Who Brought the Head Maid Back? - Chapter 36

“What did you say?”

Amy doubted her ears. The Crown Prince glared at her with a sullen face.

“If you have suspected an innocent person, it is only natural to apologize.”

“Your Highness, this is not the time for this.”

She suppressed her anger with all her might, fearing that even a disturbance like this would be a burden to Noah. But the Crown Prince poured out his wrath without regard for the situation.

“Are you joking? Do you realize who you just suspected? I am the one and only Crown Prince of the Empire. I could turn this into an international conflict this very instant!”

“Do you really want that? Could you handle the consequences?”

He was technically right, so Amy could not easily retort. While Amy bit her lip, the Crown Prince glared at her with eyes full of betrayal before turning his gaze aside, grumbling loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Who does she think she is, acting like this? Since when did she care so much for the Second Prince?”

“What did you just say?”

Amy’s voice trembled with fury, but the Crown Prince, failing to notice, continued to vent his frustration.

“It is true, is it not? I know you never even spared a thought for that brat. Just because you have been with him for a few months, you would treat me like this after the ten years we spent together?”

“Your Highness, as I said, the Grand Duke’s safety is the most urgent matter.”

“Who doesn’t know that? But is there anything Amy can do right now?”

The Crown Prince’s words struck her like a sledgehammer. He darted his eyes toward the seat of honor. Noah still lay there weakly, covered in blood. The Crown Prince raised his chin triumphantly, looking down at Amy with a meaningful gaze.

“You should think carefully about who you need to be on good terms with.”

He was reminding her not to forget her position—that she would be like a kite with a snapped string if Noah died. Just as Amy bit her lip in despair, Vernon called out to her urgently from the dais.

“Head Maid! His Highness is looking for you!”

The complexions of the three people changed instantly. While the Crown Prince and the Baron exchanged quick glances, Amy turned and ran. She collapsed beside Noah’s head, looking at him with desperate eyes. Perhaps the physician’s treatment had worked, as there was more color in his face than before.

“How is His Highness?”

The physician wiped the sweat from his face and spoke.

“The immediate crisis has passed, but we must move him at once to provide proper treatment.”

Amy nodded and gestured for Vernon to move Noah. At that moment, a cold hand grabbed Amy’s wrist. It was Noah.

“Not yet.”

Noah squeezed the words out with great effort.

“I must catch the culprit.”

“Your Highness, your safety comes first.”

Amy pleaded anxiously, but Noah stubbornly shook his head. Then, he slowly patted Amy’s hand.

“Don’t worry, Amy. I won’t die.”

“Your Highness.”

“I will not leave Amy and the others to wander without a master. Trust me.”

Saying so, Noah forced a smile onto his pale face. Amy, Vernon, Bradley, and the surrounding guards and physician all felt like they were about to burst into tears. The young Grand Duke was enduring the agony of vomiting blood, forcing himself up just to protect them.

Sitting back in his seat with difficulty, Noah leaned his head back and muttered, “So, what was that man’s excuse?”

Realizing he meant Baron Pearson, Amy quickly wiped the remaining blood from Noah’s face and recounted what had happened. Noah listened and nodded.

“Now, step back.”

At those words, the guards who had been standing around to shield him from the eyes of the crowd looked at Vernon and Amy. Amy nodded, and the guards receded like a ebbing tide. Noah was once again exposed to the gaze of the room.

“Grand Duke! Are you alright?”

Several Northern vassals watched him with concern. Everyone else stared at Noah with a mixture of worry and terror.

Noah looked down at them silently. In his mind, the words Amy had said before entering the hall resonated.

‘I hope you won’t be looked down upon.’

Noah slowly closed and opened his eyes. His expression changed in an instant. The people felt the air in the hall suddenly turn chillingly cold.

“Baron Pearson, come forward.”

Noah called the Baron’s name calmly. The man flinched, then stepped forward with a feigned air of composure. Every eye in the room was fixed on him.

Noah rested his elbow on the armrest and leaned his chin on his hand. Then, he spoke languidly.

“So, you claim what I drank was your medicine?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes.”

The moment the Baron swallowed hard, Noah nodded.

“Then it was indeed an accident.”

“What?”

The Baron, who had prepared for a harsh interrogation, felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under him. The others felt the same. The Northern vassals immediately stepped forward to protest.

“An accident? How can you believe his words?”

“Exactly! He just happened to make a ‘mistake’ with the wine served to Your Highness? This cannot be overlooked. We must investigate the mastermind behind this.”

“He is right! We must bring the truth to light and punish him as a warning to others!”

Among them, some offered more cautious opinions.

“Even if it is proven to be an accident, he must take responsibility.”

“Of course! He almost killed the Grand Duke. We must protest to the Empire as well.”

