Chapter 1254: An Attempted Murder?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hao Ren knew that Veronica was rough, but her crudeness was on another level back at home. To those who knew her well enough, it was not unexpected. Everyone knew that Veronica was a gifted martial arts practitioner; her talents laid on the battlefield. But off the battlefield, she often caused a furor.
Ania stood in the shrub and knew that her sister was confused again. The gentle girl, who looked identical to Veronica but had opposite personalities, said with a smile, “Sister, it is safe in the Royal Capital. Please do not worry every time I am not in my room.”
Veronica looked at her sister and then Hao Ren, finally feeling embarrassed. “I was just worried that you would suddenly faint while being outside. You haven’t fully recovered yet.”
“Thank you, my sister. I am fine now.” Ania smiled. “Mr. Aberton said that I could get out of bed and move around, it is more beneficial to the body.”
She then nodded to Hao Ren. “My apology for the faux pas. I got lost one time when I was a kid. And she became a bit paranoid ever since.”
“Ahem, it’s an old story. Your Venerable Guardian, let’s talk inside the house. I will take you to see my brother Andrew.”
Hao Ren was confused when he saw the little boy under Veronica’s armpit. “Who is this boy?”
The little boy, pinched under the arm, was struggling as he screamed in a muffled voice. It took the knight princess a while before she came to her senses and looked down. And she was shocked. “Andrew! When did you come out here?”
The prince, still struggling, grabbed Veronica’s arm frantically as his eyes rolled back from lack of oxygen.
Veronica quickly let the prince down and placed him on the ground. Gasping for air, the prince could not even maintain his balance. When his breathing finally normalized, the prince flattened his lips and was ready to cry. But quickly, he bit his lip and suppressed his emotion before he coughed profusely. At first, the prince was recovering faster than Ania from his illness, but now it seemed like he was a sick boy again.
Nearby, the Royal Guards’ eyes affixed at a distance, but their faces flushed as they were trying too hard to hold back their laughter.
After the hilarious incident, the three royalties and Hao Ren went inside the house. The maidservants had brought tea and cookies, but everyone was still embarrassed over the little episode earlier.
At this moment, Hao Ren had the opportunity to study Veronica’s siblings. But he did not focus on Ania, whom he knew that apart from personality, physical strength, and attire differences, was a replica of Veronica. The little prince, Andrew, looked like a ten-year-old. In this war-torn world of Collow, even a ten-year-old kid must be trained to be independent. But the prince had not shown the slightest ability in this respect. Andrew was thin and his eyes did not look as sharp as Ania’s. He was just like any other ordinary kid, wriggling in his chair. With a cookie in one hand and a straw in another, the prince was concentrating on blowing bubbles in the teacup.
As if he had noticed Hao Ren’s gaze, Andrew suddenly looked up and sat upright cautiously.
He still lacked the bearing and courage that the royalties should have.
At yesterday’s banquet, Hao Ren overheard a rumor about Rudolph III’s children from the conversation among a few nobles. The twin daughters of the king were like pearls of the kingdom. Ania was intelligent and talented in magic, while Veronica was characteristically a headache, but she was a gifted warrior and a capable military strategist. Only the little prince, Andrew, almost had no talent and was mediocre personality-wise.
It seemed that the rumor was true.
It was just that these royal affairs were not the focus of Hao Ren’s attention. He was concerned about the health of Ania and Andrew. When Rudolph III raised the matter that day, Hao Ren had sensed the king’s worries in his voice that it was more to the illness of his children than meets the eye. Hao Ren did not know how to read people, but he noticed that Rudolph III paused when he mentioned about Ania and Andrew’s illness.
Hao Ren had no business in these things, but since they were Veronica’s family, he was concerned.
Hao Ren’s eyes swept across the faces of the prince and the princess, noticing that their faces were slightly pale and their lips dry. Although they had recovered physically, a slight sign of weariness was still in their eyes. But this could be the normal condition when recovering from a severe illness and he could not find any abnormality.
“How did they fall sick all of a sudden?” Veronica asked.
Ania shook her head. “We Probably caught a cold from the recent weather changes. Mr. Aberton said that many people are falling sick recently and it is all related to the weather. The dark side of Carnos can’t project itself inside the Wall of Order, but it always affects the climate here. Recently, there have been strong winds and sudden rains and snow on the plains. The masters are already trying to control the weather manually.”
“The King has made it sound terrible. A simple cold made you bed-ridden for so many days?” Hao Ren interrupted Ania. “Do you both always get sick?”
Hearing this, Ania glanced at Hao Ren and slowly shook his head. “I was weak since young, but Andrew was very healthy. He has not been sick for several years.”
“I know a thing or two about medicine,” Hao Ren said. “Especially treating some ancient illnesses. Can you tell me what your symptoms are? I am worried that you are infected with some ancient infectious disease.”
Veronica frowned. “Would she be so unlucky?”
Ania was a little hesitant before slowly saying, “The symptoms are common: fever, tiredness, loss of strength, and an inability to get out of bed. But there is no trace of any disease. The arcanists once thought it was a curse, but an examination ruled out the possibility. The mages also ruled out the erosion of the elements. Finally, it was the special potion that the alchemist prepared worked.”
“Special potion?” Hao Ren asked with a frown.
Ania took out a crystal bottle from a beautiful box on the table. “This is it.”
Hao Ren took the crystal bottle, which was one-third full, filled with a colorless liquid. When he unscrewed the cap, a pleasant floral fragrance drifted into his nostrils. He dipped his finger in the liquid, tasted it, and it seemed nothing was strange.
Returning the crystal bottle to Ania, Hao Ren asked, “Is Mr. Aberton the alchemist?”
“Yes, Grand Duke Loen has recommended him, Mr. Aberton is an expert in refining all kinds of drugs.”
“Grand Duke Loen?” Hao Ren’s brows knitted together. When it came to the royal families, Hao Ren could not make head or tail of the cobweb of their intricate relationships.
Grand Duke Loen sounded like some high-powered person. There were few people in the upper echelons of the kingdom. Hao Ren should have some impressions of this person, but somehow the name did not register.
Hao Ren tried to organize his thoughts. The main reason he could not recognize the name was that he had left during the opening ceremony of the banquet last night, and naturally, he was not there to get to know those officials and nobility.
“You are forgiven for not knowing him,” Ania said with a smile. “He is the most trusted right-hand man of my father. You will have a lot of opportunities to meet him. He is not easy to get along with, but he is always fair. Maybe you two can talk.”
Hao Ren gave her perfunctory nods. He then asked, “What did you come into contact with before you got sick? For example, food, or strange utensils.”
“These questions have been asked many times. Of course, no.” Ania shook her head. “We ate what we usually eat, and used what we usually use. Even the people whom we came into contact with every day were acquaintances.”
By now, even Veronica, the slowpoke, had sensed what Hao Ren and Ania were suspecting. Her brows knitted together when she asked, “Wait a second, Your Venerable Guardian. Do you mean…”
Ania smiled and glanced at her sister. She then motioned her maidservants to leave them before she said quietly, “He is suspecting that someone is trying to kill Andrew and me.”
The atmosphere instantly became heavy. The only one who was clueless about what happened was Andrew. He looked up when he sensed no one talking. But he quickly lowered his head and continued enjoying his cookie.
Quietly, Hao Ren looked at Ania. “It seems like you have thought of that too.”