After the king drank the first bowl of medicine, it took about half an hour for the effects to manifest. Wei Wei took his pulse again and found it noticeably steadier than before—a clear sign the antidote was starting to work.
She had mixed some tonic herbs into the antidote to help nourish his body as well. The king had once been a robust man, but after two months bedridden—and completely unconscious for the last few days—he now looked frail, and his internal condition had deteriorated significantly. To restore him to full health, a long period of focused recovery would be needed.
Since the second dose wouldn't be administered for several more hours, there was no reason for them to linger in the king's bedchamber—especially not the queen's former main bedroom. So the butler quietly arranged guest rooms for them nearby.
Wei Wei, Felix, and the others had already prepared themselves to spend the night at the palace. Until the king regained consciousness, the butler wouldn't dream of letting them leave. Thus, they had no objections to the arrangements.
"It was all prepared in haste—please forgive any shortcomings. But rest assured, the bedding is all freshly changed and thoroughly clean," the butler said apologetically as he led them in.
He wasn't just being polite. The guest room had previously been occupied, but after its last occupant and other nobles were dismissed, the room had been tidied. Since that person had left abruptly and might return later, some nonessential belongings hadn't been cleared out. The butler had simply locked up those personal items and prepped the room for new guests. It was less than ideal.
Wei Wei didn't mind—clean bedding was all she needed.
The butler also informed them that the maids' quarters were not ready yet; arrangements for them wouldn't be complete until evening.
They planned to wait until after the king awakened. His condition was being kept under strict wraps, and the butler had to tread carefully to avoid drawing unwanted attention.
Wei Wei inspected the bed, confirmed the sheets were new, and even noticed the faint scent of sunshine from a recent airing. Satisfied, she turned and asked the butler, "Since His Majesty fell ill, have the queen and princes not come to visit him?"
The butler now treated Wei Wei like a lifeline, and her earlier assertion that the king had been poisoned still weighed heavily on his mind. So when it came to matters of the king's health, he answered openly. "They did visit in the beginning. But later, when His Majesty was conscious less and less, we stopped allowing them in."
The king's coma hadn't started suddenly. Once his health began to decline, he started sleeping more and more—long stretches at a time. Even before the coma, he had shown signs of slipping into unconsciousness.
Wei Wei pressed, "So, when exactly were they last permitted to visit?"
The butler thought for a moment. "Her Majesty the Queen was last here about a month ago. As for the two princes, they were still allowed to visit up until two weeks ago, when the king—while still lucid—personally ordered that they not come anymore."
Although the king had always been a notorious philanderer, he truly cared for his two sons.
A month ago. That timeline matched perfectly.
Wei Wei continued, "And when they came to visit, did anything… unusual happen?"
The butler suddenly understood why she was asking. "You mean... are you suggesting His Majesty's illness is connected to them?" he stammered, nearly blurting out something more dangerous.
Wei Wei wouldn't outright admit who she was suspecting. After all, the three people in question—Queen Mirabelle and the two princes—were the most likely suspects, but without evidence, she couldn't make such accusations.
"I just want to know if anything unusual occurred during those visits—anything that might explain how His Majesty became ill."
The butler hesitated, then asked, "Madam, earlier you said His Majesty had eaten something he shouldn't have. Is that truly the case?"
"It is," Wei Wei nodded. "If the poison had been introduced through other means, such as contact, there would be signs—like skin lesions. I've already asked the attendants caring for the king, and they confirmed there were no such symptoms. Also, his pulse shows signs of ingested poisoning, administered in multiple doses. His strong constitution is likely what delayed the effects."
She glanced at Felix. Sensing her intent, he nodded. Wei Wei then revealed a key discovery to the butler. "According to my examination, the last time the king came into contact with the poison was about a month ago. Based on his current pulse, if there had been any more contact with the poison after that, he likely wouldn't have lived long enough for us to arrive."
The implication was clear. The butler's eyes blazed with fury, his face contorting in rage. It looked as if he wished he could catch the culprit and beat them to death right then and there.
It took him a while to calm down. "A month ago, is it? Let me think."
A month ago, the noblewomen had not yet been expelled from the palace. Back then, everyone could still visit the king—but not many had access to his food.
Still, there were a few who could.
The butler said slowly, "A month ago, His Majesty's condition was much better. At that time, the queen and several of His Majesty's mistresses took turns caring for him. He didn't turn them away."
