The room was filled with a deadly chill. The air itself seemed to weigh heavy on every breath. Ruth stood near Emilia’s bed, his hands clenched at his sides. His face was calm, but his eyes carried a storm of anger that he forced himself to keep buried. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⁂fire.net Egon carefully examined Emilia and straightened. His voice was calm but low. "I have administered the medicine. It will take some time for her to wake. As for how she will behave when she wakes up, I cannot say." Ruth’s heart tightened. His mind replayed the chaos from the night before, and the sight of Emilia screaming at him like he was her enemy burned into his chest. He drew in a slow breath, then turned his gaze to Lyria, who stood silently nearby. Other than Jess, the only one Emilia trusted was her. "Take care of her," Ruth said firmly. Lyria only gave a small nod. Her expression was blank, distant, as though she stood apart from the world. Ruth did not expect more. He was used to this from her. Except for Kael, this demoness showed respect to no one. Without saying another word, Ruth turned and walked out. His steps were heavy, each stride echoing with restrained fury. When he reached the hall, his voice thundered. The doors opened and Jess was dragged forward by two Black Knights. Her wrists were bound, her mouth gagged and sealed. They threw her onto the ground before Ruth, her body hitting the stone floor with a dull thud. Ruth gave a sharp glance. The knights obeyed at once, removing the gag. Jess coughed, then screamed desperately. "I am innocent, Your Highness! I did not do anything wrong!" Ruth’s eyes narrowed. His voice came out cold, like steel scraping against stone. "Then why did you run? Why did you leap through the window?" Jess’s face went pale. She trembled, lowering her head as tears brimmed in her eyes. "I thought... I thought you were going to kill me after Lady Emilia’s illness flared up." "What kind of nonsense is this?" Ruth asked, his tone sharp and cutting. His anger bled into the air around him. "Why would I kill you without reason?" Jess looked up, her lips quivering, her voice soft and pitiful. "But... didn’t you grab my hand?" "I only wanted to ask about the vial," Ruth said coldly. His words were calm, but his tone carried danger, as if he were suppressing the urge to strike her down. "You were pouring something, and I stopped you because I was curious about the medicine, that’s all." He remembered Kael’s words. Kael had warned him that something might wrong What if someone was feeding Emilia things she should not take. The moment Ruth saw Jess pour from the vial, his chest tightened. For a brief moment, he had thought it was poison. Jess’s eyes filled with tears. "That was medicine," she pleaded. "It was meant to be mixed and concentrated. There was nothing wrong with it." Ruth’s gaze turned darker. He had already asked Egon to test the remnants in the vial. But the liquid had evaporated quickly, vanishing like alcohol. Nothing remained to test. He could feel something was wrong, but he could not place it. His heart twisted, his anger pressing against his ribs like fire. "Am I just being paranoid?" he thought bitterly. "Or have Kael’s words made me too sensitive?" The questions echoed in his mind, but before he could think further, a voice broke through the hall. "Are you certain you did not add anything?" Jess froze. Her body shivered at the sound. Slowly, she turned her head toward the entrance. Kael stood there, Ramos beside him. Her pale face turned pitiful. She tried to gather her voice. "My lord... are you angry because I scolded you behind your back? You cannot be so petty. You would not frame me just to kill me." Kael did not answer. He walked closer and crouched down before her. His dark eyes met hers, unblinking. His gaze pierced straight into her, as though he was stripping away every layer of her heart. Jess’s lips trembled, her body shaking under the weight of his stare. The silence was unbearable. Then Kael’s eyes grew darker, his voice low and sharp. "Bitch. Just how much longer will you keep doing this act?" His words made her flinch, her pitiful face breaking for just a second. Ruth’s eyes, cold as a demon’s, stayed fixed on her. The hall felt suffocating, as though the shadows themselves had come alive. A cold silence gripped the hall. The air felt heavy, filled with tension that pressed on everyone’s chest. Kael’s eyes darkened as he stared at Jess trembling on the floor. Then, an evil smile slowly spread across his lips. "You think you can escape because you threw away the contents, isn’t that right?" Kael asked, his voice low and sharp. Jess’s pale face twisted. "Wh... What are you saying? I didn’t put anything nefarious in it. I swear in the name of the gods that I am innocent." For a moment, silence. Then a sharp sound broke it. "Pfttt... Hahahahaha!" Kael suddenly burst into wild laughter. His laughter echoed through the hall like madness. Ramos and Ruth both froze, startled by the sudden eruption. Kael stood tall, his face twisted with rage, the sound of his