Reborn: The New Empress 39 Ch. 2 - Poisoning

"Is something the matter, father?" I asked, he shook his head and looked out the window. I wanted to push him into answering but I'm guessing it's about the prince.

"Are you… angry at me?" He suddenly asked. His question caught me off guard. I took his hand in mine and I shook my head.

"No, I could never be angry at you. I'm okay with your decision, father. I fully support you." I said, he tightened his hold on my hand.

"But I want you to be happy, my daughter. And if marrying you to the prince is going to bring you sadness, then I'd rather face my problem alone and leave you out of it." He said, His sincerity touched my heart that it almost brought me to tears.

"I am not unhappy about this decision, father. Truth be told, I think I've already fallen for the prince. I'm happy that I'll be married to him. Even if he thinks our marriage is political, I'm still happy because I choose to be." I said, My father heaved a sigh of relief before pulling me in for a hug.

"I'm the luckiest father in the world to have a daughter like you. If your mother was here, she would be proud of you." He said, tears glistening in his eyes. I smiled at him. To be honest, Himawari is the lucky one for having a father like him.

We arrived at the Imperial Palace. The place was unfamiliar to me so I had to follow my father around as we waited for our time with the Emperor. We pa.s.sed by the garden and I was smitten by the color of the flowers. It was bright and vivid unlike the ones I can remember from my time. I got so distracted that I didn't notice my father was out of sight. I remained calm, I knew my father would realize that I'm not with him and he'll come to find me.

I bent down to touch the roses. The petals were soft and it was very fragrant. Just as I was kneeling on the floor, smelling the flowers. I heard a voice behind me and it startled me.

"Who are you?" His voice was cold and stern. I didn't see his face yet but I felt like he was the no-nonsense type. I felt a small pain in my hand. I looked at it and realized that I had p.r.i.c.ked myself on one of the roses. I stood up from the ground and faced the man behind me. I hid my hand and bowed my head. This is the Imperial Garden, if I'm ever to meet someone here, it must be royalty.

"Pardon me, your highness. I am Namikawa Himawari, the daughter of Prime Minister Namikawa." I said with my head still down. I couldn't dare to look up unless he said so. There was silence but I could feel the tension in the air.

"Raise your head." He commanded, I slowly lifted my head and our eyes met. I sense of familiarity washed over me as we locked eyes. Red eyes, the mark of the royal bloodline. He is definitely a prince.

"So you are the one who is to be wed to my brother." He said, I suddenly remembered who he is. He's the 1st prince and the next in line to the throne.

"Yes, your highness." I answered, I looked at him and there was a weird glint in his eyes. It felt like he hated me.

"What are you doing here in the Imperial Garden?" He asked. I looked down out of embarra.s.sment.

"We had an audience with his majesty, the Emperor. As I was following my father around, I got distracted by the pretty flowers and I didn't realize that I'd lost sight of my father. I'm quite unfamiliar with this place so I decided to stay here until my father found me." I explained, he looked at me from head to toe before smiling at me.

"Is that so? Then let me escort you to the main hall." He offered, I quickly shook my head.

"I dare not bother you, your highness. My father will come to me." I said, As if on cue, my father appeared and ran to me. Before turning to me, my father paid his respects to the 1st prince.

"Good morning your highness, I see that you've met my daughter." My father said, the 1st prince smiled at my father.

"Yes, she got lost admiring the flowers in the Imperial Garden. I was about to escort her to the main hall." He said, my father gave his thanks to the 1st prince before pulling me away.

"His majesty is looking for us, please excuse us." Father said, the 1st prince nodded his head and we left the garden. I felt something different from my father while he was talking to the 1st prince. It was like my father was threatened by the 1st prince… or perhaps it's the other way around..

"Father, is there something wrong with you and the 1st prince?" I asked, Father looked at me with eyes wide open.

"We'll talk later." Was all he said. I sensed that it was a sensitive subject so I didn't push further. We arrived at the main hall where the Emperor was waiting. We paid our respects to the Emperor.

"Ah Prime Minister Namikawa, I'm glad that you were able to finally bring your daughter here to meet me." The Emperor stood up from his throne to come closer to us. I noticed that there was something odd in the way he was walking. It looked like there was something in his shoes that made it uncomfortable for him to walk. He was in front of me and I could see there was a problem with his health.

