TLDOWN 18

CHAPTER 18:

 Unsettling Emotions

Akkia, reclining in his chair in a room veiled in deep darkness, murmured softly.

“Wildcat grass?”

“Yes. A rare herb that only grows in the East. It’s not well-known in the Empire, but they say it’s a poisonous plant potent enough to dissolve blood vessels.”

Hah.

Akkia let out a bitter chuckle. Though the corners of his lips curled up endlessly, his voice remained icy.

“Seems someone is desperate to get rid of me. Throwing a move that reckless says it all.”

Every three months, the Emperor sent the imperial physician to Akkia under the guise of caring for his only brother.

Strictly speaking, the royal physician was a watchdog. To the Emperor, Akkia had to remain a frail duke who could die at any moment.

A man hidden in the shadows asked cautiously, “Could it be… they’ve caught on to something? Visiting the estate earlier than expected, prescribing a dangerous herb out of nowhere—it doesn’t feel right.”

The physician had always visited on a fixed schedule. So Akkia adjusted his Forarium dosage accordingly.

According to plan, the next visit wasn’t for another month. Lately, Akkia’s complexion had improved, likely thanks to the evening primrose extract.

If the physician realized that Akkia’s condition had improved, it would only be a matter of time before the Emperor found out.

Since no exact antidote had been developed yet, Akkia had no choice but to take Forarium again.

And this time, in much larger doses than usual. At first, he thought he’d just suffer through a few days of intense illness.

But then—

“Wildcat grass…”

He hadn’t expected to be prescribed such a toxic plant. It was the kind of move that could easily raise suspicions of attempted murder by the Emperor himself.

Well, it wouldn’t be a false accusation, so I wouldn’t exactly be wronged…

Akkia tapped the desk thoughtfully with his finger.

Up until now, all the imperial physician had done was monitor his health and report back to the Emperor.

But this time, the physician had prescribed something that could kill him. Akkia rubbed his chin and asked quietly,

That would mean something had changed in the Emperor’s mind.

“Any word from the capital?”

“No. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Dig deeper. Someone might’ve caught on. I have a bad feeling.”

“Yes, sir.”

The time was nearing to carry out the plan Akkia had spent years preparing. He had to be more cautious than ever.

“Still, the new apothecary seems rather competent. At first, I thought someone had dragged in a halfwit because of her age.”

Akkia recalled the events of the previous night—the woman desperately trying to get him to take the medicine.

“Yes, she’s got skills.”

Without Rea, he might’ve died.

He had considered himself quite knowledgeable about herbs, but even he had never heard of wildcat grass.

They probably intended to pin it all on the apothecary.

Such a bold move would only be possible if a scapegoat had already been chosen. But they wouldn’t have expected a new apothecary to know about such a rare herb.

Nor that she would end up saving him. Even while he hovered between life and death, he could clearly remember Rea trying to make him take the medicine.

Come to think of it, her face…

Her left cheek had been noticeably swollen. As if someone had hit her.

Who hit her? Who dared strike that woman?

The imperial physician? Or the butler, Bayern?

He tried to recall what had happened in the bedroom that night, but all he could remember was the agonizing pain.

Then it hit him—he was wondering about something utterly irrelevant.

Why am I even curious about that?

Again. This unsettling emotion.

It had surfaced suddenly the night before and still hadn’t left his chest.

The woman had simply done her job.

As the apothecary of a prince and duke, her own life was on the line if he died. Of course she’d be desperate.

Yet… somehow, the feeling didn’t bother him.

A faint smile had appeared on his lips before he realized it. It was hard to tell if he was smiling or simply frozen.

❀ ❀ ❀

The next morning, Rea was examining the duke early as usual.

“How are you feeling today?”

“Not bad.”

Akkia replied briefly to Rea’s question, then turned his head away like it was nothing. Rea stepped closer.

“Still, you mustn’t overdo it for a while. Forarium poison on top of wildcat grass? You may look fine on the outside, but your body’s taken quite a hit.”

Her concerned voice made the duke gaze quietly at her swollen cheek. Rea’s insistent eyes prompted a reluctant nod from Akkia.

“Fine.”

Even as she packed up her medical bag, Rea kept glancing at him.

In truth, she had been struggling with something ever since before the duke woke up—the actions of the imperial physician, Jacob.

They say His Majesty cherishes the duke very much…

Being his only cousin, the sickly duke was sent rare medicines and the court physician every season. Their bond was supposedly tight.

But if the Emperor’s own physician had tried to harm the duke…

A blaring red alarm rang in Rea’s mind. She shouldn’t get involved any deeper.

“Why the sigh?”

The low voice from ahead made her realize she’d sighed unconsciously.

He must have sensed her hesitation as she packed her bag. After a long silence, she shook her head.

“It’s nothing.”

Her face clearly said she had something to say, and yet she denied it. Akkia’s brow furrowed slightly.

Just as she turned to leave, his voice stopped her in her tracks.

“What do you think? About me collapsing after taking wildcat grass.”

His unwavering gaze bore into her.

