by L. S Bethel
Once she left the room, she ran into her guard, all three sporting equally concerned expressions. Arezoo’s eyes darkened as she took in the bruise forming around her neck. “I’m okay,” she assured them. She looked to Arezoo and Nasreen. “I need you to guard the door. “Don’t let anyone in.” She commanded. The women were clearly confused but agreed. “Gyrui, find Amoli, tell her to meet me in the medicine room.” Gyrui nodded and ran off.
Serenity practically ran there. Everyone she ran past stared as the queen made her way through the grounds. She entered the medicine room. Hui was there, giving her his patented sneer of distrust which she ignored. She went past him in search of Mehdi who was in the back. Talking slowly in Xianian pausing only a couple of times to get the wording right, she asked, “Is there anything that can cause someone’s blood to turn green?” Mehdi didn’t appear to understand her. She sighed in frustration. Trying once more, she pointed to a vein in her arm, emphasizing the word green. His eyes shifted a bit before they widened in understanding.
He pointed to his head and spoke the word for pain. Serenity nodded. Mehdi raced to the shelf and began searching for something. Amoli arrived soon after. Her eyes widened as she took in Serenity’s mussed state. After a few moments, Mehdi returned with a book. Flipping through the pages he stopped once he found what he was looking for, showing her a picture of a small plant. He explained in Xianian what it was and Amoli began translating. “Omgi, very dangerous. Some believe it can be used to curse others into doing their bidding. It taints the mind, making the person more agreeable to suggestions.”
“Is it fatal?” she asked fearfully. Mehdi shook his head.
“No, but some have gone mad when exposed to it for too long.”
A sudden gasp escaped Amoli drawing everyone’s attention.
“What is it?” Serenity asked.
“Ah-Mei,” Amoli said, her voice growing sad “She had always been so happy. Those last few days before,” Amoli broke off unable to finish. “She wasn’t the same. She used to be able to ignore what the overseer would say about her, but suddenly she started believing everything that she said, no matter how untrue. Maybe what happened with her, had something to do with what happened to the King.” Realization dawned on Serenity as she processed Amoli’s words.
“But why were only those two affected? It can’t be the food,” Serenity speculated out loud.
Mehdi shook his head and spoke, Amoli was quick to translate. “It has to be inhaled. For it to have such a physical presence in his blood he had to have been subjected to it for weeks.”
“Inhaled?” Serenity repeated wondering how they could have pulled that off.
Deciding she would have to worry about that later she chose to focus on eliminating the toxin.
“What’s the antidote?”
“There isn’t one.” Serenity’s heart clenched.
“There’s nothing we can do?” she asked not wanting to believe it. Mehdi thought for a moment before speaking.
“It may be possible to burn it out of him,” Amoli translated.
“What does that mean?” Serenity asked
Mehdi left once more to retrieve something. When he returned, he had a blue vial in his hands. “Two drops of this will cause a strong fever. He will have to be watched carefully. If it gets too high, it could become fatal.”
Serenity was hesitant to grab it after hearing that. She didn’t want to risk his life trying to save him, but what choice did she have. He could not go one like this. As she reached for it, a hand came and snatched the vial away from Mehdi.
“Are you insane?” Hui exclaimed. “I will not allow you to poison our King.”
“Give it to me,” Serenity demanded not raising her voice.
“No. You are nothing but a blasphemous witch whose very presence has caused nothing but chaos and discord within this place. You may think you have our King fooled but the people have begun to see you for the godless heathen you are.”
“I am far from godless and I can assure you I need no spells or magic to deal with you. I am going to save the King, and if you try to stop me, I swear to the God I serve I will personally introduce you to whatever god you want.” Serenity meant every word, and Hui must have seen that because he didn’t struggle when she snatched the vial from him.
She looked back at Amoli. “Bring the rest of the King’s guard to our room.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Serenity poured Kang-Dae some water. He seemed much more clear-headed after his rest, but Serenity wouldn’t be fooled into thinking he was fine. She’d already coated the cup with the serum Mehdi provided as well as mixing small amounts of valerian root essence to help keep him in an unconscious state, hoping to make this as painless as possible for him. Mehdi made it clear that the toxin would need at least two days to fully burn out of his system. Kang-Dae accepted the cup without hesitation. His trust in her even in the midst of his madness made her feel even more guilty.
“Stay with me,” he asked holding on to her hand. She nodded and helped him lay back down curling herself into his arms. He wrapped her up, holding her as close as he could. He was asleep only after a few minutes. Once she was sure he was out she stepped out to see both her and his guard outside their room. “No one but Amoli and Mehdi is allowed in no matter what,” She told them. They vocalized their understanding.
“You three will watch during the day and the King’s guard will relieve you at nights.”
For this to work she couldn't have anyone trying to stop her. She would take care of him by herself. No one could know what they were doing. The culprits could not catch on. Serenity had already had Gyrui watching Hui carefully to make sure he didn't talk. She sent word to her mother in law so she wouldn't worry too much and as far as the council knew the couple was spending much needed time alone together until further notice.
