CHAPTER 9
1407 Words
Silence swept through the office.
No one moved after Beta Jaxon announced that three members of Queen Mother Alira's staff were missing.
Draven stood at the head of the room, his expression unreadable. The air around him seemed to grow colder with every passing second. His storm-grey eyes swept across the frightened servants lined before him, lingering on each face long enough to make them lower their heads.
No one dared breathe too loudly. A sharp knock echoed against the office door. The guard entered and bowed immediately.
"Alpha."
Draven didn't look away from the servants.
"Speak."
"Captain Rowan has already dispatched warriors throughout the palace grounds. Every gate has been sealed. No one is permitted to leave the estate without your permission."
Draven finally nodded.
"Good."
His gaze shifted back to the servants.
"If those three are still inside this palace..." His calm voice somehow sounded more terrifying than a shout. "...they will be found."
Several maids visibly trembled. One of them burst into tears.
"I-I don't know anything, Alpha. Please believe me."
Another servant hurriedly nodded.
"We only serve the Queen Mother. We don't know why anyone would hurt her."
Draven remained silent.
"Jaxon."
"Yes, Alpha."
"Separate them."
Within seconds the office erupted into movement.
Guards escorted the servants into different rooms while Jaxon began assigning warriors to question them one by one.
Emilia remained near the wall, watching everything unfold.
Her stomach twisted. Only yesterday she had been an ordinary healer.
Now she stood inside the royal office while the palace searched for the attempted murderers.
Her fingers unconsciously rubbed together. She hoped she hadn't been wrong.
‘If Queen Mother Alira truly hadn't been poisoned…’
She forced the thought away.
No.
She trusted what she had seen. She had to.
Another knock interrupted the interrogations.
Captain Rowan entered, followed by two warriors carrying several wooden crates.
"The herbs you requested, Alpha."
Emilia's attention immediately shifted. Her heartbeat steadied.
This...
This was something she understood.
The crates were placed carefully across the large table. The sharp scent of fresh herbs immediately filled the office.
Moonshade root. Silverthorn leaves. Night moss—wild sage.
Everything she had requested.
"The Matron is on her way from the hospital," Rowan added.
Draven looked toward Emilia.
"Can you begin?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
Without another word, she crossed to the table.
The familiar scent of dried plants calmed her racing thoughts. For the first time since entering the palace that morning, she felt grounded.
She carefully untied each bundle. Her fingers moved confidently from years of practice.
She inspected every stem, every root, every leaf. Nothing escaped her attention.
A voice broke the silence.
"I wasn't aware palace medicine had become guesswork."
Emilia paused. She looked up.
The young female doctor stepped into the office, dressed in crisp white robes embroidered with the royal crest.
Her blonde hair was tied into a perfect knot. Unlike everyone else, she didn't look nervous. She looked offended.
Doctor Halden sighed quietly.
"Doctor Lyra..."
Lyra inclined her head politely toward Draven before turning her attention back to Emilia.
"I meant no disrespect, Alpha."
Her smile was pleasant. Almost too pleasant.
"But allowing someone without formal royal medical training to prepare medicine for the Queen Mother..."
She let the sentence trail off.
"It concerns me."
Emilia lowered her eyes back to the herbs. She refused to react, not yet.
Halden folded his arms.
"Doctor Emira—"
"Emira," Emilia corrected softly.
He nodded.
"My apologies. Luna Emira correctly identified the poison."
Lyra's smile faltered for only a heartbeat.
"Identifying a poison and preparing an antidote are two different things."
"I know."
Emilia answered so quietly that the room almost missed it.
She picked up a Moonshade root.
"If I make one mistake..."
She slowly sliced away the outer bark.
"...the antidote becomes poison."
Her movements never wavered.
The office remained silent. Even Lyra found herself watching.
Emilia continued grinding herbs inside the stone mortar. Silverthorn. Wild sage. Moonshade.
Each ingredient entered at a different stage. Nothing was rushed or wasted.
The steady rhythm of the pestle echoed through the office.
Minutes passed. Then the office doors opened once more. A middle-aged woman hurried inside carrying a leather medical case.
Her silver-streaked hair had escaped its bun from running. She immediately bowed.
