TPHRU 71

Chapter 71…

Evil Dances in the Demon King’s Palm.

“Will they use the same poison as two years ago? And in the same way?”
Alexis and Christophe both raised their voices.

“That’s exactly what matters,” Yoann replied. “If they use the same method, it’ll make it easier to prove the previous attempted poisoning. The poison used two years ago is still one of the rarest and most lethal in existence. There are only a few routes by which it can be obtained. So, we’ll recreate the same situation as before and manipulate them into using the same poison again.”

Yoann’s indigo-gray eyes glimmered briefly with a crimson light.
“Don’t worry. They’ll make their move.”
He declared it with absolute conviction.

The plan unfolded just as Yoann had envisioned.
As expected, Celine returned home from the royal castle and immediately broke down crying to Yvette, confessing that Felicia was still alive. Shortly after Celine’s return, a royal messenger was dispatched to inform them that Felicia would be attending the engagement ceremony. The next morning, Yvette paid a visit to Baron Raymond’s estate. Through his familiar, Yoann confirmed and recorded the two conspiring to get rid of Felicia.

Baron Raymond began trying to track down Felicia’s whereabouts, but as Yoann had anticipated, he failed to find her. In the end, they concluded it would be too difficult to arrange an attack before the engagement ceremony.

“If they can’t find Felicia’s location, the only option is to target her on the day of the ceremony. But the invitations have already been sent. It would be difficult to sneak an assassin in among the guests in less than a month. So, they’ll have no choice but to rely on poison again—just like before. Last time, Felicia nearly crossed into the underworld. If they increase the dose, they’ll believe success is certain this time.”

Just as Yoann predicted, Baron Raymond and Yvette focused on the engagement ceremony. They summoned a maid who worked at the royal castle to the baron’s estate. The maid’s father was a business associate of the baron who had recently fallen deep into debt after a failed deal. Under Baron Raymond’s threats, the maid was forced to agree to give Felicia a poisoned drink in exchange for the cancellation of her father’s debt. Yoann’s familiar recorded this, too.

That same night, a messenger was sent from Baron Raymond’s estate to the Chalcedony Empire. Yoann’s crow familiar followed him, recording everything up to the point the poison was procured.
“We tracked down the messenger Baron Raymond sent to Chalcedony and captured him when he reentered the kingdom. I used a confession spell—he can’t lie. There’s no doubt they obtained the exact same poison as two years ago.”

The evidence needed to expose every crime and wrongdoing before the guests at the engagement ceremony was steadily coming together.
After extracting the confession, Yoann erased that part of the messenger’s memory, cast a subjugation spell on him, and sent him back to Baron Raymond. At Yoann’s command, he would obey instantly and serve as a witness to reveal their crimes.

“Felicia, when you receive the glass from the maid, don’t drink it—hand it to me immediately. The moment His Majesty appears, the judgment will begin. After that, leave everything to us.”
At Yoann’s words, Felicia nodded with a grave and resolute expression.