Arezoo pulled Serenity to the side away from the others. “My Queen, you are meant to leave tomorrow. If you do not, you’ll miss your chance,” Arezoo reminded her. Serenity looked toward the door.
“They’ll be other chances. I can’t leave him now, not like this.” Arezoo nodded and rejoined the others.
Serenity went back inside and sat at the edge of the bed watching him. ‘I'm sorry. I'm going to fix this.’
The fever started around midnight. His skin was only slightly warm. He stayed asleep to her relief. She didn't sleep at all that night, too paranoid about the possible side effects of the drug. Mehdi had warned her about the consequences if the fever got too high, including seizures. So, she was effectively terrified. She would not be taking her eyes off of him. By the time his skin was practically ablaze, she stayed no less than a foot away from him. She spent hours cleaning the sweat from his drenched body while force-feeding him enough water to keep him alive.
By day two, her body urged her to sleep but she didn't dare. She changed his clothes for the third time not wanting him to get a cold on top of everything else. She vaguely heard someone outside the door trying to get in to speak with him, but her guard was effective in keeping them out and sending them on their way. When Amoli brought food she only ate enough to keep herself strong. She fed him broth and water. The delirium started soon after that. He would speak things in his sleep. Most of it didn't make sense but sometimes he would speak words of apology which tugged at her heart. That night her worst fears manifested when he began to seize. She could do nothing but fruitlessly try to cool him down with water and the small amount of ice she had. For one terrifying second, she thought he'd stopped breathing. Her relief was great when he finally calmed, and his breathing returned to normal. She spent the next few hours with her head on his chest just to make sure his heart continued to beat.
Serenity once again wiped his brow as he continued to toss and turn mumbling her name. She shushed him, hoping to soothe him. “It's okay, I'm right here.” She reached for the cup of water on the table by the bed. She prompted him to take the sip. He only took a couple before collapsing back i
nto his pillow. She couldn't stand seeing him like this. Despite everything she didn't want to see him in pain, but she knew she had to suck it up or he could die, and she could not allow that.
Kang-Dae started muttering incoherently. Serenity stroked his hair. Serenity shushed him once more not sure what he was saying. “I'm sorry my Neeco,” He whispered in Xianian.
“Just rest,” she told him dismissing what she assumed was an apology for their fight earlier.
“I just wanted to save you. I did not want to lose you.” Serenity froze. “Won't let you end up like them.” Serenity’s brows furrowed in confusion. ‘What was he talking about?’
“End up like who?” She asked.
“You won't be like them. Won't let you. Save you.”
“Save me from what?” She pressed.
“Min warned me …’” he muttered before descending into incoherent gibberish. Then he went still, falling asleep. Serenity sat there staring down at him. ‘What was that about?’ At first, she thought he was just feeling guilty over his treatment of her, but now she realized he might be apologizing for lying to her and from the sound of it there was a major piece of the story she was missing. Could there be there was a reason for his treachery a reason that went beyond what she’d initially thought?
Once the night passed and the fever broke Serenity was finally able to relax. She thanked God that it was over and Kang-Dae appeared fine. He was still sleeping but he looked better and the green tint in his veins was gone. She was bone-tired having had little to no sleep in several days, but she couldn't rest yet. She washed up and dressed. She called in Amoli to sit with him for a bit. The young woman saw how tired she was and pleaded with her to rest first but Serenity felt this could not wait.
“Where did Ah Mei spend a lot of time? Was it any place where the King could have been?” She asked Amoli.
“She cleaned his study for him, many times alone.”
Serenity left her guard behind as she moved toward her destination. In Kang-Dae’s study, it was dark, the lanterns had yet to be lit. She started searching around trying to see if there was anything unusual. According to Mehdi the toxin was inhaled so it had to be somewhere he and only he spent a lot of time. ‘What could he inhale that he wouldn't realize he was taking in?’ she thought to herself. ‘Would the smell not give it away?’ Unless there was a smell he was used to, she realized. Her eyes fell onto the various lanterns around the room. She reached for the one at his desk. She took it apart revealing the candle inside. It looked ordinary enough. She reached for the one hanging behind his desk and took it apart. She did the same to the one across the room, then another and another. Looking at the different candles she didn't notice any abnormalities between them at first glance. She inspected each one carefully. It took a while before she saw it. There were specks of green in the candle from the desk. She examined every candle once more, but it was the only candle with such a defect. She reassembled each lantern replacing all the candles except for the tainted one. She placed a different candle in the lantern by the desk so as not to alarm the culprit. She hid the candle among her dress and went to see Mehdi.