“I’m not sure…”

“I don’t think it was an accident caused by incompetence.”

His voice was cold, and his lips curled faintly. Rea clenched her dampening fists, feeling the weight of his gaze.

What was his motive in asking directly?

“Tell me, Rea. Who do you think tried to kill me?”

His blunt question made her eyes squeeze shut.

This wasn’t an open question. He already knew the answer—he just wanted to see how she would respond.

Sigh…

A deep breath cleared the tangle in her mind.

The Duke already knows. He’s watching my reaction.

Then there was no point in evading. Rea opened her lips.

“There are three possibilities.”

Her calm voice echoed through the room.

“One: the Emperor’s physician misunderstood the effects of wildcat grass. Two: the Emperor ordered the physician to harm you. Three: someone used the physician to try and kill you.”

She counted each one on her fingers.

“The first can be ruled out. An imperial physician would never prescribe an herb without being absolutely sure of its effects. Which leaves the second or third. And both are worst-case scenarios.”

No matter who it was, attempting to assassinate a royal was high treason—enough to destroy entire families. That someone was willing to take that risk meant they were desperate to get rid of the Duke.

If I’m not careful, I could get caught up in it too.

Even just observing the staff’s attitudes was enough for Rea to understand Akkia’s standing within the Empire.

If someone of high rank wants him dead—someone like His Majesty…

She feared the consequences. She feared becoming too involved. She didn’t have the means to survive something like this.

There’s no reason for me to risk my life for him.

Her only goal was to repay her penalty and leave this estate.

To live peacefully with her orphanage family on the advance money she received.

If she got more involved, the Duke could very well have her silenced. A man like him wouldn’t let someone who knew too much walk free.

“I can’t even begin to guess who’s behind this. I’m just a rookie apothecary—it’s not my place to speculate.”

“…”

“But… it is a fact that someone’s trying to kill you.”

She slowly raised her gaze to meet Akkia’s. His eyes, sharp as blades, scanned her face—but Rea didn’t flinch.

“If taking the poison is part of this incident…”

She spoke slowly.

“Then you need to bury it.”

Her eyes sparkled with conviction as they met his.

Akkia was just about to say something when—

“My lord!”

The bedroom doors burst open. Bayern and Jacob rushed in.

Startled, Rea’s eyes flickered—but Akkia remained composed. He must’ve expected them.

Bayern’s jaw dropped when he saw the healthy Duke. His expression was a storm of emotions, chief among them: shock.

So he’s in on it too.

At first, she thought it was just the physician acting on someone’s orders. Bayern had always looked down on her.

She thought his hostility was because she’d contradicted the physician. But now she was sure—Bayern was also part of the plot.

She barely held back a sigh and glanced at Akkia.

He stared at the two men blankly, revealing no emotion. What kind of life has this man lived?

How many assassination attempts must he have endured to remain this calm before his would-be murderers?

As she fought to still her restless heart—

“Hah… Thank goodness. Lady Helena must have blessed us.”

“…”

“I was so worried you wouldn’t make it, my lord. I was about to send a letter to His Majesty. This is truly a relief.”

Bayern knelt before Akkia with a fake look of concern. Disgustingly insincere.

“Sir Jacob, please examine the Duke.”

“Of course.”

At Bayern’s prompt, Jacob stepped forward and took out his tools.

“This man, Sir Jacob, saved the Duke’s life! His medicine worked wonders.”

“…”

“Well, he is the Emperor’s physician. And it just happened to be time for a check-up! Truly a stroke of luck.”

Luck? More like a disaster.

Rea nearly laughed. The wildcat grass prescription nearly killed him!

“His pulse is steady, and the red spots—which must have been a detox reaction—are gone!”

Jacob sounded impressed, but his eyes trembled, and his lips quivered.

He had clearly been waiting for Akkia to die—never expecting him to recover.

“You’re saying I’m healthy now?”

“Indeed. Haha! My treatment must have been effective. What a miraculous recovery!”

He forced a laugh—but unlike Bayern’s, it was poorly crafted. His stiff eyes and smiling lips were grotesquely out of sync.

Akkia noticed too. A sneer flashed at his lips as he held out his hand to Rea.

Without needing to be told, she handed him a pen and paper.

The sound of scratching filled the room.

[“You’re saying it was the Emperor’s physician who cured me?”]

Bayern accepted the note without hesitation and nodded.

“Yes! Sir Jacob, of course.”

“…”

“As expected from His Majesty’s own physician! I’m so glad you’re safe, my lord.”

They were perfectly in sync—like old conspirators.

Akkia watched the two, then began writing again.

And then—

“Since my condition has improved, I’ll ask His Majesty to reward you handsomely.”

Rea read the message aloud.

“Th-Thank you, Your Grace!”

But he looked pale—not like someone receiving praise. He had expected punishment, not reward.

Something’s wrong.

He’d almost died from the wildcat grass. A reprimand would’ve been natural.

Instead, he was thanked—and even promised a reward?

Bayern couldn’t shake off a growing sense of unease.