"What is this..."
Julian, who had been trembling, now seemed to have breathed his last. Liv instinctively realized that he had done something.
"Call a physician!"
As Liv screamed at the top of her lungs, servants who rushed in hurriedly opened the door. The servants were horrified to find Emmett coughing up blood and Julian dead. Emmett, unable to stop the bleeding, leaned on the servants as he walked in pain and opened his mouth.
"Liv, ugh, it's poison."
"What? Poison?"
"What Julian was biting was an object designed to release poison into the air temporarily when the shell is broken. Cough, gasp! I had heard it was invented in the Merna Empire..."
At those words, Liv frowned in distress. Thanks to Emmett's protection, she was fine. But why did he cover her mouth first instead of taking care of himself? He also knew that Liv couldn't die. Rather, it would have been better to let Liv die from the poison there and then turn back time.
However, love sometimes makes people foolish. Knowing that it was an action taken because she was more precious to him than himself, Liv couldn't bring herself to say anything to Emmett. She could only follow behind Emmett, holding back her tears.
"Liv, listen carefully."
"Yes?"
"Never, ever, gasp, take your life lightly."
At those words, Liv tightly closed her eyes. He had seen right through her mind. If anything were to happen to him, Liv was thinking of taking her own life to save Emmett. But with Emmett saying that, there was nothing Liv could do.
With Duke Lartman, who was supposed to hold the coronation ceremony today, poisoned, the imperial palace was turned upside down in an instant. Emmett was laid in a bed, and the physician who hurried over examined the duke with a serious face.
"Is there an antidote?"
When Liv asked that, the physician clasped his hands together, sweating profusely.
"Well, that is..."
"Answer the question!"
Her mind went blank and an urgent voice burst out involuntarily. The physician flinched at that voice and began to report.
"As it's a poison not yet reported domestically..."
"Then are you saying there's no treatment method?"
"Of, of course we will find one..."
Emmett, who had been coughing up blood, had lost consciousness and collapsed. As he could die at any moment, Liv became even more frustrated.
Of course, there was a way even if Emmett died. Liv could commit suicide again and smear her blood on Emmett, but... she didn't want Emmett to receive divine punishment again. They had just tried to be happy, she couldn't ruin all their relationships.
"Why on earth..."
Just when she thought they were finally going to be happy, this kind of thing happened to Liv again. As familiar misfortune struck Liv, she instantly felt dejected. At times like this, Liv always felt powerless.
"A way, there must be a way..."
Yes, she could use divine power. Although she had used up all her divine power when punishing August recently, she could go to the sanctuary again to gain power. However, as Liv hurriedly searched for divine power, her face soon became blank. Because...
"Life, life is not allowed..."
Although it was said that Liv could part the sea and make it rain when she used divine power, only the power to deal with 'life' was not permitted. That was a taboo area that even the gods couldn't touch from the beginning.
With Emmett's life in critical condition, Liv could do nothing.
"This can't be..."
As Liv collapsed to the floor, the maids supported her with tearful faces.
"Your, Your Majesty! It will be alright!"
"You need to pull yourself together at times like this!"
But Liv's mind had gone blank, and she couldn't hear any voices at all. Ah, sinking once again... Down, and further down... Was this her fate? To always fight against misfortune that keeps coming.
"Should we call all the physicians?"
"No, rather should we ask Lartman's knights? They might know more about poisons since they fight..."
At those words, Liv finally slowly raised her head. Her sinking reason began to float up little by little again. With even the maids trying so hard for her, she couldn't just sit there stupidly doing nothing.
"No, that's not it..."
"Pardon?"
"Call Walter Hamelsvoort and Hildegard Hamelsvoort."
* * *
Walter and Hildegard were staying at the Hamelsvoort mansion. Although it was said to have become ruins, as Hamelsvoort was to be reinstated, they were gradually repairing the building through workers and looking for servants.
Upon receiving Liv's contact, Walter and Hildegard quickly rode horses instead of taking a carriage.
"Liv! Are you alright? My goodness..."
Walter's face darkened as he saw Emmett lying in bed and Liv sitting in front of him with a desperate face.
"Sister..."
Hildegard, who walked in behind Walter, also wrapped her arms around Liv's shoulders.
"Hilda, can you heal him?"
