How to Survive as a Princess in a Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 125

Screams erupted from all around. Though I naturally assumed I had been stabbed and was terrified, I felt no pain.

‘Why?’

When I cautiously opened my eyes that I had unknowingly squeezed shut, I saw a familiar chest.

Only then did I realize I was being held by someone. And that this firm embrace belonged to someone quite familiar.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

Isaac’s voice came from close by.

“I’m fine, but…….”

Wait. If I wasn’t stabbed, then what was that flesh-piercing sound from earlier? Could it be?

I quickly examined Isaac and discovered a long rod lodged in his side.

“Lord, you’re bleeding……!”

“It’s fine.”

“How is this fine? We need to treat it right away……!”

“More importantly, we should catch that man.”

Isaac calmly said while staring at the man.

“No, I-I…… Ack!”

The man, seemingly coming to his senses after stabbing someone, stumbled backward as if trying to escape. However, Reno subdued him before he could.

Thud!

Pinned to the ground, the man struggled.

“Let go! Let me go!”

My mind was reeling from everything happening simultaneously. Fortunately, with so many people around, even if I was frozen, others took action.

Thanks to Reno restraining the man, I was able to ask a nearby healer to look at Isaac’s wound.

It was fortunate this was the distribution site where palace healers were stationed.

After leaving Isaac’s treatment to the healers, I approached where Reno was.

The man, unable to overcome Reno’s grip despite his struggles, was spewing curses and profanities at Reno between labored breaths.

Though he stopped when I came right up to him.

“Why did you do it?”

“W-what?”

“Why did you try to stab me?”

“Try to stab you? I swear I didn’t mean to stab you! I just wanted to scare you……!”

“Whatever your intention, it doesn’t change the fact that you tried to threaten me. And my guardian was injured.”

“But what about my grievance! Your Highness caused my sister’s death!”

“Are you sure it was really Her Highness who did that?”

“Y-yes! After drinking water with that piece of metal, my sister……!”

“I can’t listen to this anymore!”

Just as the man was about to argue back at Reno’s question, someone pushed through the crowd.

“Stop spouting nonsense! Cliff, what sister do you have!”

“That’s right! We stayed quiet when you were talking nonsense before, but you’re an only child!”

“What do you mean there isn’t one! Have you all forgotten Bailey?”

“Wasn’t Bailey the name of your cat? The one that died years ago!”

“So you mistook a cat for your sister? Come to think of it, yesterday you were suddenly acting like you couldn’t move, but now you’re moving just fine!”

The crowd’s murmuring grew louder as jeers poured out. The man anxiously muttered denials while gasping for breath.

If even I, not being directly involved, could feel the pressure, I could only imagine how the man felt. And now I realized how emotionally I had acted. I got worked up because Isaac was hurt because of me.

Although the man’s attempt to stab me was wrong, the spread of false rumors was largely due to the effects of ergotism.

While it was good that public opinion was being corrected, it wasn’t good for the main point to get clouded.

As princess, my priority should be the veracity of the rumors and the man’s ergotism. Personal punishment could come later.

“Everyone, please stop.”

When I stepped forward and spoke, the jeering subsided. Only after the crowd quieted did I ask the man again.

“From what I hear, you seem to be having hallucinations. Have you noticed anything strange in the grain you usually eat? Like something black on the rye stalks?”

“Huh? Y-yes, that’s right. There’s something black and long…….”

“As I thought, it seems to be ergotism.”

“What? What do you mean……?”