Vivia was left with no choice but to come clean to Benjamin.
"Yes, I admit I mixed a sleeping medicine in your tea."
Sout wasn't a strong enough word to describe Benjamin's expression. The sentiment of being unable to unleash his frustrations because the woman standing before him was the royal princess of all and thus, he must rein in his temper - was all too vivid on his face.
"Why would my lady do something like that? Do you love danger? Did nearly losing your life in the Realm of Harmony teach you nothing that you're willingly choosing to repeat such acts?"
Erissa cleared her throat. "Sir Benjamin, please don't forget you're speaking with the Princess."
Her interference only vexed him further. "As her faithful attendant, you should've stopped her from doing something so reckless in the first place! Do I have to spell out how dangerous it is for her to be out in the open without a single knight to protect her? If someone had recognized her, both our heads would be rolling on the floor!"
His glare targeted Vivia next. "Even after everything that happened, my lady still insists on putting her life at risk. If studying in the Covenant is only an excuse to pull stunts like these, I'll be reporting this to His Majesty right away."
"I came here to meet Audreya!"
"That red-haired woman?"
It dawned upon him a moment later. "So you were hiding her all along and…" his eyes squinted at Erissa, "had a secret-keeper too."
Erissa averted her gaze but didn't look particularly remorseful about it.
Vivia stepped forward and urged. "I know I've caused you a lot of trouble, and I shouldn't have snuck out like that, but that's a lesser important matter for now. Audreya is missing!"
As Benjamin read the letter she held out, his brows knitted together. "Doesn't this letter make it fairly clear? She confessed to her crimes and escaped. But she cannot be forgiven for harming the royal princess and even going as far as accusing you of killing her friend. She cannot escape."
"No, no, no! She didn't write this letter. Somebody forced her to!"
Benjamin frowned. "Forced her? How can my lady be so certain?"
"That…"
Stumped, Vivia scrambled to find an answer. Clairette wouldn't know Audreya well enough to say something like that with such conviction.
"Because this man says the same," she pointed at the kneeling Walterce.
"T-That's true. Audreya wouldn't have written something like this. She's too fierce to hide in shame. She'd rather face humiliation head-on than run away."
"Aren't you the same master who agreed to Sir Raffert's accusations against her at the tea party? Why are you suddenly changing colors now?"
"Because Raffert forced him to lie by threatening to hurt her! He has a strong backing, probably…" her fists clenched, "the same people involved in her friend's murder."
Evidently, Benjamin didn't look too convinced by her argument.
"You have to believe me! Those same people don't want the truth coming to light. They're using Raffert in their schemes and pin everything upon Audreya! And now she's missing. Do you really think this is a coincidence?"
Benjamin stared. "What I fail to understand is why my lady is so invested in all this? Not pertaining to how she tried to hurt you - but about her and her friend."
"I'm the princess. If an injustice has happened right before my eyes, should I stand by and do nothing about it? Besides, wasn't it a theory that Audreya was working with some rebels to kill me and weaken Father's position? If those rebels indeed exist and Audreya is now missing, doesn't it mean someone is plotting something in the shadows? What if the next attempt on me is successful?"
This was a matter Benjamin couldn't take lightly. Catching the rebels was a top priority. After much deliberation, he turned to Walterce for questioning - only for Walterce to suddenly stop breathing properly.
"Sir?"
Vivia's eyes went wide. She dropped to his side instantly. "Sir Walterce?"
He continued coughing, nearly choking in his throat. "Cannot…br-breathe…"
Tears pooled in his eyes and soon, blood formed at the corner of his lips. His face twisted and contorted with pain as color rapidly drained from his face.
What's wrong…Why isn't he feeling well?
A foreboding clutched her heart.
"Sir Benjamin! Erissa! Let's take him to the doctor right now. He's crashing!"
—
Time was of the essence - something they lacked heavily to be able to return to the palace and let Miriam take a look. They rushed to the nearest clinic. Still covered in her brown hood, Vivia was unrecognizable in public. An hour passed before the doctor finally stepped out.
"How is he?" Vivia rushed to his side, her eyes faintly reddened with tears. Her heart hadn't stopped thudding the entire time, pacing back and forth in the room restlessly. First, Audreya had gone missing. And now Walterce.
"He was poisoned," the doctor said.
"Po-poisoned?" Vivia thought she misheard, but the doctor remained firm in his diagnosis.
"Duskleaf's serpent's poison. You'd have heard about it. It's a common type of snake whose venom is quite deadly. Fortunately, you brought him in time. He's out of danger for now, but the poison has paralyzed him. It's a quick-acting poison, after all."
"Paralyzed…"
He sighed. "There're some herbs to treat paralysis, so we'll have to wait and see how he responds to it. It could also be difficult due to his age, but there's hope."
"But I don't understand…How was he poisoned? When? I was with him this entire time, and he was fine."
"I found a faint scratch on his cheek, barely visible to the eye. It's turned purplish now. That was the entry point of the poison."
Clarity still evaded Vivia.
"You said it's a quick-acting poison?"
"Indeed."
"But nobody touched him or approached him. I mean I did tackle him earlier when he was trying to escape, but naturally, I don't have any poison on me. And I never touched his face."
"Then my best guess is a small needle from a distance? Hunters and certain experts are known to keep poisoned needles that can be fired through a dart. Some pins are so small that women conceal them in their rings or a piece of jewelry too. Mostly for self-defence. If someone tries to assault them, a swift prick is enough to incapacitate their attacker."
Vivia blankly stared ahead.
Sir Walterce had already admitted about Raffert, and he'd have exposed the upper echelon behind him as well…
Does that mean someone was watching him all along and now…poisoned him to silence him?