"Sister, you know..."
They all knew that answer. If Liv couldn't do it, neither could Hildegard. Hildegard's power as a saintess could heal people, but she couldn't save someone who was dying. She could only cure illnesses unrelated to life.
As Liv staggered at those words, Hildegard quickly supported her. Meanwhile, Walter listened to the explanation from the physician, then after pondering for a while, opened his mouth.
"Yes, I feel like I've seen this kind of poison in some life..."
"You've seen it before?"
At those words, a glimmer of hope finally shone in Liv's eyes. In Walter's many lives he had lived, there might be an answer. That was also why Liv had called Walter.
However, at Walter's next words, Liv almost burst into tears.
"We couldn't find a way to detoxify it then, and that person ended up losing his life."
"What?"
So in the end, Walter didn't know how to detoxify it either. Liv's hands trembled violently.
"Then Emmett..."
"Calm down, Liv. There will be a way."
As Walter gestured to Hildegard, she wrapped a blanket that was nearby around Liv's body.
"In the past, I once worked in a mercenary group. At that time, one of the mercenaries was poisoned by this. We commissioned the best physician to create several candidate medicines that could detoxify this poison, but before we could test all those medicines, that person couldn't hold on and died. Still, since I remember what happened then, we can narrow down the range more. If we try all of those, we should find an answer."
"Will, will that be alright?"
"Liv, don't worry and attend the coronation ceremony. I'll treat Duke Lartman in the meantime."
However, Liv felt she couldn't possibly focus on the coronation ceremony. She might end up crying uncontrollably during the ceremony. Ah, to show tears as her first appearance in front of the imperial citizens. Everything would be ruined.
"Sister, you really have to go... Although Duke Lartman was supposed to attend the coronation ceremony too, the ceremony doesn't stop just because he's absent. For now, come to the coronation ceremony with me."
Hildegard gently coaxed Liv and pulled her out of the room. All the while, Liv kept anxiously glancing at Emmett. What if something happened to Emmett while Liv was at the coronation ceremony? Her mind was in turmoil with worry about Emmett.
"Liv, this poison doesn't spread quickly, so we'll have a few days."
Walter repeatedly spoke words to reassure her, but Liv just couldn't be at ease... Hildegard dragged Liv to the maids, and the maids were surprised to see Liv's reddened eyes and hurriedly applied makeup. A white cape was placed over her white dress. It was an excessively large and heavy cape for Liv, but they said it was the custom.
"You look truly majestic, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, don't worry too much, the coronation ceremony will be over soon..."
Although the maids spoke kind words to Liv, she remained depressed throughout.
"Now, sister, no, Your Majesty. We must go now."
Hildegard held one of Liv's arms, and Liv walked staggeringly, leaning on her arm. All the while, Liv was in a daze. What if Emmett really dies? Then Liv would lose her reason for living. Emmett was Liv's life itself. If it weren't for Emmett, Liv would have lived imprisoned in Abgrund forever, wouldn't have come to this place, and wouldn't even have thought of wanting to come.
If Emmett dies, it would be better for Liv to die with him. But the love of the gods did not allow Liv to take her own life.
"Sob, Hilda..."
As Liv finally burst into tears, unable to hold back any longer, Hildegard anxiously embraced Liv in her arms.
"Your Majesty, you must be composed. You're the Emperor now."
"I know. But..."
Liv thought she had acquired all the qualifications to be a monarch while staying in the Merna Empire and the Kingdom of Ashur, but she was still far from being a true emperor. She couldn't possibly pull herself together even with the coronation ceremony right in front of her.
"You know, I have a way to save Emmett..."
"Sister!"
"But I don't want Emmett to suffer divine punishment again... And Emmett didn't want that either..."
"Yes, the Duke wouldn't want that either!"
Liv looked at the huge red carpet in front of her. If she walked along this path, Liv would arrive at the coronation ceremony. And she would become the Emperor of the Holy Hilysid Empire.
On the other hand, if she turned back, Emmett would be there.
Of course, even if Liv went to Emmett, there was nothing she could do. And Emmett would want Liv to attend the coronation ceremony. But...
"I have to go back."
"What?"
Without answering Hildegard who was shocked, Liv clenched her fists tightly.
'In the end, it was love that brought me to this place.'