I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

"Empress, Empress!… Ellie!"

As I hugged Carlisle and cried, I heard a voice ringing loudly in my ears and a face covered with tears.

Then I saw Raymond's serious face. He told me with a sharp look.

"Don't lose your head. Let him go, let the doctor do his job."

And Raymond was right.

We need to treat Carlisle as soon as possible.

Having lost my mind for a while, I looked at Cain exhaling and panting.

"Bring the prince to bed and call the imperial doctors there."

Raymond threw an order to the servants.

One servant hastened to take Carlisle from me and leave the dining room.

For a moment my legs gave way, but I forcibly brought them back to their senses.

And at that moment, when I was about to leave the dining room, I saw Edmund, frozen like a stone.

Carlisle began to spit blood as he tasted the present Edmund had brought.

It was such a clear poisoning situation.

"Did you really…"

‘Did you really do something so cruel?'

The words stuck in my mouth. Edmund heard my voice and looked up.

When his eyes met mine, Edmund couldn't hide his trembling eyes as if he was surprised.

"I…"

At that moment, Raymond grabbed my shoulder.

"I'll figure it out here. So hurry to Carlisle."

I wondered what he was up to with Edmund, but I had no time for unnecessary worries.

“Yes.”

In the end I left the two of them and left the dining room first.

* * *

Ellie left the dining room and Raymond turned to Edmund. He saw Edmund's face, stained with shock and fear. It was clear that the apple pie was poisoned.

And the apple pie was dessert prepared by the First Prince himself.

So Edmund tried to kill Carlisle.

Edmund, who may be the son of the enemy, tried to kill his son.

Raymond opened his mouth rationally, holding back with all his might the urge to kill Edmund immediately.

"Take the apple pie to the imperial palace."

Edmond couldn't have done it alone.

"Yes."

Soon after, the knights dragged a certain gray-haired woman into the dining room.

She wasn’t wearing the first prince's maid outfit.

"Lily!"

Edmund's eyes went up to his forehead when he saw the new person involved.

It looks like Edmund knew who she was.

She is not from the palace, but Edmund knew her by name.

"You are Lisa Sios's person."

Edmund's shoulders trembled as the cold voice rang out.

"It's your mother's maid, isn't it?"

Edmund wanted to sink into the ground, just to hide from Raymond's penetrating gaze. For the first time he tasted impending death.

Edmund slowly moved his lips.

"Y-yes."

"A poisonous dessert brought by Lisa Sios's person… First Prince, do you have any excuse for this?"

"…None."

"Do you admit that you tried to poison the crown prince?"

"Yes…"

In his eyes he seemed to have something amusing to tell. But Edmund just bowed his head, as if taking everything upon himself.

The moment Lily was dragged, Edmund surrendered, facing the truth.

Did Lily find out he changed the poison with water?

Or maybe his mother sent Lily to complete her job from the beginning.

In the end, this time, Edmund again couldn’t escape his mother's plans.

If he now says something superfluous, his mother will be dragged to the prison.

And she will never be safe. He has to stop them.

Raymond's eyebrows twitched as he looked at Edmund, who tilted his head as if giving up.

“Put the first prince and this woman in a prison and bring Lisa Sios here immediately. The crime is an attempt to poison the prince."

"Mother didn't know!"

"That will be revealed later. Drag him out."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

" Your Majesty! Father!" Edmund shouted as he was being dragged away , but Raymond didn't look back.

Raymond, at the dinner table, stared at the floor, covered in Carlisle's blood.

The scene where Carlisle vomited blood played out again in front of his eyes.

Cold pierced Raymond's fingertips as he saw the child sagging in his arms as if he were already dead.

‘Was I ever so afraid in my life?’

If Carlisle dies… He won't be able to live. And he will kill Lisa, who tried to kill Carlisle, finally.

“…Wipes away the blood stains.”

Holding her trembling fingers tightly, he left the dining room with heavy steps.

* * *

The Emperor’s bedroom.

