The Abandoned Empress

“Your Majesty, it is time for you to enter.”

“Okay.”

After getting off his butt, he reached out to me. I stopped what I was trying to say and put my hand in his carefully. Thanks to his grip on my hand, I could stand up rather easily as my body felt heavy. I was afraid I might feel dizzy again, but fortunately, I only felt short of breath, but didn’t feel dizzy.

“The Little Sun of the empire, Crown Prince Lublis Kamaludin Shana Castina and the Moon of the Future, Aristia Pioneer la Monique, are entering the hall!”

When I entered with the protocol officer’s announcement, I discovered that the banquet hall was significantly different from yesterday. Unlike yesterday, when the banquet hall was decorated with bright and light colors, it had a strong contrast of colors today.

All the doors to the terrace were decorated with purple gray curtains, and accordingly, the walls also had tapestry embroidered with the cloths of the same color and black fabric with gold thread and red thread. The tablecloths for food and drink were red, and there were statues of the former emperors wrapped around with purple and red cloth in every corner of the banquet hall. My eyes popped up, impressed with the very strong color.

He looked around and said in a low voice, “My eyes are sore already.”

“Pardon, Your Majesty?”

“As you know, I hate bold colors. ”

“Ah…. ”

Of course, I knew that. I nodded at his disgruntled voice, then trembled. I only nodded a bit, but why do I feel so dizzy again? What’s wrong with me?

Suddenly, I felt anxious for some reason. Am I really okay?

“How about dancing to just one song. Can you?”

“…Sure, I’m fine. Your Majesty.”

Okay, I can dance to one song. As the first tune is a slow beat, I can make it if I move my body slowly.

Making a smile as if I was alright, I headed to the dance floor. I was nervous, but fortunately the dance song that started playing was a slow beat.

With a sigh of relief, I moved as he led. I looked down as I felt uncomfortable when he stared at me, but the moment I saw the hem of my blue dress circling, mixed with his white dress, I began to feel very nauseous.

Oh, no.

I quickly raised my head. As if he took my bad condition into account, I slowly danced as he led me, leaning on him.

The moment I was almost relieved of nausea, the climax of the dance song began to play.

I was supposed to let go of his hand and turn three turns to the left, then turn back and forth in the opposite direction.

‘I just need to hold on to this.’

Biting my lip, I let go of his hand.

One turn. My head was spinning.

Two turns. People were overlapped in my vision.

Third turns. My vision was blurred. I barely controlled my staggering body by taking another step.

‘Let me hang in there just a little more.’

Clenching my teeth, I turned in the opposite direction.

‘Now I just need to turn back…Please. ‘

One turn. I heard a buzzing sound in my ear.

Two turns. The world was spinning like crazy.

Third turns. My legs suddenly became wobbly.

‘Oh please…! ‘

I felt blood flowing from my tightly clenched lips. I collapsed in his arms when he held me, stunned.

“Aristia!”

“Sorry…Your…Majesty…”

As soon as I barely said that, I blacked out before I knew it.

I opened my eyes. What happened next at the dance floor was all hazy.

Where am I now?

I tried to raise my body, but I couldn’t as if I was pressed against something. I felt like it was not my body.

Even though I blinked slowly, everything around me was still blurry. I could barely see the string through my blurry vision. I tried to reach out and pull it as much as I could, but even that wasn’t easy. I was short of breath when I tried to pull it in vain several times.

Whew…

Catching my rough breath, I traced my jumbled memories. Why am I here? I was definitely in the banquet hall yesterday. I danced with him despite my dizziness, and I bit my lip to hold out to the end with all my might, and…

Oh my God! Did I fall in front of the crown prince at the official ball, where I attended as his partner, and that on the last day, the most important of the three days?

Stunned, I tried to raise my body, but I screamed silently at the terrible pain all over my body. I could hardly breathe as I was so hurt.

Did somebody hear me moaning? I heard someone approaching me in a hurry. I could vaguely see him in my blurred vision. He hugged me urgently, pressing me to his chest with a strong force.

“Oops!”

Only then could I breathe as my windpipe was opened. While I was gasping for breath, he laid me on the bed cautiously and put a glass of water to my lips. I coughed when the liquid flowed through my dry throat.

“Now, have you recovered your consciousness?”

“… Daddy?”

“It’s me, Daddy. Can you recognize me? ”

Why is my vision so blurred? I blinked my eyes over and over again, but I could not see him clearly, only with his silver and navy blue uniform overlapped in my vision. I suddenly felt scared.

“Daddy”

“Yes, honey.”

“I can’t see well. What’s wrong with me? Why?”

“…Well, it’s because…”

My father, who was silently tapping my back, said in a subdued voice, “It is because you overworked yourself. You will get better if you take a break.”

“Are you sure?”

“…Of course. Would I lie to you?”

I see. I felt like I was missing something, but I couldn’t think any more because I felt dizzy.

I closed my eyes and leaned on his arms in a comfortable position. I was feeling drowsy while he was stroking my hair carefully.

“Daddy?”

“Okay, honey.”

“I’m sleepy.”

“… You were too hard on yourself until now… Take a good rest. Don’t worry as I am here with you.”

His whispering faded away and I was slowly getting into the unconscious world, wrapped in his warm embrace.

How much time passed?

I woke up at the noise of something around me. I unwittingly frowned my brows because of my stinging head.

What the heck is this? Why is it so noisy?

“What did you say now?”

I stopped at my father’s familiar voice. Daddy…?

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“Get away right now…! ”

Why is my father so angry? Did something go wrong?

I barely got up and picked up a cup of water on my bedside. When I gulped down the bittersweet water, my throat suddenly hurt.

Cough, cough. My cough kept breaking out, but I barely caught my breath and spat out one word, “Daddy?”

“Cure her right now!”

“Well, it is really…”

“Daddy?”

When I tried to speak as hard as I could, his angry tone suddenly stopped.

He was silent for a moment, then he walked toward me quickly.

“Oh, you are awake now.”

“Yeah. By the way, you just mentioned treating somebody, right?”

“…Well, that is…”

Although I couldn’t recognize his expression clearly because of my blurry eyes, I clearly felt he was hesitating in front of me. I said, putting my hand on my heart, which was starting to beat anxiously.

“It’s me who has to be treated, right?”

“… Yes, Tia. ”

That’s why I felt bitter when I drank the water a moment ago. Was medicine mixed with water? The more I talked with my father, the more I could clear the fuzz out of my head. Thanks to that, I remembered more clearly what happened at the banquet yesterday.

Only

At the banquet hall on the second day, my condition was getting worse rapidly. Even now, I couldn’t recover fully even though I got enough rest.

My condition was not good at some point, but I didn’t take it seriously because I thought my body was a bit strange.

Something was strange. Although I overworked myself in the past, I didn’t feel bad enough that my vision became blurry.

As I worked all night everyday, I got used to it, so I was in good shape until I entered the palace.

But several days later I felt dizzy, I was out of breath and hazy in my head. Back then, I just thought my condition was bad like now.

But I couldn’t think like before because of my father’s serious reaction and my bad condition.

Then, is there only one thing left to cure me?

“Was I poisoned, Daddy?”