Over the past few days, Aslan had buried himself in research — poring over old records, farming manuscripts, and ancient medical scrolls.
Lucian was sipping tea in his study when Aslan walked in, arms full of dusty books and… a romance novel?
Lucian blinked. "Uh… you lost?"
Aslan dropped everything onto the table with a loud thump. "Read."
Lucian narrowed his eyes. "Which one? The one with the half-naked knight or the crop manual?"
"I was reading this novel last night," Aslan said, flipping it open. "The male lead revives dying farmland by planting galevine roots — these plants survive without much water and have medicinal properties too."
He pushed another book forward."And Silveth Blossoms — their scent drives away most crop insects. It's mentioned in this farming document... and also here, in this novel."
He flipped a few pages, stopping at a marked spot.
"Chapter Fourteen. The male lead saves the farm… and ends up with the girl."
Lucian raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement on his face.
"So that's your real goal?"
Aslan didn't even look up.
"I just like reading strange novels, that's all."
Lucian squinted. "Wait.... That's your source?"
Aslan gave a lazy shrug. "It worked for him."
Lucian stared at him, then at the pile of books… then back again.
"…You spent three days reading farming novels to give me agricultural policy ideas?"
So he's giving me hints, Lucian thought, hiding a smile. And he's sneaking in the novel examples so I won't suspect he actually did real research.
"No matter how much you change," Lucian thought fondly, "you're still my little brother."
The Empire had seen improvement over the past fifteen days —
The crops were stabilizing, rebellious nobles had quieted down, and fragile order was returning.
Laundry Room, West Wing
A brown-haired maid named Anne stood tucked behind the washing station, her eyes quickly scanning a hidden scroll clutched in her hands.
She barely had time to finish the last line when a sharp voice rang through the corridor.
"Anne? Where are you?! Aaaanne!"
Startled, Anne shoved the scroll back into its hiding spot behind the water tank, smoothed her apron, and hurried forward.
"Yes, Head Maid?"
The older woman fixed her with a sharp glare.
"You were supposed to be in the Empress's chambers. We had to send Maria in your place."
"I—I'm sorry. I was running late—"
"The Empress's medicine was delayed," the Head Maid snapped. "Do you even understand how serious that is? One mistake like this, and we could all lose our positions."
Anne quickly bowed. "Yes, Head Maid. I truly apologize. It won't happen again."
The woman huffed and walked away.
As Anne turned down the hallway, another maid came around the corner carrying a flower pot. Their shoulders brushed.
Crash!
The pot fell, shattering across the floor.
"I'm so sorry!" Anne gasped. "I was in a hurry—"
The maid didn't reply, just silently bent to collect the shards and spilled soil.
Inside the Empress's Royal Chamber…
Aslan sat quietly at her bedside, holding her pale, cold hand. Her lips were dry. Her breathing — shallow.
He stared at her face — once full of warmth and light, now pale and unmoving.
His fingers gently tightened around her cold hand.
"Mother… I'll do anything to save you."
His whisper barely escaped his lips, but the weight behind it echoed through his chest.
He reached out and gently adjusted the blanket, then took a soft pillow and placed it just beneath her right hand — exactly at the edge of the bed.
Then, slowly, he stood and walked toward the door.
He pulled it closed behind him.
But didn't lock it.
Outside the West Wing…
Aslan's Shadows were already waiting.
"Boss," one of them stepped forward. "You need to hear this."
Aslan's eyes narrowed. "Report."
Beta spoke first. "The border is worse than we expected. The Crown Prince is seriously wounded — barely managing to hold the front line."
Aslan's jaw tightened.
Gamma added, "There's something off. Whenever a beast is killed… two more appear. Stronger. Faster."
Another Shadow stepped forward, voice lower than the rest. "And Boss… there's more."
Beta looked grim.
"I smelled something — forbidden magic. Old. Dangerous. But I couldn't find the source."
Aslan's crimson eyes darkened.
"Forbidden magic… this can't be a coincidence."
Fifteen Minutes Later
Aslan returned to the Empress's chambers.
He reached for the door—
Click.
He froze.
"Locked?"
