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"Your Majesty!"
All eyes in the banquet hall turned to Azef.
Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, Deon wore a triumphant smile.
'Perfect timing for the symptoms to appear.'
He quickly erased the smile and rushed to Azef.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
"No need for alarm. It's nothing serious... Cough..."
Azef was conscious, but he kept coughing as if he had trouble breathing.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid it would be best to stop the banquet here."
Deon advised in a hurried voice.
Either way, he wasn't in a condition to continue the banquet.
Azef seemed reluctant, but he couldn't argue because he was constantly coughing.
Meanwhile, Deon gave orders to the chamberlain and knights, who were flustered by the sudden situation.
"The banquet is adjourned! I will escort His Majesty out, so the rest of you should wrap up the banquet and help the guests return home."
Just like an emperor.
Azef was immediately moved to his bedroom.
Deon asked as soon as the royal physician's examination was over.
"How is His Majesty's condition? Is it really just a simple cold?"
Deon asked as if he was suspicious of Azef's condition, but he already knew.
The royal physician wouldn't notice that Azef was poisoned.
Unlike typical poisoning symptoms, the poison dissolved in the incense closely resembled common respiratory disease symptoms.
Nevertheless, questioning the royal physician was to show how much he cared about Azef.
"It seems that the cold was not caught in its early stages and has worsened. He will recover quickly if he rests."
Vanessa sighed in relief at the royal physician's words.
Deon was the same. Of course, it had a slightly different meaning for him.
Azef received medication and seemed to have improved, reassuring everyone with a more comfortable expression.
"See? I told you there was no need to make a fuss over nothing."
"Still, you shouldn't overdo it for the time being. Please don't forget that the fate of this empire depends on Your Majesty's well-being."
"Yes, I understand."
Azef nodded at Deon's worried urging and sent the royal physician away.
Now only Vanessa, Rudian, Deon, Idris, and the chamberlain remained in the bedroom.
"Since Your Majesty needs to rest, we should leave now—"
"No."
Just as Deon was about to dismiss Vanessa and Rudian as well, Azef interrupted him.
"I'd like the Empress and Rudian to stay for a while."
It was a remark pointing out Deon's overreach.
Even if it was for the emperor's well-being, dismissing the empress and crown prince was an presumptuous judgment.
Deon frowned slightly without realizing it, having been called out on that fact.
It was Azef's glibness that broke the momentarily sharp atmosphere.
"I just want to whine to the Empress for once."
"Then please get well soon, Your Majesty."
Deon and Idris greeted Azef and left the bedroom together.
Only the footsteps of the two brothers echoed in the quiet corridor, which was shrouded in darkness.
It was Deon who broke the silence first.
"I thought Lady Cloe was as good as family now, but she didn't come along."
It was a remark pointing out that only Leticia was missing from this place.
"She's not officially family, so we can't drag her into family matters. And to be cold about it... we shouldn't have been here either."
Idris, in turn, pointed out Deon.
Originally, when a problem arose with the head of the family, only direct family members gathered to discuss it so that information would not leak out.
The well-being of the head of the family was directly linked to the well-being of the family.
And the 'direct family' did not include brothers who had become adults and received titles.
In other words, it was a remark pointing out that Deon and Idris were not supposed to be there in the first place.
"Anyone would think you were His Majesty's successor."
"..."
"You were calm and composed without being flustered, as if you knew this would happen."
Deon, startled by the sharp remark, turned to Idris.
But as always, nothing could be read in Idris's eyes.
Deon replied, managing his emotions so that they wouldn't show.
"...It seemed that Her Majesty the Empress was quite flustered, so I just thought someone had to take control of the situation."
"Why are you making excuses like that? I was just admiring your composure."
"..."
"Then let's pray for the peace of our three brothers."
Idris, who had cleverly scratched at Deon's nerves, left him behind and walked away.
At the same time, the anxiety that he had been trying to hide was revealed in Deon's eyes.
'Did he perhaps notice this?'
But that couldn't be.
If Idris had noticed, he wouldn't have quietly let it go knowing that Azef was being poisoned.
'But I can't rule out the possibility that he will notice in the future.'
It was a plausible story for Idris, who had been keeping him in check all his life and was quick to notice things.
After parting with Idris, Deon got into his carriage and ordered his aide.
"Monitor Idris's movements."
After the hastily concluded birthday banquet.
Whenever people gathered in social circles, they invariably brought up Azef's story.
"By the way, is His Majesty the Emperor really alright?"
"The Imperial Family said it was just a simple cold. He'll be fine soon, right?"
"Well, the security of the empire depends on His Majesty's well-being, so the Imperial Family would have to say he's fine no matter what the situation is."
"It's definitely a little strange. I also doubt whether a young and healthy man can suddenly collapse just because of a cold."
"That's true, but... what could be wrong? As you said, His Majesty is still young and healthy. He'll recover soon."
But even as they said that, they couldn't wash away the inner anxiety.
Crown Prince Rudian was still young, and there were two uncles holding power instead.
If something were to happen to Azef, the political situation of the empire would certainly be shaken.
If that happened, they would have to quickly read the atmosphere and attach themselves to the side holding power, but they were anxious because they had no information.
Those who were lost in their own thoughts simultaneously thought of someone who could guess the movements of the Imperial Family.
"Come to think of it, Lady Cloe hasn't been seen for a while."
"I know. It seems like she's stopped going to social circles altogether since the banquet. Maybe the Imperial Family took such measures?"
Without Leticia, there was no way to grasp the atmosphere.
Amid the unsettling atmosphere, those who had been silent soon changed the subject.
"Oh! I heard that Duke Dellua's airship project, which he started, will soon be commercialized after completing its test flight. Have you heard about it?"
Still with a small anxiety in their hearts.
Late afternoon.
The aide who had been ordered to monitor Idris came to report the situation.
"It seems that Duke Dellua hasn't noticed anything at all."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. There were no movements that seemed to be particularly looking at us or the Imperial Family, but he seemed to be preoccupied with inspecting the test flight of the airship recently."
Deon stroked his chin and fell into thought.
'......Was I worrying unnecessarily?'
Come to think of it, Idris and he had been keeping each other in check all their lives.
Idris's meaningful words were nothing new.
Perhaps he was just getting in his own way because he was nervous about the big event ahead.
Only then did Deon swallow a sigh of relief.
It was time to move on to the next stage.
Deon handed the letter he had written in advance to his aide.
"Deliver this to the Imperial Palace."
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