The royal physicians were summoned to examine Anastasia. The king wanted the fastest method to cure her; after all, he still needed her to perform the ritual. He could not allow his son to remain in the hands of a kidnapper.
After investigating for a few days, it became clear that those people did not realize he was a prince. Hence, they had not made any demands. The longer he stayed with them the more dangerous it would be.
Three physicians examined her at the same time.
"The lady is reacting to something she ate or drank," one of the physicians reported after examining her for a while.
"Tell me, when will she wake up?" The king asked looking at Anastasia who was still unconscious.
"I will prepare medicine to detoxify her. She should regain consciousness in an hour at most," the first physician replied. Check latest chapters at n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
"What about you? Did you notice anything different?" the king asked the second physician.
"Your Majesty, I dare say the lady is not just reacting to something she ate or drank. This is poison," the second physician spoke up.
"Poison? Who dared to poison a member of the royal family?" The king frowned. Anastasia’s life was very important to him.
"Your Majesty, this kind of poison does not kill a person. It causes a reaction that would typically be mistaken for an allergy. However, its true purpose is to render a woman unable to bear children," the physician explained.
"What? Can it be cured?" the queen asked in alarm. What was the use of marrying a woman who could not bear children?
"Your Majesty, once this poison takes effect, nothing can be done. It was created long ago and was mostly used by wives against each other. Later, after King Nathan introduced the one-wife rule, and his son allowed nobles to take mistresses, the main wives used it against the mistresses. As a result, the poison was made exceptionally strong, with no known remedy," the physician said.
"So, are you saying she will be unable to bear children in the future?" The queen’s frown deepened. Even the king had not expected such a situation.
"This lady is very lucky. Whoever was poisoning her was doing so in small doses, likely to avoid suspicion. However, this time, a large dose was added. It could have succeeded, but due to her monthly visit, the poison’s potency was reduced, giving her a chance to still bear children," the physician explained.
Upon hearing this, the king smiled. A poison so strong, yet she suddenly had her monthly visit? He took it as a sign that she was favored by the heavens. Whoever tried to poison her should have known that such medicine was ineffective during menstruation. He did not believe it was mere luck but rather divine favor. Indeed the seer has found him the hidden star.
"Then hurry up and treat her," the king ordered before allowing the eunuch to assist him in leaving. He immediately sent a message to the seer, informing him of the situation.
"Can she still perform the rite while she is on her monthly visit?" the king asked. Although the arrival of her cycle had solved one problem, not all rituals could be performed while a woman was menstruating.
"Don’t worry, Your Majesty. It can still be done tonight," the seer reassured him. The king was very pleased with this response.
On the other hand, the queen began investigating the cause of the poisoning. After all, a grandchild was of great importance. Judging from her husband’s attitude, even if Anastasia were barren, he would still insist she marry their son.
"Physician Nicholas, examine these two women for me. I need to find out who is trying to poison my future daughter-in-law," the queen commanded. As a woman herself, the first person she suspected was the duchess. After all, such a good marriage falls on the daughter of a mistress, no wife will take it.
Nicholas did as he was told and examined Miss Magdalene and Rosa.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, both of them have also consumed this poison. I believe it happened around the same time as Lady Anastasia. This is actually fortunate, as it helped reduce the amount Lady Anastasia absorbed," Nicholas reported.
"Then, I will leave Lady Anastasia in your care," the queen said before pulling Rosa and Miss Magdalene into the side hall.
"Magdalene, I sent you there to take care of her. Did you notice anything strange?" the queen asked.
"Your Majesty, the duchess is her stepmother, and I noticed that Anastasia has not been treated fairly. After I joined her courtyard, she told me she was allergic to some of the food from the main kitchen and requested to reopen her mother’s kitchen. However, in the past few days, I have observed that she is not a picky eater. Now that the physician has mentioned poisoning, I fear she suspected she was being poisoned. What I don’t understand is how she continued to be poisoned when her meals no longer came from the main kitchen," Miss Magdalene answered.
"What about the cooks sent to manage the kitchen?" the queen asked. Everyone in the duke’s household was under the duchess, so opening a small kitchen should not have changed much.
"We did not get a new cook. She," Magdalene pointed at Rosa, "managed the lady’s food."
Rosa trembled in fear as Miss Magdalene pointed at her. She had always served her lady honestly and would never do anything to harm her.
"What do you have to say?" the queen turned to Rosa.
"Your Majesty, I have served my lady since I was young. I am loyal and would never harm her. If you investigate, you will find that this is not the first time my lady has been poisoned. Previously, it was just stomach-upsetting herbs, nothing serious. I do not know how she was poisoned this time," Rosa explained anxiously.
"I know you would not willingly poison your lady. Just tell me who instructed you," the queen said.
"Your Majesty, I did not harm my lady," Rosa knelt and pleaded.
"Why should I believe you? You are in charge of her food," the queen said.
"I am loyal to my lady. I would not dare harm her. Your Majesty can investigate the duke’s residence. I am only her personal maid," Rosa insisted, tears streaming down her face. She loved her lady dearly. Why would she ever harm her?
"Then tell me, if not you, who else could have had the opportunity to poison her?" the queen asked.
Rosa bit her lower lip, thinking hard. She had always been meticulous in preparing her lady’s food. There was no way for the poison to get in... unless there was an issue with the ingredients. But that was unlikely, as she personally selected them.
"I recall two occasions when I was distracted and saw Nile around the kitchen. I didn’t think much of it then, but now I suspect she was up to no good," Rosa finally remember some clues.
"Are you taking me for a fool and shifting the blame onto someone else?" the queen asked, unconvinced. After all, only those close to a person could easily harm them. From Magdalene’s words, Anastasia was a cautious person. If she had trusted Rosa to manage her kitchen, it meant she had confidence in her.
"I would never, Your Majesty! Please investigate. My lady’s courtyard had only me as a maid in the past. It was only after she became engaged to the crown prince that two new maids were sent over. My lady has long suspected something was wrong with them," Rosa explained through her tears. She would die for her lady but refused to be wrongly accused.
The queen looked skeptical and turned to Miss Magdalene. "What do you know about these maids?"