A Trap of Silk and Venom
I quietly stared at the liquid inside the vial. Red and black. They looked like the very colors of sin. Well, considering its purpose, it certainly was an item associated with sin.
To be honest, it was true that I felt a slight hesitation. No matter how much of a fool he was, he was still my father. It was only natural to hesitate to make my closest blood relative drink such a dreadful poison with my own hands.
But he brought this entirely upon himself. It was Pehart who broke our trust as family first. Deposing Sera, who had supported him all this time as the First Princess, and prioritizing a child with Carmel who hadn't even been born yet—that was utterly unacceptable.
Above all, the greater good was on my side. Carmel truly intended to ruin this kingdom. Surely, our ancestors watching over the kingdom from the Royal Tombs would understand.
Besides, I wasn't the real Princess Sera to begin with. In truth, all I felt for Pehart was a shred of pity for a fool who ruined his life by bringing in the wrong woman. I didn't consider him my actual father.
Everything was for the sake of making Carmel entirely my possession. To achieve that, it was much better for Pehart to remain quiet for the time being.
I hid the glass vial deep inside my robes once more.
"The physician! Call the royal physician immediately! His—His Majesty, His Majesty is...!"
From early morning, a shrill voice echoed through the royal palace. Feigning shock, I blended in with the gathering crowd and headed toward Pehart's bedchamber.
"Father!"
The drug I purchased from the shaman worked exactly as ordered. Pehart lay stiffly on his bed, his face pale as ash. He seemed completely unable to speak or move.
I pressed the royal physician, who was examining Pehart by his bedside.
"Reynard! What has happened to Father? He was perfectly healthy just yesterday... *sob*!"
"That is... I beg your forgiveness for saying this, but... it is highly likely to be the symptoms of poisoning..."
"Poison! Poison, you say?!"
I trembled as if I had just heard the most terrifying news in the world, then stood up with righteous indignation.
"If that is true... then this is an unforgivable act of high treason. Absolutely, utterly unforgivable... Just who would dare..."
"Princess..."
Carmel was also mingled among the crowd, staring at Pehart's condition with a grave expression. She would surely realize it. She would know that Pehart's symptoms were caused by a poison of the northern tribes.
Frankly, this was a terribly sloppy crime. Anyone who knew Pehart always drank a glass of wine before bed, and who had the easiest access to that bottle... A rational investigator would think to suspect me first.
But as luck would have it, the one scheduled to oversee the investigation... was none other than myself.
Leaving the royal physician and Pehart in the room, I led the rest of the crowd out. Then, standing tall and proud before them, I made a grand declaration.
"Since His Majesty the King has been rendered unconscious by a heinous traitor, in accordance with the laws of royal regency, I, Sera Rustier, as the first in line to the throne, shall act as regent. Our very first task will be to find the culprit who brought His Majesty to this state!"
Watching the teary-eyed princess, the crowd nodded in silence. A brave princess who, despite the tragedy befalling her father the King, fearlessly stepped up to fulfill her duties. The performance seemed to be a resounding success.
That evening, I paid a visit to Carmel's chambers.
Carmel opened the door, her face filled with wariness. Today, her attire was rather extravagant. A thin silk dress was precariously held up by two slender straps over her shoulders. It was so sheer that if light shone on it, her body underneath would likely be completely visible. She must have seduced Pehart in this scandalous outfit.
"May I come in, Mother? Ah, wait, not quite yet, is it?"
"You... what are you planning?"
"This isn't something we should discuss out in the open. Let us speak in private."
Instead of answering, Carmel stepped aside. I lightly stepped into the room. Once the door closed, Carmel crossed her arms and asked me, getting straight to the point.
"It was you, wasn't it? The poisoning."
Quick-witted, aren't we? To realize that so fast.
"Poisoning? What an insolent thing to say. Father is still alive, isn't he? I never had any intention of killing him in the first place."
Carmel's expression was quite a sight. To think a wicked woman of her caliber would be shocked by just this much. However, she quickly recovered her composure and began to press me.