"What is the condition of the Crown Prince? What kind of poison did he take?"

All the palace physicians came to the call. They examined the apple pie and checked Carlisle.

In the meantime, my son vomited blood several times.

Every time the child vomited, my heart shook. There was a fear that he would stop breathing forever.

"Why are you silent?!"

The doctor lowered his head with horror on his face.

"…It looks like this is not an ordinary poison as we know it well, but a mixture of different poisons."

"What is required for treatment?”

"This… We need to know what kind of poison it is in order to create an antidote… We won’t be able to make…"

‘He can't make the antidote.'

My unstable mind was struck by lightning.

"Will you watch the prince die? If my son dies, you won’t survive either!"

A harsh voice rang by the bed.

‘If Carlisle dies like this… I, I…’

At the moment when my soul was already torn from the body, someone grabbed my hand.

"Your Majesty.”

Looking up at the familiar voice, I saw a wrinkled hand gripping mine tightly.

"Father."

When I saw my father's warm purple eyes, I had strange feelings.

“Empress must come to her senses for the crown prince to be alive too. Strengthen your heart. His Highness is still alive,” said father, giving strength to his hand.

Little by little, my mind returned. As my father said, I need to be on my feet so that Carlisle is safe too.

Having made this decision, I took a deep breath and let go of everything. My father stepped aside and went to the doctor.

"Can't you at least buy us time until we figure out what the poison is?"

"It’s possible. I have already ordered medicine to be brought in to slow the spread of the poison. And if we find out what kind of poison it is…"

"We need to hurry."

I went to the bed. Although Carlisle was unconscious, painful moans escaped from his blue lips every now and then.

Then Helen came to me.

"Your Majesty the Empress. The head of the Phoenix Organization is ​​waiting in the living room."

Jed knew a lot about rare poisons after so many years in business.

As soon as I heard that Carlisle had been poisoned, I sent a messenger to Jed.

"Father, I need to talk to him, so please stay with Carlisle."

"Don’t worry."

I left the room to meet with Jed.

* * *

Soon after Ellie left the bedchamber, the door flew open wide.

The people, startled by the abrupt gesture, hastily lowered their heads when they saw Raymond enter.

Raymond immediately rushed to the bed.

And when he saw Carlisle, he stopped.

Pale, tired face and body without a single movement.

Also, there are blood stains on the white sheets.

Raymond's heart was about to burst apart at the horrible sight. Thinking that he might never see Carlisle's bright smile again, his world was on the brink of disaster.

‘It would be better I he ate this poison.’

It was sad that he couldn't do it now.

“What is the condition of the Crown Prince?”

Icy face and terribly low voice.

The doctor's head was twisted by the atmosphere of death.

"I can’t understand what kind of poison it is. But we can use a medicine that slows down the flow of poisoning."

Raymond sat up in bed and hugged Carlisle gently.

"Give me the medicine."

"Huh? But how do you… Are you trying to feed him with your mouth?"

"Right."

"No, Your Majesty," The Imperial Physician shook his head. “The continued vomiting of blood left the poison in His Highness’s mouth. If you make contact right now, the poison can be passed on to His Majesty as it is. It's too dangerous."

The imperial physician hastily warned him.

"It doesn’t matter."

"Your Majesty, listen to his words…"

Duke Croft, who was watching the whole scene, came up and spoke. But this had no effect.

No, if Raymond could take poison instead of Carlisle, he would do it.

"Does the Crown Prince have enough time?"

The doctor didn’t answer and grabbed his forehead.

"…"

"There is no other way."

Raymond took the medicine from the doctor.

"… It's enough?"

"…Yes. Since the prince only consumed a small piece of the pie, even that amount would be effective. Rather, Your Majesty, how do you feel? By chance…"

"I'm fine."

Raymond put Carlisle back into bed. He still looked pale, but the sound of his breathing was more comfortable than the first time. However, the poison will not retreat without the proper antidote.

‘We have only be a few days.'

Raymond, who was getting up, stopped with the dizziness that came over him.