May Every Wound Be Fatal - Chapter 21.1
The identity of the assassin who had infiltrated the Queen’s palace turned out to be one of the maids who had attended Reyna for a long time.
Quick-witted Aellin looked at the maid, who was making repeated small mistakes today, with suspicion, then cautiously checked Reyna’s expression.
“……”
Reyna appeared to feel no discomfort at all. More precisely, she no longer showed any expression. As if she felt nothing, as if it did not matter what happened to her.
As Aellin applied oil to Reyna’s long hair, she examined the reflection of Reyna in the mirror with worried eyes.
Clang.
A sharp sound rang out from beside them. The maid, who had looked anxious for some time, had dropped the scissors.
Aellin shot the maid a stern look in warning, and the maid repeatedly bowed her head, apologizing. Reyna showed no reaction this time either.
Aellin stepped aside. To trim the damaged hair, the maid moved to stand behind Reyna.
Her hands were trembling, and the meticulously sharpened blades of the scissors flashed as they reflected in the mirror.
At that moment, Reyna suddenly lifted her gaze and stared at the maid standing behind her.
Their eyes met through the mirror. The maid froze, flustered.
Seeing the bluish gleam of the scissors near her neck, Reyna slowly closed her eyes. As if urging the hesitating maid on, as if submitting herself to the pain that was about to come.
Sensing that something was wrong as she watched the two of them, Aellin’s eyes widened just as the maid tightly shut her own eyes and raised the hand holding the scissors high.
“Your Majesty!”
Aellin threw herself forward on instinct and shoved the maid away. The maid fell sideways with a short scream, dropping the scissors.
At the commotion, Lyman and the knights burst through the door without knocking.
The maid grabbed the scissors again. Aellin hurriedly wrapped her arms around the maid’s waist and shouted.
“Your Majesty, please get away!”
The maids tried to support Reyna and move her aside. But for reasons unknown, Reyna slipped out of their grasp and walked toward the maid who was swinging the scissors wildly.
Aellin’s eyes shook with horror, and the cornered maid could see nothing else.
The scissors, flailed about at random, stabbed into the back of Aellin’s hand. Letting out a sharp scream, Aellin lost her grip on the maid.
The maid shrieked and swung the scissors again in desperation, and Reyna’s outstretched wrist was slashed deeply.
It was not that Reyna felt no pain. Her delicate brows twisted sharply. Even so, she showed no sign of retreating.
The maid struggled to her feet awkwardly. The blade flashed, this time aiming precisely for the nape of Reyna’s neck.
Reyna merely watched it happen.
‘Why…’
It was the moment Aellin’s face contorted in despair.
“…Your Majesty.”
Arriving at the last possible instant, Lyman seized the blade of the scissors with his bare hand. With a shocked gaze, he looked down at Reyna, who had collapsed into his arms.
Reyna only blinked, as if it were strange to her that she was still alive.
In Lyman’s moment of confusion, the maid shook his hand off. His palm was deeply cut, and Lyman dropped the scissors.
The knights who rushed in a beat later tried to subdue the maid, but she was faster in taking her own life after failing the assassination. It seemed less like personal resentment and more like she had been acting under someone’s orders.
It had all happened in no more than thirty seconds.
Blood spreading from the maid’s abdomen slowly stained Reyna’s bedchamber red.
Faced with the horrifying sight, everyone stood frozen, unable to do anything for a moment.
The first to regain his senses was Lyman.
Though belated, he turned his body to block Reyna’s view so she would not see the maid’s corpse, and he gave an order.
“…Call the scholar.”
Reyna was moved to another room.
The scholar who rushed over examined Reyna. Fortunately, the wound had missed an artery, but because it was long, a considerable amount of blood had been lost.
After stopping the bleeding, the scholar burned a small amount of poppy to stitch the wound.
Reyna fell into a deep sleep.
***
When Reyna awoke from her drug-induced sleep, it was the middle of the night. A splitting headache, like her temples were being squeezed, washed over her as a side effect of the poppy.
“Ah…”
A groan slipped out of her, and she could not help but toss and turn. Perhaps because of that, she did not even realize her arm was throbbing. The stitched wound was pressed down carelessly.
Someone firmly yet carefully grasped her upper arm and made her lie on her back, facing the ceiling.
Reyna slowly opened the eyes she had been tightly shut.
“……”
Even though her head felt like it was about to split and her vision had not yet adjusted to the darkness, she recognized Elizer immediately.
However, Reyna did not want to face him. She lacked not only the strength to push him away, but even the strength to turn her head, so she simply lowered her eyelids.
That reaction seemed to displease him.
“…Why are you like this? Were you really planning to die?”
His angry voice echoed through the room. Reyna faintly furrowed her brows.
At that slight response, he raised his voice again, snapping at her.
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