Chapter 182
At first, Camus couldn’t understand what was happening. But when he saw Tarek’s body convulsing on the marble floor, his limbs twisting in agony, he realized something was terribly wrong. Tarek’s mouth foamed, and choking groans escaped from his lips.
“What is happening? Tarek, what’s going on?”
The startled King bent down toward Tarek, but there was no response. Tarek, after letting out a final scream, died on the spot. The royal physician, who had been on standby, had no chance to intervene.
“Poison!”
Someone in the banquet hall shouted.
Immediately, all eyes turned to Prince Camus and the rapier he held.
Princess Sordid gasped audibly.
‘Brother Camus, you… you killed Brother Tarek?’
Ah.
Camus looked down at the rapier in his hand. A dark stain, like spreading ink, began to appear on the tip of the blade.
Camus, who had attempted to poison Tarek multiple times, knew exactly what this meant.
The poison had taken effect.
The rapier was laced with poison.
“Is that why you insisted on switching swords with Prince Tarek? Did you intend to kill him with the poisoned sword?”
Erius, Princess Sordid’s fiancé, shouted in a panic.
Camus quickly dropped the rapier.
“N-No! I didn’t do it! Tarek must have poisoned his own sword first!”
“Then why would Prince Tarek have allowed the switch? How could you commit such a heinous crime?”
Erius yelled, overwhelmed by the shock that his fiancée’s brother had murdered another of the princess’s siblings.
“I… I…!”
Camus frantically searched for his older brother, Crown Prince Viren. Surely Viren would protect him.
But for some reason, Viren was nowhere to be seen.
Panicking, Camus desperately scanned the crowd for any support. He hoped anyone—anyone—would defend him.
But all he saw were cold, accusing stares.
“Didn’t Prince Tarek almost get poisoned before? I heard it was Prince Camus’s doing.”
“After Prince Tarek returned to the capital, didn’t Prince Camus grumble about how he survived?”
“Yesterday, I heard Prince Camus tried to break into Prince Tarek’s palace, and later, he even drew his sword against him.”
As the nobles whispered among themselves, Camus realized he had been completely isolated.
How did this happen?
Camus looked down at the poisoned rapier and Tarek’s lifeless body.
‘You will die tonight, Prince Camus.’
Sarubia’s prophecy about his death echoed in his mind.
Why had she predicted this?
Am I really going to die tonight?
But how?
Suddenly, a memory of Tarek’s words flashed through Camus’s mind.
‘Anyone who kills a royal is sentenced to death, regardless of their rank.’
Tarek had said this when the King asked why they should duel.
I killed Prince Tarek.
It hadn’t been intentional, but no one would believe that now. His past attempts on Tarek’s life had come back to haunt him.
I killed a member of the royal family.
So that means…
‘You will die tonight, Prince Camus.’
No!
“Camus, I know you didn’t like Tarek, but how could you do something so monstrous…?”
The King, shaken by the shock, staggered toward him.
Seeing the King approach, Camus instinctively stepped back.
He didn’t know why, but he retreated.
The next thing he remembered was hearing the King’s voice ordering the royal guards to seize him.
The guards, swords drawn, charged toward him. Terrified, Camus darted into the crowd. The nobles screamed and scattered.
Then, Camus saw her.
Golden eyes shining like the sun and soft ivory hair.
“Saintess!”
Camus fell to his knees at Sarubia’s feet.
“Saintess, please! Tell them I didn’t kill Tarek! Prophesy that I didn’t do it!”
Camus’s hands trembled violently.
One word from her, just one word, and everything would be resolved. He could survive if only she spoke on his behalf!
But Sarubia slowly shook her head, refusing to say a word.
“Saintess!”
Despair washed over Camus like a curse.
He clenched his teeth.
This was all because of the Saintess.
One word—just one word—was all it would take. If she declared that Camus hadn’t killed Tarek, the ordeal would end.
But instead, this insolent woman was causing him to suffer.
In a fit of panic and rising fury, Camus grabbed Sarubia’s wrist. He pulled her forcefully, dragging her away with him.
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