16 The Anxious Prince

Was it poison?

With the possibility crossing his mind, Prince Nicien Vamieres could feel fear invading his body. He hurried to Rizelle and held her while the servants rush forward, panicked.

"Call the royal doctor! Hurry!"

He lifted his wife who was now losing her consciousness and carried her out of the dining hall.

General Elias who just arrived in the Candor Palace saw the Prince running with the Princess in his arms and he quickly ran in that direction.

"Your Highness, what's the matter?" He glanced at the Princess whose side of the face was covered with cold sweat and thought of how it was breakfast time.

No way!

There was no response from Prince Nicien until he rushed inside his wife's chamber and made her sleep on the bed. Then he finally turned to his right-hand man. "Go and make sure that no one tampered with the dishes on the table. I want everything to remain the way it is left."

General Elias glanced at the Princess for just once before he nodded and rushed out of the chamber.

Now that he was alone in the chamber with his unconscious wife, Nicien Vamieres turned in the direction of the bed where he laid Rizelle.

Was it really poison? He struggled to believe that.

Before the dishes were served, his personal guards always make sure to taste them in case they were poisoned. And if the dishes today were really poisoned, it was only possible if the servants who set the table added some poison to it after the guards tasted them.

Every single servant would know that it was such a risky move that could make them lose their lives right away. It was highly unlikely.

The royal doctor arrived in no time and check on the Princess's condition. By this time, Fina and Vincent had heard the news and they were in the chamber right next to the bed. Their concern for the Princess was more than obvious on their faces.

Prince Nicien couldn't wait anymore and he stormed out of the chamber. He immediately made his way towards the dining room where General Elias was there with the four servants who set the table for them a while ago.

"Your Highness... "

General Elias couldn't say any more word as he was rendered stupefied by what the Prince did.

The moment he walked inside the dining room, the Prince picked up a spoon and tasted one of the dishes that was served to his wife! His action made the General's eyes grow wide in shock!

Prince Nicien waited but when he didn't feel anything, he reached for another dish but...

General Elias grabbed the Prince's arm to hold him back. Even he was surprised by how he got the courage to do that!

"Let go," the Prince warned. His voice was low yet deadly serious.

"Your Highness, please..." Elias knew that the Prince had consumed some kinds of poison little by little for years now and that made him immune to many and also weakened the effect of the stronger ones but... this was too risky!

"What if the food is really poisoned? And what if the poison is one you're not familiar with?" Elias asked. "Please think twice, Commander. This is too risky," he pleaded; sounding more desperate than ever.

Nicien Vamieres's gaze was on the dishes all the while. The look on his face was the proof that he was unfazed by what his right-hand man said. As such, he broke free from Elias's grip and tried to taste another dish until...

"Please don't forget your goal," Elias reminded him. "If anything happens to you, everything will be over."

The Prince's hands paused in the air as Elias's words repeatedly echoed in his ears. He stood still that way for a while before he suddenly put down the spoon, roughly, and then slammed the table with quite a force; all while the General looked at him with a perplexed face.

During his long ongoing war with the King, the Prince had encountered many incidents more severe than this but... it's Elias's first time seeing him lose his cool to this extent! The General knew the reason but... he didn't expect this much of a reaction.

While the Prince stood still, pressing his palms against the dining table, one young man walked inside the dining room and bowed before the Prince. He was Villiam, the Captain of the Prince's personal guards.

"Your Highness, the royal doctor had finished examining Her Highness. He ask if you could come..."

The Captain's voice trailed off as the Prince stormed out of the dining room, not even giving him a chance to finish his words. General Elias remained in the dining room while Villiam followed the Prince right away.

*

The moment Prince Nicien walked inside the chamber, the first thing he noticed was his wife who was still lying on the bed, unconscious. Then he quickly walked towards the bed and faced the royal doctor who bowed to show his respect.

"Is it poison?" was what Nicien first asked the doctor.

"I don't see any signs of poison when I check Her Highness," the royal doctor respectfully responded, lowering his gaze the whole time.

Nicien Vamieres raised a brow and glanced down at his wife, confused.

"From my observation, it's an allergic reaction," the doctor informed the confused Prince.

Allergy?

The Prince's gaze was shifted to the Princess's maid right away, seeking an answer.

"It might be nuts," Fina promptly said with anxiety still evident in her face. Her eyes were all red due to the tears she shed since she was informed of the Princess's situation. "Her Highness is allergic to nuts and it can become quite severe, depending on the amount she consumes."

It wasn't poison but an allergic reaction and the Prince felt as if something that choked him on the throat was finally flushed down by the water. Nevertheless, he was maintaining his composure and the anxiety that he showed in the dining hall a while ago was nowhere to be seen.

Nicien knew that there were some nuts in the soup that they had as the chef often made that way. However, it wasn't easy to spot or smell the nuts as the amount was never that much.

"Why didn't you inform the servants about this?" The Prince asked Fina who seemed to be all over the place.

"I apologize, Your Highness," Fina muttered; nervous and worried at the same time. "I plan to do that today but... " Her voice trailed off as she didn't know how to continue anymore.

Though Nicien Vamieres was more than disappointed, he didn't say anything and shifted his attention back to the doctor.

"Please don't worry too much, Your Highness. I have already given some medicines to Her Highness and she will be fine soon." The doctor briefly paused and continued, "It's a relief that Her Highness doesn't consume a larger amount of the nuts. If not, she will be in a dire condition."