The young apprentice confirmed the traces of the toxin within the candle. He claimed it was rare and hard to find. Whoever found it must have had the resources to afford such a thing. That didn't narrow down the list as much as she liked as all the council had those capabilities, though a couple stood out more than others. She went to Amoli next, to ask her who was responsible for supplying the lanterns, but she didn’t know. Serenity sat there thinking about her dream trying to force a vision for answers. She thought back to what she'd seen and what she might have heard. She recalled the smoke and the distraught look on Kang-Dae’s face but there was something else. He looked hurt almost betrayed. Could whoever have done this been someone he trusted? She thought hard trying to remember anything else she overlooked when she had been too in her feelings to notice. She closed her eyes and begged God to help her recall the other part of her dream. She sat for hours not thinking of anything else. It came back in pieces, a glimpse here and there. One by one she did her best to reconnect the dream. The two puppeteers came back to her slowly but there was something else. Behind the figures another person, a woman’s silhouette. She was slowly backing away from the other two, each step causing a weight to drop off her until she was finally free to disappear. Just like that she knew exactly who was involved and if she was, Serenity knew her father was a part of it as well. Serenity thought back to the betrayed look on Kang-Dae’s face. She knew it meant the last culprit was someone she would not expect. She needed to root them out. Someone like that was far too dangerous.
Chapter Fifty
Kang-Dae still felt groggy and tired even though he had just woken up. His body felt weak, like he'd been fighting for days. He couldn't recall what had led to this feeling. Had he been sick? He felt something warm in his hand and turned his head with much effort. Serenity was asleep next to him holding his hand in his. He tried to remember what happened. What could have occurred that led to this? He could only remember seeing Hui and feeling angry. Even those memories were foggy. It was as if he had been watching it from inside himself and not experiencing it. All his memories from the past few days felt like that. Serenity slept soundly next to him. He couldn't resist stroking her hair. It felt like forever since he touched her. He knew they couldn’t continue on the way they had been. He needed to fix it, even if it meant admitting the truth. He didn't want to continue without her, but she was suffering, and their volatile relationship was starting to affect those around them. He couldn’t let this go on. He pulled the blanket over her and kissed her cheek. Needing a bath, he left the room surprised to see Serenity’s guard outside the door. They all bowed and greeted him. “What are you all doing here?”
“It was the Queen's orders,” Arezoo told him. Confused Kang-Dae decided he would get an explanation later.
Serenity slept over a day. Amoli informed Kang-Dae of his fever and how she had taken care of him the whole time. It felt good to know her concern for him was still there, but there was something in the way people stared at him now that unnerved him. Even Jung-Soo regarded him cautiously. He remembered his anger and frustration, but he had a hard time recalling why he had felt that way.
Kang-Dae was right there when Serenity opened her eyes nervously awaiting what he would see in them when she looked up at him. The warmth he saw in then filled him with great relief and hope. “Hello,” he greeted carefully. She gave him her sweet smile.
“Hi. How are you feeling?” She asked eyes barely open.
“I feel good, better.”
“Do you need anything?” She asked even though she was the one who had just woken up after sleeping the day away.
“No. you should eat,” he told her. She nodded tiredly and slowly got up. Seeing how bright it was her eyes widen. She asked him how long she had been asleep and was surprised by the answer. He assured her it was fine, and nothing happened while she was out, but she looked a bit worried asking if he spent time outside the room. Her relief when he answered he said he’d only gone to bathe confused him.
“I've got to meet with the court,” she told him as they ate.
“You don't have to do that today,” he tried to convince her feeling she still needed to rest but she declined, determined. He began to worry she was distancing herself again. Any reservations he still had disappeared when she kissed his cheeks as she left him. He went to grab his cup and his sleeves rolled up to reveal healing scratches. He didn't remember how they got in there.
***
Serenity found Yoon chatting with a couple of nobles in the courtyard. “Councilman Yoon?” The dirty look he gave her only increased her simmering anger, but she held it in. “Walk with me please.” She didn't wait for him to respond or object. She walked off leading him away from the men back towards the palace. She brought him to her study making her guard stay outside. The annoyed look on the man’s face, the way he dared to loo
k as though he was being inconvenienced made Serenity want to slam his head into the wall. Now alone Serenity dropped all pretenses and allowed him to see the full extent of her anger. Taking her dagger in hand she slammed the man into the stacks while covering his mouth to keep him from shouting. Yoon’s fear-stricken face was very satisfying to see but it was not enough.
“If you value your life you are going to tell me who helped you poison the King.”
His eyes betrayed him before he could even deny it. “Don't bother trying to lie. I know you had a hand in it and probably your daughter too.”
“She did not, I swear. She would never have agreed to cause him harm,” he claimed. Serenity tightened her hand on the dagger. “You're pathetic and I won't waste my time on you. In fact, if you tell me who you were working with, I won't let the King know that you were a part of it.” Yoon looked doubtful.
“You doing this isn't surprising, but whoever came up with this plan, the one who set this in motion, he's the one I want. In return for that name, not only do you get your life, but I will also give you something else, something you desperately want.” Yoon’s eyes lifted, intrigued. “In a few weeks, I will leave, and I won't come back. So, you don't have to worry about trying to get rid of me. You're even going to help me when that time comes.” Yoon looked so confused but also like he was seriously considering her offer. “For this to work you must keep it to yourself. No one can know about this, not even your daughter. Do we have a deal?”
