Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Hearing her words, Theodor stared at her in disbelief.
“Cough… You’re going to handle it yourself?”
“Yes. I’ll figure out the details myself.”
“How?”
“I’ll speak directly with that servant, Hans. Mr. Tony, could you arrange for him to come to my chambers for a short while?”
Anton, standing beside them, interjected in a flustered voice.
“Miss, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Even if your suspicions are correct, Hans won’t confess so easily. And if word gets back to Her Majesty the Empress that you confronted one of her attendants, she won’t let it slide. In the worst-case scenario,” His voice trembled as he continued. “… You could be executed for lèse-majesté.”
At that, Theodor suddenly rose from the bed, his voice booming with fury.
“If the Empress dares to lay a hand on Rosalyn, I won’t stand by and do nothing!”
“Your Highness, please calm down.”
Rosalyn gently quieted him, then turned her gaze to Anton.
“You’re right. But I have a way. So please, just send Hans to my chambers.”
✦✦✦
Rosalyn sat quietly in her chambers, waiting for Hans.
In the end, Anton had relented, though he had insisted she contact him immediately if anything went wrong. His concern was plain on his face.
She knew very well that Hans wouldn’t easily confess the truth to her.
‘But if I use this…’
She opened a bag tucked in the corner of the room and pulled out a small red vial, the truth serum.
She had accidentally taken it from the imperial dispensary when she had gone to fetch a tonic to enhance Theodor’s stamina and strength. The serum’s effects were potent and she knew from experience. She had once tested a mere drop and ended up saying something incredibly awkward to Theodor when he asked her how to awaken his powers.
‘Something about… intimate relationships between men and women…’
Just recalling the moment made her cheeks flush. But now was not the time for embarrassment. Rosalyn shook her head to refocus. The serum had no discernible taste or smell.
She sighed quietly and called for a servant, asking for two glasses of her usual strawberry juice.
Soon, a servant brought the drinks and left. Rosalyn uncorked the vial and added a few drops to one of the glasses. The red liquid blended perfectly with the juice, leaving no trace behind.
Once Hans drank it, he would confess the truth about the mysterious medicine from the dispensary, regardless of his will. And once he did, he wouldn’t be able to report the encounter to the Empress. After all, he would have voluntarily spilled everything to Rosalyn, and the Empress would never forgive such a betrayal.
He might be just a lowly servant, and Rosalyn did feel a little pity for him but she steeled herself. If Theodor were to die, she too would be in grave danger.
She recalled how Kyle had once shoved her into the palace pond without hesitation.
If that was the recklessness of a naive boy, what horrors could a cunning, power-hungry Empress inflict?
Just then, a knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Hans stepped inside, his short black hair and dusky complexion just as she remembered.
He stood at the doorway, looking confused, as if unsure why she had summoned him.
Rosalyn greeted him warmly.
“Hello, Hans! It’s nice to meet you.”
She guided him to the parlor sofa. Hans sat awkwardly, still puzzled.
“It’s quite hot outside, isn’t it? Here, have something to drink.”
Rosalyn offered him the glass with the serum-laced juice.
“Th-thank you.”
He accepted it with a shaky voice and began to drink.
Rosalyn raised her own glass, pretending to sip while keeping a close eye on him.
Hans, suspecting nothing, drank every drop. Soon, the serum would take effect.
It would last for approximately ten minutes.
She had to make him reveal everything he knew at that time.
Hans looked at her curiously, still unable to guess why the Crown Prince’s awakening tutor wanted to meet him. Then Rosalyn spoke softly.
“Mr. Tony mentioned that you’re assigned to the Empress’s court. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“The Empress’s court must be incredibly busy. It must be exhausting.”
“Not always.”
“What kind of tasks do you usually handle there?”
Hans, wary, replied cautiously.
“I typically run small errands for Her Majesty.”
Rosalyn’s amber eyes gleamed as she leaned in, asking casually, “What sort of errands has Her Majesty asked you to run recently?”
She deliberately avoided mentioning the dispensary. She had to coax the information out without hinting at what she already knew.
Hans stiffened.
There was only one kind of errand Her Majesty had assigned him recently.
The dispensary runs. But he couldn’t speak of it. The Empress’s stern warning echoed in his mind:
[‘This errand is strictly confidential. If anyone finds out, you won’t live to see another day.’]
Determined to keep silent, Hans opened his mouth to say something else.
“The errand Her Majesty asked me to do recently was…”
But the words that spilled out were not what he intended.
“… Delivering medicine from the imperial dispensary. Gah!”
Startled, he clamped a hand over his mouth. But it was too late. Rosalyn leaned forward with interest.
“From the dispensary? What kind of medicine?”
Hans shook his hands desperately, trying to deny it. But once again, his mouth betrayed him.
