Chapter 160

Chapter 160 – Lethal Medicine (1)

Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan

At the sinister note in Annette’s voice, Eucaly shut her mouth, but Annette unrolled the scroll of paper in her hand and extended it to her. Uneasily, Eucaly’s eyes went over the page, and then widened in shock.

“M-my lady, this is…”

“The test results from Dr. Martin, a specialist in poisons in Deltium,” Annette said. “You would have heard of someone so famous, I think.”

The list of tests included an extensive number of poisons. All of them were negative, except for two which were marked in red. The first was a poison that weakened the immune system, while the second gradually caused damage to the internal organs.

Annette tapped the two red marks with her fingertips, smiling gently.

“You were very clever. The two poisons were mixed at a minimal level, to make it seem that my health was gradually failing. No one would have suspected that I was being poisoned. No doubt you deserved your high place in the Provatte’s medical academy.”

“Lady Annette, it must be a misunderstanding! How could I ever harm you! Perhaps you were given the poison somewhere else, some…some social event that you attended. You could even have consumed it by accident! But I never did!”

Desperately, Eucaly flung out excuses. It was a pity that her cleverness did not extend to lies. She had seemed like such a kind person, incapable of malice. Even Annette had been fooled, the first time.

Maybe it isn’t so easy, to overcome these preconceptions.

It was worth some thought. Annette would have imagined someone more professional to be the King’s choice for her poisoner. Someone smiling and charming, to make the poison taste sweet. Someone skilled in such matters, but impossible to suspect. Someone like Railin.

Of course, that was equally unfair to Railin.

What a fool I was.

Looking at Eucaly, Annette sighed. The other woman’s long bangs hung in her eyes, making her look pitiful and lonesome. Maybe that was why Annette had trusted her.

And all this time, Eucaly had been poisoning her.

Annette had taken a lot of medicine from Eucaly in her last life. Over five long years, her health had gradually deteriorated, until finally, bedridden, she had been dosed with many medicines every day.

Perhaps that was why she had died so young.

And it had almost happened again! That was what frightened her most: proof that her regression was not the advantage she thought it was.

“Lady, please believe me,” Eucaly begged, unaware of these thoughts. “It wasn’t me! It must be some–some plot, someone wants to frame me! It can’t be anything else!”

Of course Annette didn’t believe this. She had already lost one life, taking poison from this woman.

“I’m sorry, Eucaly,” she replied, ignoring the plea. “But we also sent the medicine you gave me to Dr. Martin. The two most recent doses. And do you know, there were traces of poison in both of them. How can you explain that?”

Eucaly was speechless. Unconsciously, she bit at her fingernails, despairing. But with no other way out, she could only try to argue her way out of this disaster.

“It’s wrong!” She exclaimed, lifting her chin. “There are so many deceitful doctors, charlatans…maybe he was even bribed to frame me! If not him, it could be the maids, couldn’t it? While I was preparing the medicine, they could have tampered with it secretly…”

“Frame you?” Annette echoed. “Why would anyone care to do that, Eucaly? How strange that would be. Aren’t you just a doctor?”