Salvador had no idea that things had escalated to this point.
For the past few days, he had been working with the royal physicians to test a new treatment. The important matters in the court had all been left to Jeremiah.
The treatment, which had been developed over several sleepless nights by the physicians in the Royal Medical Department, focused primarily on heat therapy. There was also needle treatment as a supplementary method, combined with a tonic to nourish and fortify the body.
The results had been positive-at least the headaches had lessened, and he hadn't sweat as much at night.
So, during the court session this morning, Salvador appeared to be in better spirits than he had been in recent days.
Malcolm had sought out Irvin, but the man had his own opinions. Irvin's disappointment with Salvador was profound. To him, Salvador had disregarded his own safety, ignored protocol, and dismissed the state of the war-all for reckless pursuits.
Furthermore, Irvin did not believe Malcolm's claim that the idea to find a secondary wife for the Hell Monarch was Kylie's, and that Salvador had nothing to do with it.
As far as Irvin was concerned, Kylie had been confined to the palace for a long time. Once freed, she hadn't bothered with much else except finding a secondary wife for the Hell Monarch.
No one would believe that Salvador wasn't involved in this decision.
Irvin felt that it was far more plausible that Salvador had given the order. If that were the case, it made sense. As the Oversight Minister, it was his duty to admonish Salvador if necessary.
He stepped forward without fear and said boldly, "Your Majesty, I must offer an Oathbound Plea."
Salvador's sharp eyes turned toward him. "An Oathbound Plea? Speak."
An Oathbound Plea was a formal attempt to offer counsel or make a respectful remonstration to the king.
It was often critical in nature, aimed at correcting a course of action or preventing potential harm. So obviously, Irvin was directing it at Salvador.
"I've heard that you've kept Commander Sinclair in the royal study several times, Your Majesty. You've dined and conversed for over two hours, during which no servants were allowed to be present," Irvin began.
"When Commander Sinclair was injured, you risked your own safety and visited Hell Monarch Estate late at night. Now, it is said that the queen is to choose a secondary wife for the Hell Monarch. I have no doubt you harbor no ill intentions, Your Majesty, but these repeated actions will only lead to wild speculation among the public. If word reaches the Hell Monarch, it could cause an unnecessary uproar."
He paused, then knelt on one knee.
"Your Majesty, the Hell Monarch cannot afford to lose this battle against Marshal Crow!"
The silence in the hall was deafening. Everyone held their breath, afraid even to swallow, as the tension in the room became palpable.
Salvador's gaunt face turned even more ashen. His breath came in shallow gasps, as though his throat were clogged with a lump of cotton. Each breath he took was a struggle.
He once thought that the thoughts he had would fade away once he had come to terms with them. He had assumed that others would quietly speculate, but it would never come to light.
However, he never expected that at his most unprepared moment, it would be brought up through the direct admonishment of a court official.noveldrama
In an instant, the carefully hidden feelings he had kept buried for so long were laid bare before all the officials, open for scrutiny and judgment.
The humiliation and shame caused
his face to shift from a grim pale to a deep crimson, and his neck reddene with fury. He had never known such a moment in his life-a level of disgrace so profound, it left him incapable of facing anyone.
The room was unnervingly quiet, but in his mind, a storm of criticism swirled, loud and unrelenting. The
pain was overwhelming his head throbbed as though it would split in two.
A bitter, metallic taste filled his
mouth. Before he could stop it, he
the
around him blurring as if mist clouded his vision. Everything
spat a mouthful of bloomist, not
seemed to spin in a swirl of dark shadows.
Before he knew it, he fell forward.
Even as he descended into unconsciousness, there was a fleeting awareness of the panic that erupted around him. Screams filled his ears, some high-pitched and desperate, others sharp and frantic. People rushed to him, hands catching, trying to steady him.
He tried to focus, to make sense of the figures around him, but all he could see were indistinct shapes- floating, elusive, and indistinguishable until nausea overtook him.
He vomited, but it was more blood than bile.
The last thing he saw before everything plunged into darkness was the image of someone crashing into a golden-painted column in the hall, the sound of a mournful cry echoing through the air, "I have sinned!" His hand reached out, trying to grasp something, but it slipped into the endless black void.
The court descended into chaos. Shouts erupted, orders to summon the royal physicians rang out, and someone hastily closed the hall's doors to prevent lower-ranking officials from witnessing the turmoil inside.
Salvador lay unconscious for nearly four hours.
When he woke, the world still felt like it was spinning. Soft sobbing filled his ears, but it stopped abruptly the moment his eyes opened.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty, you're awake? Quickly, summon the royal physicians!"
His blurry gaze focused, and he saw Kylie standing over him, flanked by Desmond and Robert. The dizziness was overwhelming, but he managed to murmur a few words before his eyes shut again. "Kylie, leave!"