"You went that far just to keep me in check? Are you a fool? It's obvious to anyone that you did it!"
"Why is it so obvious?"
"Then who else would have a reason besides you? Who else but you, harboring a grudge over being excluded from the succession!"
"My, my... you seem to know an awful lot about that. That fact should still only reside within His Majesty's heart."
"...Does that even matter right now? Do you still not grasp the gravity of what you've done? No matter if you are the First Princess—no, precisely because you are the princess, the crime of usurpation is even heavier! You are finished, Princess Sera!"
Spitting out those words, Carmel let a faint smirk play on her lips. It seems she is under a massive delusion.
"I fail to see why I would be finished. After all, the culprit who attempted to poison His Majesty... is none other than you, Carmel."
"...What?"
I pulled out the glass vial from my robes, a faint trace of black liquid pooling at the bottom. It was, of course, the very poison that had rendered Pehart unconscious.
"I just found this glass vial in this very room. This is irrefutable physical evidence. A crucial piece of proof pointing to you as the culprit."
"Ha?"
Carmel looked at me as if she were looking at a madwoman. In an utterly dumbfounded tone, she continued.
"What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this... You literally just pulled that out of your own robes!"
"Did it look that way to you? Actually, I just retrieved it from that desk over there. At least, that is how it will be by tomorrow morning."
"Don't make me laugh. Such childish tricks won't..."
"Oh, but there is plenty of basis for it. The poison used on Father. You've already realized what it is, haven't you, Lady Carmel?"
Carmel fell silent, staring intently at my face and the glass vial. As expected, she seemed to have an inkling.
"...You, where on earth did you get your hands on that?"
"I didn't get my hands on it, though? There's no need to explain, but the northern tribes despise the people of Rustier, don't they? There is simply no way for a citizen of Rustier—let alone a member of the royal family—to obtain such an item."
Unless, of course, one happened to overhear the clan's covenant, which the northern tribes value more than their own lives.
Carmel clenched her teeth and glared at me. She really was quick-witted. It seemed she had already grasped the point I was trying to make.
"Indeed. Right now, the only person in this palace who has even the slightest possibility of obtaining this poison is you, Lady Carmel."
A sense of defeat spread across Carmel's scowling face. She seemed to instinctively realize that she had fallen completely into a trap, even if she didn't want to admit it just yet.
"...Do you honestly think such a claim will be accepted?"
"I'm afraid the authority to decide whether to accept that claim also lies with me, as the regent. Besides, it is a perfectly reasonable conclusion with absolutely no logical loopholes."
"There's no reason for me to kill him! Why would someone who is about to become Queen kill the King, her husband-to-be, for no reason at all? What possible motive would there be..."
Like I said, he isn't dead. Well, I could have killed him, though.
"An excellent point. I will think of a good motive by tomorrow. Though, since there is no one else who could have executed this besides you, the motive hardly matters anyway."
"You...!"
Carmel fiercely reached her hands out toward me, but then lowered them as if giving up. Her burning, furious gaze remained fixed on me, however.
I smiled triumphantly in my mind and spoke.
"Fufu, as you might have guessed, the reason I came to see you, Mother, is to offer a deal."
"......"
Did the word 'deal' remind her of her past humiliation? Carmel anxiously raised her hands to wrap them around her arms. The humiliation of exposing her breasts to her enemy—someone she utterly despised—and having them scrutinized in detail. That memory seemed to have already been engraved into her body, not easily forgotten.
Though this time, she will suffer something far worse.
"Yes. If you accept my conditions, I will destroy this glass vial without showing it to anyone. I will also ensure the investigation is closed quietly with vague results."
"...Can you even handle the aftermath? Once the King wakes up, you..."
"My, are you worried about me? Oh, Mother... Rather than that, shouldn't you be worrying about yourself right now?"
At my playful response, Carmel's face contorted. Yet even that expression of hers was unbearably charming.
Taking a breath, I spoke to Carmel. With an angelic, beautiful smile.
"Now then... please take off everything you are wearing right now, Mother. Without leaving a single thread."