laugh filled with murderous intent. "Swearing innocence in the name of gods?" Kael’s voice boomed, his eyes glinting with fury. "Gods who themselves are no better than any random scum on the street?" The hall fell still. Even Ruth narrowed his eyes at Kael’s words. Kael knew he had gone too far, but he did not care. He never cared. A sharp sound cut through the air. Swish! Elfie flew into the hall, her small wings fluttering until she landed neatly on Kael’s shoulder. "Elfie, cough that thing out," Kael commanded. Elfie opened her maw and spat out a solid chunk of ice, faintly glowing with a reddish tint. It dropped into Kael’s hand, solid and cold. The moment Jess’s eyes fell on it, her body froze. Her pupils shrank in horror. She remembered it now. When she leapt from the window, something struck the glass vial she had thrown. She had hoped it shattered beyond recognition. Yet here it was. Ramos exchanged a sharp glance with Ruth. "This ice contains the medicine," Ramos said grimly. "Elfie froze it before it could hit the ground. I felt an unstable mana when it happened. I was going to take a closer look when this unfolded." Ruth’s face grew darker. He gave a single nod. "Rami, take this and examine it. No matter what, I need to know the truth by today. There is no restriction. Do whatever you must." Jess’s body shook violently. Her voice rose, about to scream, when Kael suddenly grabbed her cheek. The sickening crackling of bones echoed as his grip twisted her jaw. His expression was filled with fury, his anger ready to explode. "I have been watching you," Kael growled. His voice was low but sharp as a blade. "And don’t think I haven’t noticed. During the entire journey, you’ve been whispering poison into mother’s ears. Sowing discord and stirring her heart." Jess’s eyes darted, her breath trembling, but Kael pressed harder. "You told her Ruth was heartless. That other nobles would treat her better. That Kael had changed. You even dared to whisper that I molested my own fiancée. That it might be my true nature, hidden behind a mask." Kael’s voice grew louder, his fury spilling into each word. "You targeted Lyria too. You thought I would not hear. You thought no one was listening." Jess trembled, her pitiful act cracking under his words. "This made me wonder," Kael continued, his voice cutting into her like ice. "I searched. I collected information. And what I found was clear." He glared down at her, his hand tightening on her cheek. "My mother was fine after Adele’s birth. She cared for her, treated her well. For two years everything was normal. But then she changed. Her personality shifted so suddenly it was unnatural. She only became stable again after staying in Salvatore. She was well the entire journey. She remained well even after what happened yesterday. But only today,she lost herself. Why?" Kael’s eyes flared. "Because of you. You have been her maid for years. The closest to her. What if you’ve been feeding her something all this time? Not of your own will but on someone’s order. Someone who had crafted a very shady plan. Tell me... who benefits from my mother’s madness?" Jess’s lips quivered. She tried to muster her power to speak, her voice breaking in desperation. But Kael’s fury cut her down. Kael’s boot connected with her chin in a violent strike. A sharp crack rang out, shaking the entire hall. Dust scattered, the floor trembling under the impact. Jess’s jaw snapped, dislocated with the brutal kick. She fell back, choking on pain, unable to utter a sound. Kael stood above her, eyes burning. "Save your words. Use them to defend yourself after we uncover the truth and drag you down." He turned to Ruth, his face cold and merciless. "Lock her in prison. Treat her wounds. Increase security around her. Nothing must happen to her while we are away." The Black Knights obeyed at once, dragging Jess away. Her body hung limp, her pale face streaked with tears of pain. Ramos exhaled sharply and muttered, "Was there truly a need to kick her like that? We are still shooting in the dark. If she turns out innocent, the resentment will be heavy. Can you bear it?" Kael’s lips curved into a cold smile, filled with assurance. "Haha,you are saying she is innocent? She is not innocent at all. I can feel it. Instead of worrying about her, we should think about the one pulling her strings. The one behind it all." His voice grew low, steady, filled with certainty. "I am sure you already have a guess. This has been planned for a long time since me and Adele were kids.." "And it isn’t work of an outsider." Ruth and Ramos stiffened, their expressions tightening with unspoken realization. Kael’s eyes narrowed, shadows dancing in them. "If not for the Crown Games, I would go and kill him myself. But the time is not right. For now, we will investigate slowly and wait for the result." He let out a deep sigh, his tone shifting to something darker. ’In the end, I still owe you a favor for trying to kill me. Do not worry. I will repay it in full. And when I do, I will make sure you die without a coffin. I will tear you apart with my own hands.’