Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Witch of Fate’s Great Call - Chapter 29
“He asked me for help, but then accused me of trying to kill his daughter because he didn’t trust my remedy!”
Kalynia managed to get her words in first, just by a few seconds. But Duke Hamilton, unwilling to be outdone, took a deep breath and shouted back with strength honed over many years.
“But, Your Majesty! The queen intends to use wolfsbane on my daughter, and wolfsbane is poisonous!”
“It may be poisonous, but when used correctly, it becomes medicine!”
“I’ve never heard of anyone using wolfsbane as a medicine!”
“That’s only because you’re unaware. In the witch’s trade, it’s widely used—”
“I consulted several reputable doctors, including the royal physicians, and none of them had ever heard of such a remedy!”
They battled to see who could speak louder. After a while, Kalynia pressed her lips together in frustration, glaring at the duke with a face full of indignation, her fists clenched tightly. She looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
“If that’s how you feel, why did you even come to me for help if you’re not going to trust a witch’s words!”
Kalynia shot back, breathing heavily.
“I didn’t expect such an absurd remedy…”
“Duke.”
Vylon, who had been silently listening, finally intervened, and both turned their attention to him.
“If you requested the queen’s help, then trust her and allow her to proceed with the treatment.”
“But, Your Majesty! It’s wolfsbane! Are you really asking me to let my daughter ingest poison?”
She was already on the brink of death, so the duke vehemently shook his head, saying that would be impossible.
“If something were to happen to my daughter…”
Vylon glanced at his wife. During their time together, he had come to realize that she lied often—a habitual liar, really. Amusingly, despite lying frequently, she was terrible at it. She would avoid eye contact or add an exaggerated charm to her voice, making her lies obvious.
Right now, however, Kalynia was completely self-assured. Even under his gaze, she didn’t look away, as if to ask, “Are you doubting me too?” Vylon could see the indignation, anger, and sadness in her eyes. Clearly, the duke’s mistrust had deeply hurt her.
“The duke’s daughter will not die, correct, Queen?”
“Of course!”
“Very well. If the queen is that confident, then go ahead and use wolfsbane in the remedy.”
At Vylon’s approving decision, Kalynia’s shoulders tensed in surprise. Though she had raised her voice before the king, she hadn’t expected him to actually take her side.
She had raised her voice as a way of implying that if the duke was going to accuse her of such a misdeed, then she wouldn’t stand for it.
But he actually believed her. She couldn’t understand why—it wasn’t as if he particularly trusted her.
Even as she cast a suspicious glance at him, he only looked back with a gentle smile.
“Your Majesty! This cannot be allowed!”
While Vylon and Kalynia exchanged this silent understanding, Duke Hamilton shouted his opposition to the king’s decision. Vylon, exasperated, exhaled deeply through his nose before giving a command to the guards.
“The duke seems likely to interfere with the queen’s treatment. Detain him in prison until she’s finished.”
“Your Majesty! Please reconsider! Harriette is my beloved daughter. I cherish her more than life itself!”
As the guards dragged him away, Duke Hamilton continued to resist, protesting that this was unthinkable. Kalynia called out a warning to him.
“If Harriette survives after taking my remedy, you’ll get down on all fours and apologize to me!”
A simple kneeling apology wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her. She had already seen him kneel when asking for her help—that was far too easy.
Turning her back on the duke, who continued to cry out in desperation, Kalynia set about preparing the remedy. Now that things had come to this, she absolutely had to save Harriette.
If she failed, her reputation and everything else would be ruined. Included in that ‘everything else’ was a small sense of responsibility toward Vylon, who had taken her side. Not a huge responsibility, but a slight one.
Kalynia carefully prepared the remedy, mixing wolfsbane with other ingredients with utmost precision.
With her heart pounding, she took the remedy to Harriette and administered it.
Please, let it work!
She prayed as she watched. But soon, Harriette’s temperature began to spike.
Upon hearing the news, Duchess Hamilton fainted. She had already fainted once that day after learning that her husband had been imprisoned, so this was her second collapse in just one day.