"Good morning your majesty." I greeted him with a smile. He smiled back at me. While he and my father were talking, I noticed that his hair wasn't in the best state. His hair was falling off causing him to have bald spots. His eyes were somewhat dazed and unfocused. I had to know more about what he was feeling. This could be bad if the Emperor fell sick.

"uhmm, excuse me your majesty. I would like to ask you a few questions." I said bravely. My father looked at me inquisitively. The Emperor had a warm smile on his face while he faced me.

"Why, of course. What is it that you want to know?" He asked. I tried to stay calm as I was asking him my questions.

"Are there times in the day or maybe even in the week when you have severe stomach pains?" I asked. His smile faded and he looked at my father before he looked back at me.

"Yes, how did you know?" His voice became hushed, as if he was trying to hide that he was in pain. I ignored his question and proceeded to ask more questions.

"What about a tingling sensation in your hands and feet? Do you sometimes feel numb? Do you feel leg pains often?" I asked. He looked at me like I had known everything. He suddenly leaned closer and whispered in my ear.

"How do you know these things?" He asked, a little exasperated. I was right. he was trying to hide the fact that he was sick.

"Your majesty, I may not look like it but I practice medicine and I noticed right away there was something wrong with your condition when I came in here." Even my father was shocked when he heard what I said.

"It is true. I haven't been in the best of state. But I can't let my people worry about my well-being. I haven't solidified my decision about an heir to the throne. Although my sons are accomplished, however this does not immediately merit them the position of being the Emperor. I want them to prove themselves first." He said, I understood his sentiment, however he wasn't getting sick because he was getting old. From all of his symptoms, I can deduce that he's being poisoned. Thallium poison to be exact.

"I think you are right, your majesty. Whoever will be the next Emperor should be well-prepared and have the wisdom to rule over our kingdom." My father said. I wanted to tell him that the Emperor was being poisoned but I thought that if he knew, it would only alert the killer. Whatever happens in the future, all I have to do is make sure the Emperor doesn't die before he can decide on who will be the next in line to the throne.

"Well, have you figured out what kind of disease I have?" The Emperor asked. I smiled and nodded my head slowly.

"It's not really a disease, your majesty. Your body is starting to feel the pa.s.sage of time. May I suggest a suitable diet for you so as to lessen the pain and aches you feel?" I said, he nodded his head.

"But, of course. How lucky I am to have a very reliable daughter-in-law." He said. I was surprised to hear him say that. I completely forgot that I was going to be wed to one of his sons. I let out a nervous laugh.

"Speaking of the wedding, I have chosen an auspicious day for it. Now, I think it's time for you to meet my son." He said, I looked at my father and he held my hand. I suddenly felt nervous. I have no idea who or what this person is capable of. Although, from an outside perspective, it seems like the perfect marriage. The son of the Emperor and the daughter of the Prime Minister. If the people could say something, they'd be thinking that I've married up.

"Announcing the arrival of his highness, the fourth prince." The attendant at the door shouted.

"Ah, my son is here." The Emperor said. I turned to look at my future husband. As I turned, I was met with the same familiar red eyes staring at me. He was inches from me, I even wondered how he walked so fast. I took a step back to give myself a bit of distance from him. Realizing that I was in the presence of the Emperor, I immediately lowered my head.

"Greetings, your highness. It's a pleasure to meet you." I said, I lifted my head to look at him. He also bowed his head at me. He didn't say anything to me. After bowing his head, he turned to his father.

"Father, I came from the army camp and inspected the training of our soldiers. I have something to report to you." He said firmly, he eyed me and my father, signalling us that he's report is something confidential and shouldn't be shared with us.

"We will be taking our leave, your majesty." Father said to the Emperor. The Emperor just smiled and nodded his head lightly. I noticed that he was having a difficult time staying up from standing too long. Without thinking, I went up to the Emperor and held his arm, giving him a bit of support. The fourth prince's eyes widened and my father's mouth was agape.

"Your majesty, let me help you back to your chair." I said. He looked at me and smiled. I slowly led him back to his chair and once he was seated, I took a step back. I have to do something about his condition. The oath I took when I became a doctor still applies to this situation.

"Your majesty, if it's alright with you, may I visit you everyday?" I asked with my head down.

