LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Plan Must Be Precise (2)
“Poison?”
Though I already knew, I acted thoroughly shocked. Rania bit her lip, her face full of sorrow.
“Yes, poison. However, the one providing the poison is someone of high rank, someone you trust. That’s why I couldn’t tell you earlier.”
“Someone I trust…”
“Your Highness, please, from now on, trust what I’m about to say.”
Rania gently clasped my hand, her expression grave.
“Now that you’ve regained your clarity, this is our chance. If someone you usually associate with offers you something suspicious, especially those sweet-tasting medicines…”
BANG!
A loud noise erupted from downstairs, followed by a booming voice.
“How dare a mere maid try to stop me from entering! What’s taking you so long, little brother? The sun’s high in the sky, and it’s time for us to go out and have some fun!”
“…Albert.”
That voice belonged to Albert, the fourth prince of the Faywood Empire.
Naturally, my relationship with my half-siblings had always been strained, but Albert was the one who regularly took the time to ‘hang out’ with me.
Of course, after learning his true nature during my second regression, I was repulsed by him… but now, it’s just another event to get through.
“Brother, it’s been a while.”
As I came downstairs to the sitting room, there stood Albert, his muddy boots planted firmly on the floor.
He was four years older than me, now twenty, a large, boisterous man with a big frame and a bigger face.
“What do you mean, ‘a while’? We were just out together three days ago!”
“Right, three days ago.”
Three days ago, Albert dragged me to an upscale club in the capital, where he got me drunk on strong liquor and made me cause a huge commotion.
And three days before that, he took me to a private gambling den where I lost hundreds of silver coins.
And three days before that, we went hunting in the nearby mountains with over a hundred beaters.
Albert was the only one who still ‘looked after’ me after I’d been exiled from the palace. During my first regression, I even considered him a somewhat helpful figure…
But in reality?
He was a loyal pawn of my second brother, Jess, the very person responsible for slowly driving me to ruin.
“Come on, get dressed. Today we’re heading to the Golden Room for a rematch. Didn’t you say you were eager to win back what you lost?”
Albert jingled a heavy coin pouch at his waist. Now, going to the gambling hall with him was one option (it would allow me to quickly gather some starting funds), but I had a different plan this time.
“Brother, I’m not feeling well today. I’ll have to decline.”
“What?”
For a moment, Albert’s usually cheerful face twisted.
“You don’t look sick. Just have a drink, play some cards, and you’ll feel better. I even brought a tonic our second brother personally prepared for you. Oh, your nose is bleeding…”
Perfect timing. Just as planned.
I feigned a dazed expression and wiped away the blood trickling from my nose.
This was a natural reaction from the antidote Rania had given me, as it purged the poison from my body.
To anyone unaware, though, it would look like I was bleeding profusely, as if gravely ill.
“Your Highness!”
Rania, who had followed me down, rushed over, dabbing at my nose with a handkerchief. I made sure to stumble and collapse dramatically to the floor.
“Ugh… I don’t feel so good.”
“Oh… You really are in bad shape, huh?”
“Ugh…”
“Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do. Take this and rest up.”
Albert frowned, then pulled a fancy flask from his coat and held it out to me.
This was the poison!
It was a deadly toxin concocted by my second brother, Jess, diluted with sugar water and premium spirits.
For the past four years, Claude had been drinking this, slowly rotting both his body and mind.
The reason Claude—I—became a hopeless wreck in the first place was because of this poison. I acted like an addict, trembling as I reached for the flask with shaky hands.
“This is…”
“Huh? It’s the same stuff you always drink. A tonic from my second brother, just for you.”
“Second brother… Ah, right, of course.”
Albert’s face lit up with a smile.
‘This idiot. Has he lost his memory too?’
His mocking grin said it all. I smiled back foolishly and poured the contents of the flask down my throat.
Gulp, gulp…
Ugh, sweet, fragrant, and addictively delicious.
Even though I had just taken an antidote, I could feel the poison spreading through my body almost instantly. Albert, satisfied with what he saw, turned to leave.