He didn't mention the princes, and Wei Wei didn't pursue the topic either. While the princes might seem suspicious at first glance, it wasn't likely they were involved. If the king were to die, their situation would become far worse than it already was.
Without the king's protection, those two young boys wouldn't stand a chance against Duke Romanov.
What caught Wei Wei off guard was: "Several mistresses? I thought there was only one?"
She had heard rumors of a new lover, but "several"?
The butler looked slightly awkward discussing the king's affairs with a lady. "There are three."
Keeping mistresses was common among nobles, regardless of gender. And having more than one was not unusual. But it was rare to house all mistresses under one roof.
Yet their king had done exactly that. All three mistresses resided in the palace, and each knew the others' identities.
They were all noblewomen with legitimate titles—and husbands. Two were countesses, one a baroness.
The newly favored mistress Wei Wei had heard about was the baroness. The other two had been involved with the king for a long time; they were the same women who had provoked Queen Mirabelle's jealousy in the past.
Interestingly, these two had not originally been countesses. Their husbands were only granted noble titles after their wives became the king's mistresses.
This sort of "selling one's wife for advancement" sounded absurd and disgraceful, but among nobles, it was surprisingly common—and even tacitly accepted. Many husbands didn't feel ashamed; in fact, some took pride in having wives who could attract the attention of the powerful.
So aside from the queen, the three mistresses were all highly suspicious.
After answering Wei Wei's questions, the butler instinctively concluded that the most likely suspect was the baroness—the newest mistress. Compared to the long-time favorites, her timing seemed far too convenient.
From his point of view, Queen Mirabelle was far less suspicious.
After all, everyone knew she had no children and maintained a strained relationship with the two princes. Her status in the palace relied entirely on the king. If he died, she would most likely be packed off to a convent for the rest of her days.
As for the theory that Queen Mirabelle might be colluding with Duke Romanov? That was even more absurd. It was common knowledge that the duke had something to do with the suspicious death of her first husband. Had that man lived, the current queen would have been Duchess Romanov and married a man third in line for succession. The duke wouldn't even be a player.
So if anything, the queen probably wished he were dead.
The butler explained all this in detail in an attempt to dissuade Wei Wei from her suspicion. But even so, she remained unconvinced. She still felt the queen was involved somehow.
Still, this was royal business. As a physician, she had already given the necessary warning—it wasn't her place to interfere further.
Not long after, the butler got up to leave. Before going, he told them he would send someone to the Williams estate to retrieve their luggage.
Wei Wei said, "Then let Mona go with you."
Among the five maids Wei Wei had brought, Kama was in charge of decoctions; Penny was her most trusted, someone she felt safest with—plus, many people in the capital might remember seeing Penny at her side.
Upon hearing her name, Mona stepped forward and curtsied to the butler. Her stunning looks earned a rare compliment from him—followed by a not-so-subtle glance toward Felix.
Such a beautiful young thing… Surely she'd become the Earl of Williams's mistress one day?
Felix, being a man himself, instantly saw through the butler's lecherous thoughts. His expression turned stone-cold as he stared him down, forcing the butler to sheepishly avert his gaze.
Once the butler left, Wei Wei decided to take a nap—they had been exhausted by the journey.
She told Penny, "Go relieve Kama and take turns resting."
Kama had already reached the third decoction cycle. The medicine was nearly finished, but someone still needed to watch over it. Wei Wei didn't trust anyone else—not even the butler. She feared tampering.
To the two junior maids, she said, "If you're tired, nap on the sofa. No need to push yourselves."
"Yes, madam."
Then she looked over at Felix and the baby in his arms, still lively and wide awake.
Felix was much more physically resilient than she was. Smiling, he said, "You sleep. I'll keep Anthony company."
Wei Wei nodded. "If you get tired, just swap with me."
Since their luggage hadn't yet arrived and there were no changes of clothes, Wei Wei didn't bother undressing. She only meant to rest a little, so she lay down as she was—and quickly fell asleep.
By the time she woke up, their luggage had arrived, along with dinner. But since they had eaten late in the afternoon and she had just woken, she wasn't hungry yet.
She had a few bites, set aside the white bread in case she got hungry later, and gave the rest to the maids—especially those who hadn't had enough to eat at lunch.
She checked the time with Felix—it was time for the king's second bowl of medicine.