Xion dragged Allen away before making his way toward the hidden corridor, completely unaware of the angry glare settled on his back.
"Are you okay?" Xion asked the silent Allen.
Allen was more than just okay. He was giddy, and it was evident in the way his eyes shone. "Yes. Thank you."
Xion waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. Don’t let them bully you ."
Allen nodded along. It wasn’t that he did not want to, he just couldn’t. Perhaps it was his instinct trained by his childhood, but his body felt frozen.
That was until a small frame protected him. It really was a blessing to know Xion.
When Xion’s anger calmed down, he sighed, "Let’s go back, or His Highness might get angry."
Then they returned back.
The people who had been stretching their ears to listen to their conversation were already laughing and talking with others. It really was like a stage where the actors played their roles to perfection.
Just then an envoy came to inform that King could not attend the banquet due to some emergency and his advisors were there as his proxy.
The hall fell into momentary silence. There was clear reluctance in the air, but soon, people cheered up and adjusted accordingly.
A new round of flattery began.
This time, the center of attention shifted to the royal advisors, and, of course, Nikolai.
Shaking his head, Xion made his way back to the same table where he had been sitting earlier.
Nikolai had already left the hall due to some urgent matter.
So, Xion decided to treat his stomach with another pastry while Allen silently accompanied him.
"You can try this, my lord."
Xion blinked in surprise at the sudden plate appearing in his line of sight.
It was the supposed fiancée of Allen.
Perhaps she was here to thank him. Or maybe she was simply passing by. Xion couldn’t tell.
Regardless, he accepted the plate, mirroring the polite smile on her face with his own.
Soon, she disappeared into the crowd while Xion placed the plate on the table. But he did not eat it. Allen didn’t say anything about that lady either and soon both started discussing the matters of the human body.
It was better not to eat it. Allen silently mused. If they remained alert they should be okay for the night.
That was what they thought until a sudden cry echoed through the hall.
"How can this happen to her?!"
Various such exclamations rippled through the corridor.
Xion was far from the commotion, but it didn’t take him long to grasp the situation.
Someone had been drugged with an aphrodisiac.
Xion sighed in relief thinking that the biggest disaster had been avoided. That was until he saw that lady’s father yelling in his direction.
"It was just a misunderstanding. Do you have to go so far!" The baron glared at him with angry eyes.
"Why would you do this?!" the man shouted, his voice trembling with rage. "How could you be so deranged as to treat an innocent lady ?!"
Baron was being supported by Allen’s father as he cried out his grievances.
Xion’s brows furrowed. "I did no such thing."
But before he could say anything more, whispers began to spread.
"He’s just like his mother."
"She seduced a marquis into her bed, and now he’s using the archduke to toy with others."
Xion felt his nerves twitch. A flame of anger flared in his chest, but he knew he couldn’t simply lash out.
No one would believe me if I did.
"He did not do it. We have been together all this time." Allen grabbed his wrist, trying to protect him from the crowd.
Nonetheless, his words were treated as nothing but air. Who would believe a partner of the blamed?
There were many eyes wanting to see Arhduke fall into disgrace. So, even if the accusation might not be true, how could they miss this opportunity?
Just then, the royal advisor spoke, forcing everyone’s attention on him.
"We should not just blame innocent people without evidence."
Baron instantly latched onto him, as if grasping his last hope. "It was him!" He pointed a trembling finger at Xion.
"He was dissatisfied with the marriage between our families! If not for a kind soul intervening, my beloved daughter would have-!" His voice broke as he choked on his words.
Xion was utterly baffled.
He had seen that woman walk away twenty minutes ago. How had this happened so suddenly?
Meanwhile, Allen was already sending signals to Ray through their secret communication device.
This advisor was Baron’s business partner. Although his words were amiable, Allen knew there was no escape. At least, not until His Grace helped them out.
"Calm down." The advisor patted Baron’s hand, "That person must still be here. We just need to find him."
Hearing those words, Baron instantly stood up. It was as if he was injected with chicken blood.
Baron jumped toward Xion.
However, Allen was already alert. He instantly yanked Xion to the side.
But Xion wasn’t the target. The food on the table was.
"She ate the same pastry!" Baron shouted, grabbing a fork and jabbing it toward the untouched plate.
"But I didn’t," Xion was already panicking. Nikolai had not returned yet, and there was no one who seemed to be on their side. "And she was the one who gave it to me."
Several guests had witnessed the exchange earlier. There was no denying it.
Baron’s face twitched.
Then, with a sudden burst of desperation, Baron directly picked up Xion’s bag and tossed the contents on the table. "There must be something you gave to her!"
Gasps echoed through the hall as the small pile of powdery substance scattered across the table.
The scent was faint but unmistakable.
Xion sensed it too. Aphrodisiac.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Xion scoffed. "What proof do you have that this is mine and not some conspiracy?"
His eyes had started turning red at the edges. Yet he did not let his anger cloud his mind. "Is it not strange that I simply spoke to you, and suddenly, I’ve drugged your daughter? Wouldn’t that require careful planning?"
The onlookers exchanged glances. He had a point. Pulling off such a scheme would require meticulous preparation, not to mention slipping past the strict security checks at the banquet.
But Xion had also entered with Prince Nikolai, and no one was stupid enough to check the prince’s people.
Just when Xion thought the tide was turning in his favor, a figure dressed in a white robe knelt beside the scattered contents of the bag. A gloved hand reached out and picked up a small glass vial.
"Is this yours?" The voice was gentle, almost too gentle.
Suddenly Allen’s grip on his wrist tightened, but Xion ignored it.
He looked at the bottle and nodded. It was indeed his own herb. He was in a hurry, so he just tossed everything in the new bag. Even the herbs he had been carrying along.
"Do you know what this is?"
Again a simple question to which Xion responded without hesitation. "It’s Mikosa Ribitiyon. It can help increase sleep quality and the dried flowers can be used as aphrodisiac."
As soon as the words left Xion’s mouth, Allen exhaled heavily. In the silent hall, his rapid breathing sounded like a blaring alarm.