His voice was quiet… but stunned.
"No… I only closed it. I didn't lock it."
He shoved the door open.
His eyes scanned the room in a flash.
He stepped back out and spotted the Head Maid walking down the hall.
"You there!" Aslan barked. "Who entered the Empress's chamber after me?"
She turned, startled. "Your Highness… no one. No one's been in there since you left."
Aslan's voice turned sharp.
"Summon every maid assigned to the Empress. Now."
"Y-Yes, Your Highness!"
"Get the Head Butler too. And call Prince Lucian. Immediately!"
Minutes Later
Everyone had been gathered — the maids, the butlers, the guards — all lined up in the West Wing corridor under Aslan's burning gaze.
The tension was suffocating. No one dared breathe.
Aslan stood before them, voice razor-sharp.
"This is your last chance. Tell me — who entered the Empress's chamber after I left?"
Everyone froze. Some trembled, some fidgeted, and others broke into cold sweat.
"We… we don't know, Your Highness," one of the maids stammered. "We swear…"
Aslan's jaw clenched. His gaze sliced through the silence, scanning every face.
Just then—
"Aslan? What's going on?"
Lucian arrived, his voice tense with confusion.
Aslan didn't turn.
"Someone tried to harm the Empress."
Gasps rippled across the hall.
Lucian's eyes widened. "What?!"
Then suddenly — Aslan's gaze dropped.
To the shoes of a brown-haired maid standing at the end of the line.
Anne.
His sharp eyes caught what no one else had noticed: two tiny clumps of soil clinging to the edges of her shoes.
He froze.
His expression darkened.
"Guards."
His voice dropped to a chilling command.
"Seize this maid."
Gasps echoed down the corridor. All eyes turned toward Anne.
"W–Wait! No!"
She dropped to her knees, panic flooding her voice.
"Your Highness, I'm innocent! Please — I didn't do anything!"
She began crawling forward, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"I swear on my life, I would never hurt the Empress!"
But the guards had already stepped forward, grabbing her arms.
She kicked and struggled, screaming,
"No! Please! I didn't mean to — I didn't—!"
Lucian stared between Anne and his younger brother, heart pounding.
"Aslan… are you sure?"
Aslan didn't even blink.
"Take her to the interrogation chamber. We'll get the truth — one way or another."
Inside the Empress's Room
Aslan quietly pulled Lucian inside.
"Lucian," he said, voice low but urgent, "when I left this room earlier… I only closed the door. I didn't lock it."
Lucian looked at him, puzzled. "So?"
"When I returned… the door was locked from the inside."
Lucian's eyes narrowed. "You're saying someone came in after you?"
Aslan nodded, then pointed toward the corner of the bed.
"Before I left, I placed a pillow right there — at the very edge, near her hand. But when I came back… it was moved. It was under her head."
"That means while the maid was poisoning her, the pillow must've fallen — and in a panic, she placed it back, exactly where it used to be."
His eyes shifted toward the trembling maid.
"Only two kinds of people would know where that pillow belonged: the person who uses the room… and the servants who see this room every day… like a personal maid."
He stepped closer, voice colder now.
"And since the Empress was unconscious the entire time… there's only one explanation."
Lucian frowned. "But… how do we know she came to poison the Empress? What if she was here for something else?"
Aslan didn't even blink.
"Two things," he said, stepping forward. "First — the Empress's lips. When I sat with her earlier, they were dry. But when I returned… they were wet. Like someone had just made her drink something."
Lucian's expression darkened.
"Second… I found small crumbles of soil beneath the bed."
He paused.
"And that same soil was stuck to the bottom of that maid's shoes."
Lucian's eyes widened.
"So she was the only one who could've come close enough to poison her without raising suspicion…"
"Exactly," Aslan said. "She was in charge of delivering the Empress's medicine. But for some reason, she didn't show up on time today — which means she must've come later. Alone."
Lucian exhaled slowly, shaken.
"And the Empress…?"
Aslan's gaze hardened.
"She's fighting the poison. But she won't survive if we don't treat her immediately."
Lucian gave a tight nod, his eyes burning now with urgency and resolve.