will be revealed through interrogation. She is already a suspect in the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince.”

As the Empress finished speaking, the armed soldiers continued to approach me. Then Roan’s back blocked my view.

“Anyone.”

His voice was chillingly cold. The soldiers hesitated at Roan’s icy tone and presence, unsure of what to do.

“…Duke, are you defying the Emperor’s command?”

The Emperor asked Roan, who was blocking the soldiers. Despite the marks of age on his face, his back remained straight, exuding imperial authority.

“I refuse to obey an unworthy command.”

Roan replied, gritting his teeth as if suppressing his icy anger. Despite the potentially disrespectful nature of his words, he seemed unconcerned. I was the one who was surprised.

“She is indeed a suspect. Even though she is a Duchess, the accusation of attempting to harm the Crown Prince is a grave crime. Imprison her in the dungeon.”

Roan’s hand moved to his sword hilt. I quickly grabbed his hand to stop him from drawing his sword.

‘…!’

Even with my limited knowledge of this world’s laws, I knew that drawing a sword in front of the Emperor was an act of treason.

Though Roan removed his hand from the hilt, he still held onto my hand firmly. I tried to let go, but he held on as if I were his lifeline, his grip showing his reluctance to let go.

“Please.”

He murmured, almost pleadingly. But I gently removed his hand with my other hand. I looked at his devastated expression.

‘If you’re in prison, you can’t help me.’

I mouthed these words to Roan.

Understanding dawned on him, and he no longer tried to hold onto me.

The soldiers approached to seize me, but they hesitated under Roan’s fierce glare. As I was escorted out of the hall by the soldiers, I turned back and made eye contact with Alexandra. She was as composed as ever. Her calm demeanor gave me a bit of reassurance. At least, she was rational in this situation. She nodded once at me.

‘You did well not to let him draw his sword.’

She seemed to say.

‘Take care of him.’

I sent her a look, hoping she understood. She nodded again.

And then there was Roan.

His face was expressionless, but his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white. It felt like a sudden, painful parting.

***

The inside of the dungeon was not as bad as I had feared. Given the severity of the incident, I had expected a cramped cell fit for a major criminal, but perhaps because I was a noble, I received somewhat special treatment. The cell was cleaner than expected. However, I couldn’t shake the thought that somewhere in the distance, there were surely rats living here.

The floor didn’t look very clean, but I didn’t care if my clothes got dirty. Without thinking, I sat down.

‘Who on earth could have orchestrated this?’

Leaning against the wall in the dimly lit cell, where light only entered through a small window, I had no way of knowing what was happening outside.