"Do you have a reason to come and visit me?" The Emperor asked. I lifted my head and looked at him, my eyes filled with determination.

"I would like to spend time with you, your majesty. I would like for you to relax once in a while and I can also brew tea for you." I said, although my excuse seemed unreasonable, I have to find a way to get close to the Emperor to administer a cure. The Emperor smiled at me.

"What a filial daughter-in-law. I will grant you your request. Here, this will allow you to enter my Palace whenever you please. I'll be looking forward to tasting your tea." He said. I couldn't help but smile when my plan worked. I ran up to his majesty to accept the token from him. I thanked him and afterwards, my father and I left the room.

I knew my father was curious about everything I said to the Emperor but before he could ask, one of the Emperor's ministers came up to him and whispered in his ear. He sighed and looked at me.

"There's something I have to attend to, Hima. Will you be okay staying here in the pavilion?" He asked. We were standing in the pavilion next to the lake. I nodded and smiled at him. It must be something important. He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead before he left. When he was gone, I pondered to myself. It was a good thing that the Emperor agreed to my request but there was one problem I completely overlooked. I can't remember what the antidote for thallium poisoning was.

I looked over at the lake while biting the nail on my thumb. In my other life, I've only ever encountered thallium poisoning twice. Even so, it was a long time ago. I've actually forgotten what the antidote was. I tried racking my brain but I can't seem to remember.

"Aahh! Why can't I remember it?" I said out of frustration.

"What can't you remember?" A voice came from behind me suddenly. I jumped when I heard him speak. I turned and saw the 4th prince. I quickly composed myself.

"Oh, it's you, your highness." I said while bowing my head. Why did he come here? I lifted my head and was surprised when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him.

"What are your intentions for coming close to the Emperor?" He said, his voice was hushed but firm. He didn't seem mad but he was worked-up. I understood how he felt. I'm not really someone whom he trusts and I made an unreasonable request from the Emperor. He has every right to be suspicious of me.

"I mean no harm. I just want to be closer to the Emperor… for the sake of our marriage." I blurted out. I didn't mean to use our marriage as an excuse but I had to do whatever it takes to prove to him that I'm not a bad person. He seemed to believe me and he let my wrist go.

"You had better not plan anything against the Emperor." He warned me. I nodded at his words. We were alone in the pavilion and I felt awkward from the silence. I decided to ask him a few questions.

"Since we're getting married, may I call you by your name?" I asked. I knew his name however, it was forbidden to call a prince by his name unless they are of equal standing or the prince gave his permission. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you mostly known for making unreasonable requests?" He asked. I couldn't believe he was giving me sa.s.s for just asking permission.

"Well, I'll be making more unreasonable requests once we get married." I said out of spite. He looked over at me and sighed.

"Fine, I'll give you permission to call me Prince s.h.i.+ro but nothing more." He said. It wasn't hard for him to give in.

"So Prince s.h.i.+ro, is there a war breaking out somewhere?" I asked. he turned to me with an inquisitive look. He must be suspicious of me since I've been asking a lot of questions.

"No, but if you're wondering about my report to the Emperor, there's a town north from here that's been pillaged multiple times. I've asked permission from the Emperor to chase those bandits out to maintain the peace." he said. It doesn't really take much for him to talk. In the main hall, he seemed to be aloof and quiet but he's actually not that bad.

"Really? What's the name of the town? I don't think I've heard any news about a town being pillaged in our Empire." I said, he crossed his arms and looked over at the lake.

"Pu-reshan, it's a small town consisting of farmers," he said. pu-reshan? That kind of sounded familiar. pu-reshan… pu-reshan… PRUSSIAN! Prussian blue! That's the antidote.

"I finally remembered!" I shouted which caught the prince by surprise.

"What did you remember?" He asked, I shook my head and smiled.

"I can't tell you but thank you for making me remember. To show my grat.i.tude, I'll make sure to not make any unreasonable requests until we're married." I said. I didn't wait for him to say anything. I quickly ran to the direction of the exit. As I was running, I b.u.mped into my father who was on his way back to me.
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"Where are you going in a hurry, Hima?" He asked. I grabbed his hand and pulled it as I was running to the exit.

"We need to go home, father. There's something I need to do." I said. He didn't say anything and just followed after me. Since I remember what to do, I just need to find the ingredients to concoct the antidote.