One full day had passed since the grand prince collapsed.
Yet the palace had not known a moment of peace.
A heavy silence hung over the royal grounds like a mourning veil. Servants walked with lowered heads. Guards spoke only in whispers. Even the sound of footsteps against the marble corridors seemed too loud in the suffocating stillness.
The palace felt… tragic.
It was as if the entire royal court was waiting for a verdict from fate itself.
Inside the king's study, the atmosphere was no different.
Stacks of scrolls lay open across the table, untouched. The king stood near the tall window overlooking the inner courtyard, his hands clasped behind his back, his sharp gaze fixed somewhere far beyond the palace walls.
He had not slept.
The candle beside him had long burned halfway down, its flame flickering weakly.
A knock suddenly broke the silence.
"Your Majesty."
The king did not turn immediately.
"Enter."
The doors opened and Insu stepped in, bowing deeply the moment he crossed the threshold.
Behind him stood one of the royal physicians, his expression tense.
The king slowly turned to face them.
"What news?"
His voice was calm, but the faint strain beneath it betrayed his exhaustion.
Insu hesitated for only a moment before speaking.
"Your Majesty… earlier this morning, the royal physician and I visited the palace kitchen."
The king's eyes sharpened.
"We examined the ingredients used in the meal served to the grand prince yesterday."
The physician stepped forward slightly and bowed.
"We inspected every storage container, every herb, every spice, and every cooking utensil."
The king remained silent.
His gaze did not waver.
"And?" he asked at last.
Insu lowered his head.
"We found nothing."
The room fell still.
Nothing.
Not poison.
Not contamination.
Not even a suspicious ingredient.
The physician quickly added,
"We traced the entire preparation process, Your Majesty. Every cook was questioned. Every ingredient was verified."
The king's brows furrowed slightly.
"So you are telling me," he said slowly, "that the meal which nearly killed the grand prince contains no poison?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Insu exhaled quietly before continuing.
"For that reason… I believe Your Majesty should visit the grand prince's chambers personally."
The king's eyes darkened slightly.
"Why?"
"The grand prince's condition remains unchanged," Insu replied carefully. "But the court is restless. Rumors are spreading rapidly."
The king understood what he meant.
Ministers were whispering.
Nobles were watching.
If the king appeared indifferent to his nephew's suffering, it could easily be twisted into something dangerous.
After a brief pause, the king nodded.
"Prepare my escort."
⸻
The grand prince's chambers were filled with tension.
Incense burned near the windows, filling the air with the bitter scent of medicinal herbs. Several physicians stood nearby whispering among themselves, while servants moved quietly around the room.
At the center of it all lay the grand prince.
His skin was pale.
His breathing shallow.
Beside the bed sat his mother.
The moment the doors opened and the king entered, the atmosphere changed.
Her eyes immediately hardened.
She rose slowly, her posture rigid with restrained anger.
"Your Majesty."
The greeting sounded respectful.
But the bitterness beneath it was impossible to hide.
The king stepped forward calmly.
"I came to see his condition."
Her lips tightened.
"So now Your Majesty has time to visit?"
A few of the physicians lowered their heads nervously.
The tension in the room grew sharp.
But the king did not react.
Instead, he turned slightly toward the physician who had accompanied him.
"We have completed our investigation," the king said calmly.
The grand prince's mother narrowed her eyes.
"Investigation?"
Insu stepped forward.
"The royal kitchen was thoroughly examined this morning."
"And?"
The woman's voice was cold.
Insu lowered his head slightly.
"No poison was found."
The room froze.
The grand prince's mother slowly turned her gaze toward the physician.
"Is His Majesty telling the truth?"
The physician immediately bowed.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Her expression shifted.
Not relief.
Not satisfaction.
Something darker.
Frustration.
Her gaze returned to the king.
"So the palace kitchen is innocent."
The king remained silent.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then the king's eyes shifted toward the small table beside the bed.
Several porcelain bowls and wooden containers sat there neatly arranged.
He gestured toward them.
"What are those?"
The grand prince's mother followed his gaze.
"Herbs."
"For his health," she added after a pause.
"They are part of the tonic he takes regularly."
The king stepped closer.
He examined the herbs carefully.
Some were dried leaves.
Others were powdered mixtures sealed in small paper wrappings.
His expression remained unreadable.
"Does he take these daily?"
"Yes."
The king picked up one of the packets between his fingers.
"Then I will take one."
The woman's eyes widened slightly.
"With you?"
"Yes."
Without waiting for further explanation, the king handed the packet to Insu.
"We will examine it."
The grand prince's mother did not stop him.
But her eyes followed the herb packet as if it carried the weight of something far greater than medicine.
The king turned and left.
⸻
Not long after he departed, another piece of news reached the grand prince's chambers.
Minsoo had been released.
By order of the Queen Dowager.
The moment the grand prince's mother heard it, her expression darkened.
"What did you say?"
The servant bowed deeply.
"The Queen Dowager ordered her release earlier today."
The woman's hand clenched tightly against the table.
Her anger burned silently.
Yet she said nothing further.
Because there was nothing she could do.
Not against the Queen Dowager.
⸻
Far away in another section of the palace, a very different conversation was taking place.
The Queen Dowager sat calmly within her private hall.
A brazier glowed beside her seat, casting warm shadows across the room.
Across from her sat one of the palace elders.
Their conversation was quiet.
Careful.
Dangerous.
"The book…" the elder murmured.
The Queen Dowager's expression did not change.
"It remains hidden."
The elder nodded slowly.
"That secret must never reach His Majesty."
The Queen Dowager closed her eyes briefly.
Years ago, the king's mother had died under mysterious circumstances.
The truth behind that death was written in a single book.
A record of everything.
The Queen Dowager…
And several of the palace elders…
Had kept that truth buried.
For the sake of the kingdom.
For the sake of the king.
But there was one problem.
Someone else possessed the book.
The king's uncle.
A man whose ambitions ran darker than anyone realized.
Hidden far from the palace, deep within a private estate guarded by loyal men, the king's uncle stood beside a locked chamber.
Inside that chamber was a prisoner.
A man who knew the truth about the queen's death.
And in the uncle's hand rested the book itself.
He slowly turned its aged pages, a smile creeping across his face.
"Soon," he murmured softly.
"When the right moment comes…"
He closed the book gently.
"The king will learn everything."
His eyes gleamed with cold calculation.
"And when he does…"
He chuckled quietly.
"He will kill the one person he loves most."
The Queen Dowager.
A king who murders his own grandmother…
Such a king could never keep the throne.
And when that day came—
The kingdom would need a new ruler.
The uncle's smile deepened.
"Everything… is falling into place."
Far away in the palace, unaware of the storm slowly gathering around him, the king stood in his private chamber holding the packet of herbs he had taken from the grand prince's bedside.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
For the first time since the investigation began—
He felt that something was finally wrong.
And somewhere in the palace…
The true poison was still waiting to be discovered.