Following the two candidates’ lead, other couples moved out onto the dance floor. Westalia let out a small sigh, finally free from the gazes and interest of the people.
Then, she whispered to Leonardo quietly enough that others wouldn’t be able to overhear. “Paige’s bloodlust earlier was really something. We would’ve been in a lot of trouble if you hadn’t stopped her. Thank you.”
“It was a considerable hatred. You know nothing at all about the connection between your knight and Tiberio?” Leonardo asked.
Westalia shook her head. “She’s not very forthcoming about personal matters.” If Paige told her, Westalia could try and help her, but if Paige didn’t say anything, there was nothing Westalia could do.
“Tiberio is a man with a lot of enemies. I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened to him.”
“At first glance, he doesn’t look like a bad person,” Westalia said.
“Sometimes, the really bad people don’t look like bad people. They pretend to be good, which is even worse,” Leonardo replied.
“That sounds very familiar.” A grim expression came over Westalia’s face as she thought of Lily. She’d worn the mask of a kindhearted princess the entire time she was setting up to betray Westalia.
What Westalia was most concerned with now was the Rias Corporation and their Elizabeth Pink. But Westalia had no idea if they were actually legitimate or not. According to Leonardo, the Reyn family was rumored to be involved with the Devorah Trading Company, from which the former queen, Delphine, had purchased poisons and weapons, but no solid evidence of the connection had been found. The Reyns were said to be involved in various dark deeds both domestically and internationally, but they still hadn’t actually been caught in the act of doing anything illegal.
“What do you think about the Rias Corporation?” Westalia asked.
“From the outside it looks legitimate, but in my personal opinion, I highly doubt it. For example, with Elizabeth Pink, I’ve heard that all of the company’s addresses are hidden, from the spinning mill to the weaving factory, and only Tiberio and other important people involved in the management know the details. Doesn’t that strike you as suspicious?” Leonardo asked.
“That does seem odd. That’s as good as announcing that there’s something going on behind the scenes,” Westalia replied.
“Right?”
If the Rias Corporation is committing a crime, it won’t be impossible to get their factory shut down, Westalia thought. The connection between the flower collecting and the Rias Corporation, and the emperor’s true intentions behind setting this specific challenge, immediately popped into Westalia’s mind.
The first piece of the orchestra’s performance was over, and the second piece was an up-tempo number. Westalia quickly adapted to the new tune and was stepping nimbly when, from somewhere, she heard a loud thud. She stopped dancing and turned to look in the direction of the sound.
“What was that noise?” Westalia asked.
“Someone fell down,” Leonardo replied.
Westalia and Leonardo looked at each other when they heard the name “Elizabeth” murmured among the crowd. They pushed through the crowd to see what had happened to the other star of the day.
They found Elizabeth collapsed on the ground, as white as a sheet. Her brow was covered in a cold sweat, and she was grimacing.
The onlookers were only curious to see what was going on, and no one moved to render aid. Unable to leave a suffering person alone, no matter the rivalry between them, Westalia roughly pushed her way through the crowd.
“Move! You’re in the way!” Westalia ordered sharply. She rushed to Elizabeth’s side, put her hand on her shoulder, and spoke to the woman. Westalia needed to know her symptoms first.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling ill?” Westalia asked.
“I don’t feel good... Ughhh...” Elizabeth vomited on the floor. Westalia touched her cheek and felt a great deal of heat. Elizabeth also had a red welt on her neck, the same as on her wrists.
“Anything else?”
“My stomach hurts...”
“Nausea and abdominal pain. How long have you had this rash?”
Elizabeth remained silent. For some reason, she wouldn’t answer about the rash. Westalia decided it would be best to call a doctor and instructed Paige, who had just arrived on the scene, “Get the court physician right away.”
“On it!” Paige turned on her heel but was abruptly stopped by a man.
“There’s no need for that.” It was Tiberio Reyn.
Paige’s hatred almost overcame her, but she held back, her lips pursing into a tight line. The little reason that she had left beneath her fury decided that she should at least obey a superior in a public place, and she stayed where she was. Tiberio took one look at Paige with a sharp expression on his face, but he quickly smiled again and addressed his daughter.
“What’s the matter, Elizabeth? Oh, yes, you must’ve been nervous being in front of so many people. A breath of fresh air will make you feel better in no time. Now get up.”
“Y-Yes, father...”
It was obvious to Westalia, however, that this wasn’t even remotely close to someone being drunk or nervous in front of people. Westalia felt uncomfortable watching Elizabeth be forced to stand up when she was clearly in no condition to move. It seemed like Tiberio was trying to hide Elizabeth’s condition from the public.
“W-Wait,” Westalia started.
“Don’t get involved,” Leonardo whispered to her, putting a hand on her arm.
It was strange of Leonardo to stop her so directly when he usually left Westalia to her own devices. It made it clear to her just how dangerous it would be to get involved with Tiberio Reyn.
Just then, Elizabeth, who had been forced to move by her father, collapsed again and began to convulse. She fell unconscious with her eyes open and stopped moving. The sight of her was starting to make the other guests uneasy.