THDK Chapter 46

Operation: Rescue the Second Prince! (Part 5)

The first thing I saw was a stern-looking elderly man lying in bed, breathing shallowly. The moment I saw him, I felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

“Father, I’ve brought the hero.”

Luke’s tone had become stiff, a stark contrast to before. The king, who had been lying with his eyes closed, slowly opened them and looked at me. His pale blue eyes fixed on me, and I noticed the faintest hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth.

“The hero… you’re alive.”

I hurriedly took his weakly outstretched hand. Perhaps the king had also believed the rumors that the hero might be dead.

The moment I touched his hand, a slimy, unpleasant sensation flowed into me. It felt like something sinister was eating away at the king. My inner light seemed to sense it—a fleeting intuition.

“Hero… protect the people… Antonio is…”

“Don’t speak. I promise I’ll protect them.”

It was clear to anyone that the king had only a few days left. I held his hand and told him to rest.

“Before that, Your Majesty, it’s time for your medicine.”

A maid approached, holding out a vial of medicine. As I reached for it, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over me, and I instinctively knocked the vial out of her hand. The thick, dark liquid splattered across the floor.

“What are you doing!?”

The maid’s anger flared, but Luke stepped forward to shield me, which brought me some relief. I didn’t know why I felt this way, but something inside me screamed that the king must not take that medicine.

“Sol, you sensed something, didn’t you? Can you tell me?”

Encouraged by Luke’s calm voice, I explained what I had felt. Luke picked up the vial and removed a silver ring from his finger, dipping it into the remaining liquid. The ring began to tarnish.

“…It’s poison.”

The room froze at Luke’s whisper. When I told him I felt the same sinister presence from the king, Luke frowned. He tried using healing magic, but the poison showed no signs of dissipating. It was possible the king had been poisoned for a long time…

“The queen died of the same illness decades ago. I never imagined it was poison…”

“Do you have any idea who’s behind it?”

“…It might be Antonio’s faction. Either way, we won’t know without investigating. Someone, arrest this maid!”

At Luke’s command, several guards entered and restrained the protesting maid. Once she was taken away, only Luke, the king, and I remained in the room. Luke placed his hand over mine, which was still holding the king’s, and his expression twisted with pain. I caught a glimpse of his true feelings, and it hurt my heart.

“Father… I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner…”

“…It’s fine. …Bring me paper and a pen.”

Following the king’s instructions, Luke retrieved paper and a pen from a drawer. I helped the king sit up, and with trembling hands, he began to write something on the paper. The smooth, high-quality paper filled with his shaky script. Time seemed to slow as he wrote. Finally, the king exhaled, stamped the paper with his royal seal, and handed it to Luke.

“Listen well. I entrust everything to you.”

“…Yes.”

Luke took the paper, read it, and after a moment of shock, nodded firmly and stood up. The king smiled faintly, lay back down on the bed, took a deep breath, and quietly closed his eyes. I gently stroked his now-limp hand. The sound of his heartbeat was gone.

A sad smile appeared on Luke’s face.