Chapter 167: The Source of the Poisoning
{Third Person}
By the time the first hints of dawn began to appear over the horizon, the investigation had finally produced its first breakthrough.
Ironically, it was not the royal guards who discovered it.
It was the mages.
Throughout the night, they had examined every possible source that could have interacted with the drug found in Alexander’s wine.
They had tested remnants of food, traces of alcohol, magical residue, decorations used during the banquet, and even the banquet hall itself, all over again.
What they eventually found left them astonished.
The source of Alexander’s poisoning had been hiding in plain sight.
It was the incense.
Several incense burners had been placed throughout the banquet hall to create a pleasant fragrance during the celebration.
One of those burners had been positioned near the royal table where King Sebastian, Queen Lysandra, Alexander, and Amara had been seated.
At first, nobody thought much of it.
However, after repeated examinations, the mages discovered that the incense had been tampered with.
A special poison had been mixed into it.
What made the discovery even more alarming was the nature of the poison.
Under normal circumstances, it was practically harmless.
A healthy individual could inhale it for several hours and experience little to no reaction. Even after six hours of exposure, the effects would be minor and difficult to detect.
For Alexander, however, the situation was entirely different. His body was already weakened by the curse.
The poison had entered his system slowly throughout the banquet without attracting attention. Under normal circumstances, its effects would not have appeared until many hours later, making it extremely difficult to trace the source back to the banquet itself.
But then came the second element.
The drug hidden in Alexander’s wine.
When the mages recreated the conditions and compared the reactions, they finally understood what had happened.
The drug had accelerated everything.
Instead of remaining dormant, the poison reacted violently. It spread through Alexander’s bloodstream at an unnatural speed and then interacted with the curse itself.
The result had been catastrophic.
Even the mages were impressed by the complexity of the scheme.
Whoever had planned it understood exactly how difficult it would be to uncover.
Had Alexander not collapsed during the banquet itself, the true source might never have been discovered.
The moment the findings were confirmed through additional testing, the head of the royal guards immediately gathered a group of mages and escorted them to the Alpha King’s palace.
King Sebastian had not slept.
He remained inside his private study, reviewing reports and receiving updates as the investigation continued throughout the night.
When the mages arrived, he immediately dismissed everyone else and ordered them to explain their findings.
The room fell silent as the lead mage delivered the report.
The further the explanation progressed, the darker Sebastian’s expression became. By the time the mage finished, silence filled the study.
For several moments, the Alpha King said nothing.
On one hand, he finally had an answer. The mystery surrounding Alexander’s poisoning had been solved. And that alone brought him a small measure of relief.
His son had not been poisoned by some unknown magical affliction.
There was a source. There was a method. There was now something tangible to investigate.
Unfortunately, that relief lasted only briefly.
The more Sebastian thought about it, the angrier he became. This had not been a simple assassination attempt.
It had been carefully planned.
Patiently planned.
Someone had specifically chosen a method that would be almost impossible to trace. Had the poison taken effect several hours later as intended, nobody would have connected it to the banquet.
The culprit would have remained hidden while Alexander slowly deteriorated.
The realization made Sebastian’s blood boil.
His hand tightened around the armrest of his chair. "What a clever scheme."
The words were spoken far too quietly.
The mages exchanged uneasy glances. Everyone in the room knew that tone. It was far more dangerous than shouting.
Sebastian slowly rose from his chair. His golden eyes were cold now. "Someone believed they could poison my son inside my palace and walk away unseen."
No one dared answer.
The King turned toward the head of the royal guards. "I want every person involved in preparing that incense identified."
The commander immediately straightened. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"I want to know who supplied it." Sebastian’s voice remained calm. "I want to know who handled it."
Another nod came from the commander.
"I want to know who transported it."
The commander’s expression became grim.
"And most importantly..." Sebastian continued, his eyes hardening. "I want to know who ordered it placed inside my banquet hall."
The room became deathly silent.
Just then, the head of the royal guards bowed deeply. "It will be done, Your Majesty."
Sebastian stared out the window as the first rays of sunlight appeared over the palace grounds.
The culprit had gone to extraordinary lengths to hide their tracks. Unfortunately for them, they had made one mistake.
Alexander had survived.
And now that Sebastian finally had a trail to follow, he had no intention of stopping until he found the person responsible.
---
By sunrise, the entire palace had become a hive of activity.
The first targets were the servants directly responsible for preparing the incense used during the banquet.
A squad of heavily armed royal guards marched straight toward the servants’ quarters. The doors were thrown open without warning, startling dozens of servants who had only recently gone to sleep after working throughout the banquet.
Panic erupted almost immediately.
Men and women alike were dragged from their beds before they even understood what was happening.
Some tried to ask questions. Others attempted to explain that they knew nothing, but the guards ignored them all.
Names were demanded.
Work assignments were checked.
Everyone connected to the preparation, storage, transportation, or placement of the incense was seized on the spot.
Several servants burst into tears while others fell to their knees and begged for mercy, but the guards remained unmoved.
They had received direct orders from the Alpha King himself.
At a time like this, nobody wanted to be the person accused of failing to carry out those orders properly.
The raids did not stop at the servants’ quarters.
Soon afterwards, another group of guards descended upon the palace workshops where fragrances, incense, oils, and ceremonial supplies were prepared.
The workers barely had time to react before armed guards flooded the building.
Every entrance was secured. Nobody was allowed to leave. Tables were overturned. Storage cabinets were opened. Inventories were seized.
All ingredients used in the production of incense were confiscated for examination.
Boxes, records, ledgers, containers, tools, and unfinished products were collected and taken away.
The guards left nothing untouched.
Anyone who had worked there recently was arrested for questioning.
By mid-morning, the effects of the investigation had spread throughout the entire palace. Fear hung over the grounds like a storm cloud.
Even servants who had never set foot inside the banquet hall found themselves looking over their shoulders.
Whispers spread quickly.
Nobody knew exactly what was happening. They only knew that the Alpha Prince had been poisoned. And now the King was furious.
That alone was enough to terrify everyone.
In kitchens, servants lowered their voices whenever they spoke. In laundry rooms, maids exchanged nervous glances.
Gardeners abandoned their conversations whenever guards passed nearby.
No one wanted attention. No one wanted their name called.
Because throughout the morning, groups of guards continued moving through the palace. Every time they appeared, fear followed.
The uncertainty was almost worse than the arrests themselves.
Many of the innocent servants had no connection whatsoever to the banquet. Yet they were still frightened.
Because if the King’s own son could be poisoned inside the royal palace, then nobody knew where the investigation would end.
Already, it felt as though the entire palace had been placed under siege. And everyone understood the same thing.
Until the person responsible for poisoning the Alpha Prince was found, nobody would be allowed to rest.