The door of Estelle’s cell had a smaller door built into it. It was used to bring in her food.
The food wasn’t any worse in quality or taste than what she’d had at the Libra Palace, which made her suspect someone was looking out for her.
What also surprised her was that, along with the food, she’d received a newspaper.
“Why do I get newspapers?” asked Estelle.
“I was told it is per Her Majesty’s wishes,” replied the female guard who’d brought her food.
“Her Majesty...?” Estelle was taken aback by the unexpected answer, then hurriedly called out to the guard, who’d started to leave. “Wait! Where is His Highness Prince Arcrayne?”
“Pardon me, but I cannot say anything,” the woman replied coldly and left.
Estelle drooped her shoulders and lowered her eyes to the food on the tray in her hands. But her anxiety kept her from getting any appetite at all.
Should I eat, since who knows how long I’ll be here? But... Estelle couldn’t shake the thought that the food might be poisoned and as a result, couldn’t bring herself to eat.
She sighed, left the food on the desk, then took the newspaper and sat down on the bed. It was The Albion Times—a quality paper known for its conservative views. Calling a newspaper conservative was another way of saying it leaned toward the second prince’s faction.
Though reading it made her feel bitter, Estelle looked through the articles. The story about Sachis’s condition was widely covered from the first page on. However, the cause was being reported as food poisoning.
When Estelle read through the article on the first page, she went pale.
It has come to light that beef supplied to the palace was the cause. Not only has His Majesty been laid up, but Prince Arcrayne too. As neither of them are currently able to govern, Her Majesty the Queen has taken the regency in haste and shall fill in for His Majesty until he recovers...
So they covered it up, she concluded.
A king being intentionally poisoned was too sensational and would’ve negatively affected Rosalia’s reputation. This must’ve been why they’d claimed it had been food poisoning. According to the article, the queen had only avoided the same fate because she didn’t like beef.
Since they’d told the public that the king had been struck down with poison, it was only natural that the search for the culprit would begin. Even if the queen and Duke Marwick tried to pin things on Arcrayne, the public would surely suspect the queen too.
It was true that Arcrayne would’ve benefited from the king’s death, but what if the queen had been behind this, trying to depose the prince? The masses loved conspiracy theories and frequently jumped to conclusions like that.
Estelle continued to read the article, gnashing her teeth in frustration. There was an explanation of the Regency Act, which she’d been curious about. Just as Estelle had remembered, when a regent was required, princes had higher priority than the queen.
Men have priority for inheritance, after all... thought Estelle. So the queen must’ve gotten rid of both Sachis and Arcrayne at the same time in order to become regent.
A flash of realization hit Estelle—one that meant this situation might be quite dire.
If they’d secretly captured Arcrayne and disposed of him, claiming he’d perished from food poisoning, Liedis would eventually become king.
I can’t believe she’d poison His Majesty just to take the throne... Estelle thought. From an outsider’s perspective, the king and the queen had a very harmonious relationship. So it was hard to believe that the queen had done it. But wait, was His Majesty really poisoned...?
Suddenly, the sight of Sachis pushing himself to use his power to the point that he’d coughed up blood during the dragon attack flashed through Estelle’s mind.
Sachis had spent time recuperating from an illness about half a year prior, and rumors about him being in poor health had been quietly circulating since then. At the time, the cause had been announced as pneumonia, and instead of creating a regent, he’d entrusted some of his public duties to Arcrayne, and others to the queen. Because of that, the majority had believed his condition hadn’t been all that dire. However, since the poor health of those in power could invite political instability, it was often covered up.
What if His Majesty is down with some regular illness, and they’re claiming it was poisoning...? Estelle felt like it was a bit of a stretch. But the idea gave her goose bumps. The more she thought about things, the less she knew what was true and what she should believe.
The one thing she was completely certain about was that she was in extreme danger. If Arcrayne were to be killed in secret, Estelle would surely be next.
She didn’t want to think that an Awoken like him could be killed so easily, but it was probably better to mentally prepare for the worst.
It was scary, however.
Estelle had always known her position might lead to her death, but now that she’d come face-to-face with the possibility, she realized how naive she’d been.
I don’t want to die yet, she thought to herself and wrapped her arms around her body. What if my brother and the earldom suffer too...?
The images of Sirius, their uncle and aunt, and even the earldom of Flozeth flashed through Estelle’s mind.
Estelle definitely loved Arcrayne, but for a moment, she wished she’d never met him. The thought made her disgusted with herself.
Other than love for Arcrayne, Estelle’s heart held love for her family and her earldom too, and she couldn’t bear the thought of trouble coming their way because of her.
Tears welled up in her eyes and her vision grew blurry.