The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 156
Duke Christopher walked towards the dining room but his footsteps stopped when he heard a small voice coming from inside.
"Let it be," Princess Eleanor’s voice came but soon it was hidden in a series of coughing.
"Princess, are you sure you are alright?" Nia’s worried tone makes Duke Christopher nervous. He wanted to take a step and see with his own eyes that the Princess was all right, but he did not have the mask on his face.
The Grand Duke’s fingers formed a fist as he took a deep breath to control his raging heart. He knew that there were times when he had to behave against his will and now was such a time.
"Is it because of gardening,"
"Shhh...."
Duke Christopher’s ears sharpened when he heard the words. The head maid had informed him that the Princess was trying to do gardening as she missed it so he did not think too much into it. The soldiers had also informed him that Doctor Raul had visited the place
"Nia, I will be alright. I just need to eat less for a day. This is not something new to us." Princess Eleanor’s whisperer caught Duke Christopher’s ears as he narrowed his eyes.
’Not something new? What does she mean?’
The Grand Duke could hear the voice of the chairs coming from inside. He did not waste any time as he fastened his steps and left the area. He knew that the Princess and her lady in waiting were about to come out.
"Lord," The butler who was on his way to the dining room saw the Grand Duke coming out as his eyes widened in confusion. His master had never done such a thing before. He was a man who knew how to control any situation and turn it around in his favor but right now at this very moment, The Grand Duke was someone who looked a little lost.
"Bring dinner to my study room," The Grand Duke said before he paused and added a sentence. "Send an extra plate and invite Doctor Raul. I have some important matters to discuss with him."
The butler nodded as he saw Duke Christopher walk towards his study room in a hurry. His master’s back was getting smaller and smaller until it disappeared.
The Butler knew that there were times that the Grand Duke and Doctor Raul would sit together and discuss things but he could not understand why that day was today. ’Did something happen?’ The butler thought as he turned around but soon he saw Princess Eleanor and her lady in waiting coming in his direction.
The butler bowed respectfully but he could clearly see that the Princess’s face had turned pale. She was not well, just like the first day that the Princess had entered the Mansion. "Is Princess not feeling well?"
Princess Eleanor looked at the butler as she smiled innocently, "A little. It is just normal pain. I will be better with some sleep."
"I will send some medicine for Princess," the butler said as he looked at the Princess. He could clearly see how hard she was trying to control her expression.
"I will be grateful," Princess Eleanor managed to say as she walked toward her room with Nia’s help. She knew that the effect takes some time to spread, but for some unknown reason, the state was much better.
’Maybe I am getting immune,’ Princess Eleanor sighed as she leaned on Nia.
The butler looked at Princess Eleanor as his eyes brightened, ’Does the Grand Duke want to meet Doctor Raul because he is worried about the Princess?’ As soon as the thought entered his mind, there was no way for it to disappear.
This mind started falling out of the situation trying to form a meaningful picture out of it as a smile formed on his face, ’Why didn’t I see it before? The Princess was brought back to the mansion to take care of. The Grand Duke is extremely kind to her and he is even worried about the Princess getting sick. How can I ignore such a historic moment?’
The butler started imagining the future that was not yet written in concrete. But soon, there was a break in his imagination when he remembered that the Crown Prince was coming tomorrow.
’Yes, the Princess is a candidate for Crown princess,’ The butler sighed as his gaze was tinted with sadness, ’But what if she is not selected as the Crown princess? The Grand Duke can be with Princess Eleanor then,’
The butler smiled as he turned around making his way to Doctor Raul. ’Maybe the Lord is the one who has caught the feelings but the Princess is unaware of them. Princess Eleanor is the first woman that the Lord had shown interest in, I have to create opportunities for them to get closer to one another. When the princess is here in the Mansion, only then can I create an ambiguous situation,’
The butler was happy with a trail of thoughts as he happily entered Doctor Raul’s workplace.
—-----
"Are we having a dinner date?" Doctor Raul’s lips twitched as he looked at the food placed in front of them while the Grand Duke sat in front. The table was small in the corner of the room beside a window. Their plates were only an inch away.
The moon was shining brightly outside as the moonlight illuminated the sky. The air was cold and it was a beautiful atmosphere but the two people sitting in front of one another had ugly faces.
"Trust me, I don’t have such a bad taste," Duke Christopher said as he took a sip of water.
"Heh!" Doctor Raul complained, "I am a perfectly fine young man, Do you know how demanding I am,"
"Then you must not be to my taste," Duke Christopher said as he concentrated on his eating, completely ignoring the man.
Doctor Raul was speechless as he narrowed his eyes, "Even you are not to my taste. But this is not the reason why you had called me here, is it?"
Duke Christopher turned serious as he took one last bit of the food before keeping the knife and fork aside. He took the tissue as he whipped his face. "The Princess is not feeling well,"
Doctor Raul took a deep breath as he kept his cutlery down. His face was filled with many emotions but curiosity was the most dominating one.
"I had my suspicions," Doctor Raul said. "He had a feeling that maybe the Princess might get sick. And I was right,"
Doctor Raul looked up as he saw the Grand Duke’s face and he knew what questions the Grand Duke wanted to ask.
"I wanted to get some confirmation first. Although I think there is no need for that now," Doctor Raul sighed as he swallowed, "the Princess had gone for gardening today."
"I am aware of it." The Grand Duke said as he leaned forward. "And you were there too. Do you think that the Princess is sick because she was gardening? Did she get exhausted?"
"Yes and no," Doctor Raul said, "The Princess got sick due to gardening but not due to exhaustion."
"Huh?"
"Well, how do I explain this? The Princess and her lady in waiting both sowed some seeds but the Princess wore gloves. When I had to arrive, both the seeds were sowed by the Princess and her lady in waiting but the results are different. One of them is poisonous."
The Grand Duke’s eyes sharpened at Doctor Raul’s words, "Poisonous seeds? Are there such seeds?"
"Well, there are some plants that produce poisonous seeds, but the poison wears off once the plant grows. But this is different. I cannot understand it completely but I think that Princess is also well aware that the seeds contain poison, otherwise she would not have worn the gloves." Doctor Raul said.
"How strong is the poison?" Duke Christopher could not help but ask. He knew that the Princess had taken huge efforts to avoid entering that Royal Palace. She even harmed herself to create a wound. Duke Christopher could not understand where the Princess got the poison from.
"It is strong. But I need more time to understand it. It is a new poison and I am not aware of it. But I think I will be able to find a cure soon, but..." Doctor Raul could not help but say. His eyes looked dull as he tried to maintain a calm face but his heart was not calm. It was beating faster and excitement engulfed him.
"But what?" The Grand Duke asked. He knew that something was not right. Doctor Raul’s eyes were not normal. And his assumptions were right.
—---
Princess Eleanor sat beside the window as she looked outside. The cold wind was making her body relax as the pain slowly whipped.
No matter how hard she tried, the princess could not sleep. Princess Eleanor took a few deep breaths as she turned to the side and asked, "What are you doing here?"