“Take care of yourself! I’ll check in on you in three days!”
“Safe travels, Your Highness!”
The maids rushed to see Albert out, but Rania hurried back inside, running towards me.
“Your Highness! You shouldn’t have drunk that! It’s—”
“A bowl.”
“Pardon?”
“A bowl. Now. Hurry.”
I waved my hand weakly, keeping my eyes closed. Realizing what I meant, Rania spun around, shouting at the other maids.
“Quickly! Bring an empty bowl! Hurry!”
The maids, impressively fast, returned with a bowl. I promptly stuck my fingers down my throat and vomited everything back into the bowl.
Hurk! Blech!
“Your Highness! Over there! Someone get fresh water for His Highness immediately! And bring the new antidote we prepared this morning!”
“…I get it now… I finally understand.”
Watching Rania as she directed the maids, I chuckled bitterly and shook my head.
“I’ve been such a fool. Following that bastard like a loyal dog…”
“Your Highness…”
“The poison you mentioned earlier—is it this? The high-ranking person I trusted was second brother and fourth brother?”
“…Yes.”
Rania nodded, her face filled with sorrow. As my mind began to fog again, I reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Thank you, Rania.”
“Your Highness…”
“If it weren’t for you, I would’ve kept drinking that poison until it killed me. But… I think I threw up the antidote too…”
“Lady Rania, I brought the new elixir!”
Just then, a young maid returned with a fresh vial of the antidote. I drank it in one go and sighed deeply.
“Phew, it still tastes awful. No matter how many times I drink it, I never get used to it.”
“You mustn’t overdo it right now. The amount of poison in your system is still high. You need to take the antidote every two hours and get plenty of rest. Let’s get you back to bed.”
Rania crouched down in front of me, her back turned, as if offering to carry me.
Hmm, how should I handle this?
Since collapsing in front of Albert was just an act, I could walk back on my own if I wanted to.
But it wasn’t a significant decision—either way would work fine—so I leaned onto Rania’s back and let her carry me up to my bedroom on the second floor.
Now that I think about it, is this the first time Rania has carried me?
In any case, the first event of my final, tenth regression has gone smoothly, just as planned.
But that doesn’t mean my tasks for today are done. The real changes will begin tonight.
—
As Rania carried the young prince Claude up to the second floor, she silently wiped away tears.
‘How could he be so small and frail?’
Of course, the fact that her nephew—her beloved sister’s only son—had regained his senses was a reason to rejoice.
But after enduring the jealousy and envy of his half-siblings, Claude’s body was far too weak and frail for a 16-year-old boy.
‘No, it’s not too late. He’s my precious nephew, the only child my sister left behind.’
Rania swore to herself that she would do whatever it took to restore Claude to health, even if it meant pushing her skills as an elixir maker beyond their limits.
It was a new path, one never before seen in the history of elixirs. But to Rania, no challenge seemed insurmountable now that she had resolved to help him.
—
At Green Stag Palace.
One of the nine satellite palaces of the imperial capital, Green Stag was more of a tall tower than a traditional palace.
On the eighth floor, there was an old library filled with ancient books. But tonight, the space was being used for a drunken revelry.
“Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
Clink!
Albert, the fourth prince, and Count Fennel, his cousin, slammed their heavy glasses of liquor together.
“Hah! Now that second brother has made his move, I’m finally free! No more running errands, delivering potions to that miserable half-breed brat!”
“It’s a shame we won’t be able to gamble away imperial funds so easily anymore, though. Watching Claude squirm after losing all that money was rather amusing.”
Count Fennel, who had been a close accomplice in Albert’s ‘Corrupt Claude Project,’ smirked. Albert, already somewhat tipsy, shook his head.
“Still, this is better. I’m sick of playing nice with that filthy half-breed. The nerve of that commoner-born woman, thinking
she could waltz into the imperial family… Anyway, it’s done. Our second brother will summon him back to the palace tomorrow. What happens next is up to him.”