"Alpha."
Draven nodded.
"Matron Elise."
She looked toward Emilia. Recognition flashed across her face.
"Luna Emira?"
Emilia smiled faintly.
"I need your help."
Elise crossed the room without hesitation.
The two women began working together as though they had done so for years.
Lyra frowned.
"You know each other?"
Elise didn't even glance at her.
"She has saved more patients in six months than some healers manage in years."
The words hung heavily in the room. Lyra's lips pressed together. She said nothing else.
Emilia poured the crushed mixture into a small glass bowl before adding warm distilled water. The liquid immediately darkened into a deep violet.
She frowned.
"Not yet."
She reached for another herb.
"This is missing one final ingredient."
Halden looked up.
"What?"
She picked up several tiny crimson berries.
"Bloodvine."
Halden's eyes widened.
"I didn't think that plant still existed."
"It does."
Emilia crushed the berries gently. Dark red juice dripped into the mixture. The colour instantly shifted from violet to brilliant silver.
She finally breathed out.
"It's ready."
Everyone stared at the bowl. No one spoke.
Draven stepped closer.
"Will it save her?"
Emilia looked at the antidote.
"I believe so."
Not certainty, belief.
It was the most honest answer she could give. And Draven accepted it.
"Let's go."
Within moments everyone had returned to Queen Mother Alira's chambers.
The atmosphere felt even heavier than before. Guards stood outside every entrance. Captain Rowan immediately opened the doors.
"The room has remained untouched."
Draven nodded once. Emilia approached the bed.
Queen Mother Alira looked even paler now. Her breathing had become shallow, almost fragile.
Emilia carefully lifted her head while Matron Elise supported her shoulders.
"Just a little..."
She slowly poured the antidote between Alira's lips. For one terrifying moment, nothing happened.
The liquid disappeared. Silence followed. Seconds stretched endlessly. No one moved. No one blinked.
Lyra folded her arms.
"We're wasting valuable time."
Emilia ignored her. Her eyes never left Alira.
Another second. Another. Then, the Queen Mother's body jerked violently.
A gasp echoed around the room. Her back arched as a harsh cough escaped her lips.
Dark blood splattered onto the white cloth Elise quickly held beneath her mouth. Several maids cried out in horror.
Captain Rowan instinctively stepped forward before stopping himself.
Emilia quickly checked Alira's pulse. She was still alive and weak, but stronger than before. Heat rapidly spread across Alira's cheeks. Sweat formed across her forehead.
Elise looked alarmed.
"She's burning up."
Emilia nodded.
"That's expected."
Lyra frowned.
"Expected?"
"The poison is fighting the antidote."
She gently wiped blood from Alira's lips.
"If her body can withstand the fever..."
She looked toward Draven.
"...she'll survive."
Draven hadn't moved. His eyes remained fixed on his mother. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
Only Emilia noticed how tightly his fists were clenched. For a brief moment, he looked less like a king. And more like a son praying silently.
Captain Rowan stepped inside.
"Alpha."
Draven finally looked away from the bed.
"What is it?"
"We searched the palace."
"And?"
"The missing guard and the two maids haven't been found."
The room fell silent again.
"They couldn't have vanished," Jaxon muttered.
"They had help," Rowan replied grimly.
Before anyone could answer another knock interrupted them.
A guard entered hurriedly and bowed.
"Alpha."
"What now?"
"The Lady Selene requests permission to visit the Queen Mother."
The room instantly became still.
Jaxon exchanged a glance with Rowan. Neither spoke.
Draven's expression remained unreadable. After several seconds… "Let her in."
The guard stepped aside and footsteps echoed through the corridor. It was measured and confident.
Then Selene entered.
She wore dark military attire instead of a dress, her raven hair braided neatly over one shoulder. Her icy blue eyes immediately searched the room.
They paused on Draven. Then Alira. Finally, they settled on Emilia.
Emilia looked up at the exact same moment. Neither woman spoke. Neither looked away.
The room suddenly felt too small and too quiet.
Something invisible passed between them. It looked like a challenge.
At that point, Emilia knew that the greatest danger inside the palace wasn't the poison.
It was the woman now standing across from her.
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