Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 52

I had no intention of getting involved in succession disputes or palace intrigue. If anything were exposed, my life would be at risk. Helping kill the king’s beloved mistress and his own blood would be no different from treason.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but the poison you’re describing will be extremely difficult to develop.”

After a long silence, I finally answered.

“…Why?”

A cold smile flickered across the queen’s face. I tried my best to explain with sincerity.

“Creating a poison that leaves absolutely no trace on the corpse is nearly impossible. Due to the nature of substances, it’s unrealistic, and with my limited ability, I can’t think of a way to make it possible.”

I wasn’t foolish enough to say it was because of my beliefs or my own safety. The queen’s request was unrealistic to begin with.

“Hmm…”

The queen absently stroked her swollen belly.

“So the part about leaving no trace is what’s difficult?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“In that case, I’ll give up on that part. I don’t intend to force the impossible. It’s fine if the poison leaves some traces. It just needs to pass toxicology tests. Toxicology results are considered direct evidence. Even if a political opponent dies and I’m suspected, without definitive evidence, no one can convict me.”

It seemed the queen had no intention of giving up on the plan itself.

“A toxicology test only detects previously known poisons, so a new poison will show negative results. That much is enough.”

A toxicology test wasn’t something so simple….

“As far as I know, even when a toxicology test shows negative results, if foreign substances are detected during autopsy, additional testing is performed by feeding the substance to animals.”

From the animal’s reaction or death, the cause would be identified as poison. A poison that tested negative in toxicology but positive in animal experiments would clearly be a newly developed poison. Only a small number of people could create such a substance. Among rare wizards, only someone skilled in handling toxins.

Wouldn’t the investigation start with the Magic Tower’s Research Department and the Magic Potion Development Division, where I belonged?

“Sigh… in that case, it just needs to be harmless to animals, right?”

The difficulty of the request skyrocketed.

“…Forgive me, Your Majesty.”

I bowed my head, expressing refusal.

Honestly, I felt like I could create the kind of poison the queen wanted. If leaving traces was acceptable, then a poison that passed both toxicology tests and animal experiments was within reach. I knew many rare plants and minerals few others did, and I had several original formulation methods I’d developed myself. They were meant for making medicine, but the difference between medicine and poison was sometimes only a single sheet of paper.

But of course, I had no intention of telling the queen any of that. I hoped she’d decide her request was impossible and abandon it.

“Haa…”

The queen let out several weary sighs.

“If there’s a problem, there must be a solution. I’m no expert, so I reached out to you because you’re said to be a genius in pharmacology, yet you say it can’t be done without even trying.”

“….”

I kept my head bowed in silence.

“There’s plenty of time. His Majesty is still healthy, and the bastard child is still nursing. I know it won’t be simple, so I called for you early, anticipating it would take long. Don’t rush. Research slowly. And if you need anything for your work, tell me anytime. I’ll support you as much as possible.”

“…I’m very sorry, Your Majesty,”

“Oh, I forgot to mention the most important reward.”

It felt like talking to a wall.

“If you can make it, I’ll give you an amount of money you could never earn in a lifetime working at the Magic Tower. And if you wish, I’ll grant you a title as well.”

It was laughable that she thought I would be swayed by that. If she planned to grant me a title for a secret commission, under what justification would she even award it?

“You’re so beautiful and capable, but the one flaw is that you’re a commoner. I imagine you’ve suffered many unfair things because of that. I’m sure your talents and ability have been undervalued simply because you’re a commoner.”

I hadn’t suffered many unfair things, but I certainly was right now. If I weren’t a commoner, I wouldn’t be receiving such a dangerous request.

From the lactation-promoting potion to a poison with absurd requirements, I was being forced to make these because I was a magic potion researcher and a commoner. Would she have tried to involve a noble wizard in something that amounted to treason?

“If I grant you a title, all your problems will be solved.”

“…I’m truly grateful for your words, Your Majesty, but I’m not asking for a reward. There’s a fundamental problem in creating the poison you described, and with my meager ability, I can’t think of any way to resolve it. That’s why I must speak honestly like this.”

“….”

A cold silence filled the receiving room.

The queen sat still with a hardened expression, then lifted her teacup and took a sip of the now-cold tea.

“If a genius in pharmacology like you says it’s impossible, then there’s no point in asking others.”

“….”

“But from what I see, you can do it. You have more than enough ability. What you lack is desperation.”

I opened my mouth to deny it, but the queen spoke first.

“I didn’t want to bring this up, but it seems you have an older sister.”

“…!”

My heart dropped heavily. I stared blankly at the queen’s face in shock.

“Your sister runs an herb shop, I hear. It seems both of you have a deep knowledge of herbs.”

“….”

“You’re unmarried, but your sister has a family. She even has a daughter.”

There was no doubt she had looked into my background. And….

“If you make the poison for me, your family will benefit as well. But if you refuse… well, I’m sure you understand without me saying it.”

She was threatening me by using my family.

I never imagined the queen herself would use such a cheap, low tactic. But because she was the queen, I couldn’t ignore the threat. If she touched Iella, or my brother-in-law, or Rubel…

She was a woman planning to murder Yeni Shapiro and her child without the slightest guilt, disguising it as natural death. Those two would undergo proper investigation because of their status, but my family were ordinary citizens. She would consider them disposable. To pressure me, she could stage an accident, injure Iella, or even kill her.

No.

My heart pounded violently.

“…Your Majesty.”

I didn’t know whether I should accuse her of threatening me, beg her to reconsider, or agree to make the poison. Amid the chaos in my mind, a terrifying thought struck me. What if she had already harmed Iella?

Because of developing and testing the lactation-promoting potion, I hadn’t seen Iella in a long time. I couldn’t even be sure she was safe right now.

“Don’t think too badly of me. Just as you want to protect your family, I want to protect mine. Someday, when you become a mother, you’ll understand me even better. A mother’s desire to protect her child is incomparable. There’s no way I can leave someone who will surely become a threat to the prince’s future.”

I ignored her nonsense and forced my mind to work quickly. With my family’s safety at stake, I had to choose the safest possible path. But I couldn’t bring myself to say I would make the poison.

“Your Majesty, could you give me just a little time, a few days, to think this over?”

In the end, I chose to postpone my answer. Even a little time was worth buying.

“Time to think.”

The queen considered it for a moment, then smiled.

“Fine. It was a sudden request, so naturally, you need time to think. Since we’ll have to exchange messages about the potion anyway, we can discuss this matter again soon.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”