“It’s a secret medicine Her Majesty requested me to bring… Ack! What is happening?!”
It was as if some invisible force was pulling the words from his throat. His dark face had turned pale.
“You’re only delivering it?”
“No… I also mix it into the herbal tea served to His Highness Theodor each day, as per Her Majesty’s instructions. Aaaah! Please forget what I said! I beg you!”
Hans was now nearly in tears, pleading with both hands clasped before her.
Rosalyn calmly watched him.
‘So it was the Empress after all.’
There was no doubt now. That strange substance had been added to the tea to provoke coughing and hemoptysis.
She asked one final, crucial question.
“What exactly is the medicine Her Majesty asked you to use?”
“I… I don’t know! I swear!”
He seemed to genuinely not know. Rosalyn was about to feel disappointed when Hans continued.
“I only know that it was recommended to Her Majesty by one of her tea party guests! That’s all I know, I promise!”
A guest at her tea party?
That meant someone else had planted the idea in the Empress’s mind.
What on earth was being discussed at those tea parties?
While Rosalyn pondered that, Hans clung to her in full-blown panic, crying.
“Please, miss, I beg you! Don’t tell Her Majesty about what I said today. Please! I’m begging you… don’t let me die!”
Just as she had anticipated.
Rosalyn nodded gently. She didn’t want this pitiful servant to be punished, so long as her own safety remained intact.
“Alright. Then let’s make this meeting our little secret.”
“Th-thank you! Thank you so much!”
Hans bowed again and again, as if she’d just saved his life, then quickly left.
✦✦✦
Theodor was in high spirits as he sat through his lessons in the training hall.
Just as Rosalyn had instructed, he’d stopped drinking that bitter lavender tea for a few days and now the coughing had stopped, and his body felt lighter.
There was definitely something wrong with that tea.
Rosalyn was also paying far more attention to him during their training sessions than before.
At first, he had been mortified about fainting in front of both her and Aiden. But now, with her clearly more focused on him, he couldn’t help but feel pleased. She hadn’t mentioned Aiden at all.
And yet, the anger he felt toward the Empress continued to grow.
He had left the matter in Rosalyn’s hands but if the Empress ever tried to harm her…
He would protect her, no matter what it took.
After the lesson, Sir Rowell approached.
“Your Highness, as I mentioned before, martial arts training will now take place once a week for an hour, starting today.”
“Understood.”
Theodor headed to the rear annex of the palace, where a few wooden swords had already been laid out. The instructor hadn’t arrived yet.
He picked up a wooden sword, gripping the hilt with both hands.
It was heavier than he expected, and his stance felt awkward.
Truthfully, he had only ever held a sword once in his life—during Kyle’s birthday celebration, when he had slashed through the royal banners.
Remembering that moment, he swung the sword in a broad arc.
Whoosh.
The blade carved through the air, but the force pressed heavily on his arms, throwing his balance off.
“Ugh!”
With a grunt, he fell flat on the ground, dirt smearing his face and clothes. Humiliated, he scrambled to stand before anyone could see him. But a voice called out from behind.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
That overly polite, annoyingly familiar voice. Theodor scowled and turned around. Aiden, with his golden hair and blue eyes, stood there calmly, looking down at him.
“Why are you here?,” Theodor asked coldly.
“I’m your martial arts instructor,” Aiden replied courteously.
What?
Sir Rowell hadn’t mentioned this. But then he recalled storming out of the room before Lewell could finish explaining, and let out a sigh.
“I’ll help you up, Your Highness.”
Aiden stepped forward, offering a strong hand, one marked with taut veins and hardened by training, unlike Theodor’s slender, pale fingers.
“I’m fine. I can stand on my own.”
Stung by pride, Theodor rose without help. Aiden retracted his hand, looking slightly sheepish.
“Then let’s begin. I’ll teach you the basic footwork first.”
He rolled up his sleeves and picked up a wooden sword. Seeing the defined muscles on Aiden’s arms, Theodor felt another pang of resentment.
Thwap! Thap-thap!
Aiden moved forward in an instant, wielding the sword with swift, precise, and stable movements. It was flawless.
But all Theodor could focus on was his perfectly sculpted physique.
Looking down at his own dirt-smudged, skinny limbs, he recalled how he had collapsed earlier from just one swing. A wave of inadequacy and envy washed over him. He didn’t want to admit it, but even he had to acknowledge Aiden’s body was… perfect.
Perhaps the calm, imposing presence in Aiden’s blue eyes came from this physical superiority.
And most of all, Theodor couldn’t stop thinking about that broad, sturdy back—how Rosalyn had once closed her eyes and leaned her body against it.
I want to be like that, too.
Theodor silently watched Aiden as he moved, sword in hand.