As the responsibility of the Empire was mentioned, the Crown Prince waved his hand dismissively.

“I shall express my regrets on their behalf. Will that suffice?”

“Making such a fuss over something so minor.”

The hall froze instantly. Even those who had been staying quiet and observing the situation turned their backs on the Empire after seeing the Crown Prince’s frivolous attitude. Unaware that he had wounded the pride of the Northerners, the Crown Prince continued his foolishness.

“He survived, did he not? It seems the North is only full of narrow-minded people who cannot forgive a mistake.”

“Ha.”

People let out gasps of disbelief. In a situation where the rage of the Northern people was about to explode, Noah looked down and thought.

‘This is an opportunity.’

The Crown Prince was providing the very reason for the North to unite as one against the Empire. And he had no intention of missing this chance.

Noah spoke calmly.

“This is an incident where the Empire and the Duchy are entangled in an unpleasant matter. It would be best for both countries’ relationship to settle this cleanly.”

Since his words were logical, the Crown Prince merely bit his lip and did not argue. Noah continued.

“Fortunately, the solution is simple.”

“And what is that?”

The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Noah looked at the Baron and said, “You drink it.”

“Pardon?”

The Baron was flustered for a split second, but his face soon brightened. He nodded his head vigorously.

“I shall do so.”

He pulled a small bottle from his coat, opened the cap, and dropped a few droplets into a nearby wine cup. He had brought poison diluted dozens of times just in case such a situation arose. As he excitedly moved to drink it, Noah suddenly shook his head.

“Not that one.”

“What?”

The Baron was puzzled. Noah curled one corner of his lip and pointed to his own cup.

“You must drink that one.”

Suddenly, the Baron’s face turned ashen. He turned his head so fast it made a whistling sound and stared at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was momentarily confused by the fierce gaze until he realized something and looked dismayed.

Amy secretly smiled in triumph.

‘The Crown Prince forgot that they were supposed to get rid of the cup the Grand Duke drank from.’

“How, how can I trust that this is the wine the Grand Duke was drinking?”

The Baron offered a meaningless resistance. No sooner had the words left his mouth than a Northern noble shouted.

“The Grand Duke collapsed, the knight took the cup, and he has been standing where everyone can see him! Everyone here can witness that no one has touched it. Do you people from the Empire think Northern eyes are made of wood?”

“I did not mean it that way.”

The Baron, overwhelmed by the pressure, spoke in a shrinking voice while sweating profusely. Noah straightened his posture and glared at him with a sharp gaze that did not belong to someone who had just collapsed.

“I guarantee you, the wine I drank contained dozens of times the amount of ‘medicine’ you just mixed.”

The Baron could not even reply; he just darted his eyes around. As he dawdled to buy time, the impatient Northern nobles urged him fiercely.

“What are you doing? Go on and drink it.”

“Is this not the chance to prove your innocence? Why are you dragging your feet?”

“Your, Your Highness.”

The Baron called out to the Crown Prince in a desperate voice. He was shaking so much he sounded like a bleating goat. But the Crown Prince ignored his gaze and looked away.

Noah spoke. “Bradley.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Command me.”

Noah gestured toward Baron Pearson.

“He seems too nervous to drink, so lend him a hand.”

“As you command.”

Bradley strode down with the cup. The terrified Baron tried to flee, but the guards surrounding him pounced and pinned him down.

The Baron, his face pressed against the floor, screamed at the top of his lungs, asking if they knew who he was. But no one cared.

Bradley forced the Baron’s mouth open and poured the remaining wine in all at once.

“Gah! Cough, cough!”

Having swallowed it by reflex, the Baron coughed violently and shoved his fingers down his throat to vomit. But he was held fast by the guards. The Baron struggled and screamed.

“Let me go, you bastards! I will not leave you… Gack!”

Suddenly, the Baron’s Adam’s apple bobbed. A moment later, his face turned blue, and blood erupted from his mouth like a fountain.

“Aaaaaagh!”

The Baron’s body was instantly drenched in blood. People screamed and retreated.

“Your… Highness… Gulp.”

Released by the guards, the Baron reached out with a blood-stained hand, struggling to reach the Crown Prince. Even while trying to speak those simple words, blood flowed incessantly from his mouth. It was an immense amount of bleeding, enough to create a pool of blood around him.

“Gurgle.”

With a thud, the Baron knelt, scratching at his throat. Then, he collapsed face-first into the pool of his own blood. The crowd held their breath, waiting for his next move. But the Baron did not move again; he had breathed his last.

The hall was swallowed by a terrifyingly heavy silence. While everyone stood frozen staring at the Baron, Noah straightened his back and slowly leaned against the backrest. All eyes turned toward him.

Noah slowly looked around the room and spoke in a low voice.

“Is there anyone else who takes medicine?”

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