Chapter 45: A Noble Family Banquet

Chapter 45

45.1

The extract of Jinggecao is colorless, clean and transparent, and faintly emits the aroma of a herbal medicine.

Olidisi stretched out her hand, and the knight dripped the extract on her hand. It was very cold, but Olidisi's fingers did not tremble because of the coldness.

She stared at the back of her hand, at the bright yellow—

It's truly bright, a summer daisy color that can't be ignored or explained.

That touch of bright yellow caused an uproar in the banquet hall:

"Is it her?"

"That bright yellow, there's no mistaking it. She's touched the Blood Curse."

"How could it be her? Why would she poison the Duchess?"

"It's for her husband. Her husband is Hesong Karajalang."

He Song stared at the yellow and stood up, somewhat uncomfortably. "Impossible! Something must be wrong here. We haven't seen any 'blood curse' at all."

The panic and fear on Hesong's face could not be concealed, but Euridsi remained calm, her eyebrows unmoved. She even held out her hand and glanced admiringly at the bright yellow on her hand.

Cecilia looked at Euridsi, a trace of inquiry flashing across the depths of her eyes.

"You..." Cecilia hesitated, "Did you really do this?"

Olidisi smiled and said, "It seems that Miss Karagaran is not completely convinced about this."

Cecilia and Duke Hugh Caragaran exchanged glances, each seeing caution and vigilance in the other's eyes.

Euridice Arquitas was not a man so rash and foolish.

However, by this point, the discussion in the banquet hall was becoming increasingly louder. Duke Hugh Carragaran frowned and remained silent. Cecilia could only say in a deep voice, "She is suspected of murdering the Duchess. We must detain her and put her on trial. — The Knights!"

Hesong became anxious when he heard the word "detain." "No, we can't be so arbitrary. Euridice and the Duchess have no grudge against each other. She has no reason to murder the Duchess."

Cecilia glanced at him indifferently: "No reason?"

Cecilia's voice was very calm, but Hesong's lips moved slightly, as if he didn't dare to open his mouth to refute her. Cecilia frowned slightly: "Osborne and her have a conflict. She and the Karagalan family have never been on good terms. She certainly has reasons to murder my mother - not to mention..."

Cecilia paused and spoke clearly, "What's more, if my mother dies, I, a 'viscount', will no longer have an advantage in inheriting my father's title. The chances of the new barons inheriting my father's title will increase, right?"

Hesong's lips moved, but he couldn't say anything to refute.

Euridice watched all this unfold without panic, and even looked somewhat pleased. She raised the back of her bright yellow hand.

"Since such changes have taken place in my hands," she said, "you are justified in considering me suspicious. You may judge me."

Both Hesong and Cecilia were slightly startled.

"But," Euridsi said with a smile, "before judging me, should we save the Duchess first?"

Euridice said this, looking at Mrs. Agnes who was leaning on Cecilia's arms:

There was still blood at the corner of Mrs. Agnes' mouth, and her face was very pale. She coughed occasionally, still coughing up blood, and looked very bad.

Euridice turned his gaze away from Madam Agnes and looked towards the Merman Medical Officer.

"Medical Officer," she said, her tone gentle and lovely, "you just said that you needed the 'blood of the poisoner' in order to perform the chanting treatment on the Duchess, right?"

The mermaid medical officer Moman was stunned and hesitated for a moment, but nodded: "Yes."

The medical officer said, repeating the special toxicity of the "blood curse": "We must compare it with the blood of the person who poisoned it before we can remove it from the Duchess's body."

"Well, that's right."

Oledsi said, nodding slightly.

The next moment, before Lady Agnes and Cecilia could react, Euridsi suddenly pulled out his knight's sword from beside a knight with a "swish"!

The silver light of the long sword flashed in the banquet hall, drawing an arc in the air. Before anyone could react, Oulidesi had already slashed his left forearm without hesitation!

Bright red blood suddenly gushed out of the wound, making it look even more horrifying than Lady Agnes's. A male servant screamed, "Goddess!"

Hesong's eyes widened in astonishment. Olidisi glared at him and said quickly, "Bowl!"

Hesong woke up suddenly and hurriedly handed an empty silver bowl on the round table to Olidesi.

Olidesi let her blood drip from her arm into the silver bowl. Her face turned pale, but her expression was very calm and she didn't frown at all.

She did not look at Cecilia and Lady Agnes, but turned her head and looked at the other side of the banquet hall.

"The judge and administrator of Ravenmont City," Euridsi said softly, "you are here too."

The two older women looked at each other and stood up with solemn expressions; their dresses were adorned with the "Sun, Moon and Nine Lights" emblem symbolizing the empire.

The taxation and knighthood of Ravenmont were directly governed by Duke Karagaran, and the judges and administrators of Ravenmont were virtually powerless. However, they were appointed by the king himself, and they were invited to banquets and other events.

"There's also a mermaid doctor appointed by the Queen, Morman, in the city hall of Ravenmont," said Oledsi. "In order to rescue the Duchess more quickly, I hope the two doctors can work together to treat her."

The judge and the administrator of Ravenmont City exchanged a look, their expressions somewhat subtle. The administrator called out, "Hope."

A knight in a dark blue dress walked out quickly, wearing on his chest the same badge of the Empire with the "Nine Lights of the Sun and Moon" pattern.

He politely nodded and greeted the Morman mermaid in the tank: "I am a hybrid of Morman mermaid and human. Prince Rokolan appointed me to come to Ravenmont City."

Cecilia looked at this scene and curled her fingers slightly.

Things had progressed to this point, and she couldn't stop the two medical officers—nor did she. Cecilia, like her father, remained silent.

The silver bowl in Oulidesi's hand had already collected half a bowl of blood. She smiled and handed the silver bowl filled with blood towards the two medical officers.

The two medical officers exchanged a glance and took the silver bowl. The mermaid in the tank whispered, "This blood is enough."

As he spoke, he chanted two lines quickly, and the wound on Euridsi's left arm healed quickly; while the mixed-blood medical officer half-knelt beside Lady Agnes and observed the Duchess's condition.

The mixed-blood medical officer said, "She's ready."

The Morman mermaid nodded slightly and began to chant, causing slight ripples in the blood in the silver bowl; and the mixed-blood medical officer listened attentively.

After chanting like this for a while, the two people switched roles: the half-blood medical officer began to chant, and the blood in the silver bowl began to ripple again, while the merman in the tank listened attentively.

When both of them were quiet, the two medical officers looked at each other and nodded silently:

Both of them have learned about Euridsi's blood, and the real treatment has begun.

Two ancient and strange chanting voices rang out simultaneously, one slightly ethereal, the other slightly deep. It was as if something invisible was stirring in the air. Everyone in the banquet hall couldn't help but hold their breath.

Lady Agnes had her eyes half closed, having stopped vomiting blood. She was half leaning against Cecilia's arms, looking as if she was sleeping peacefully.

Everything seems to be moving towards "healing"——

However, the next moment, Mrs. Agnes' body suddenly shook violently.

"Ahem—poof!"

The Duchess suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood. Cecilia's pupils shrank slightly: "Mother!"

Agnes Felix's body began to shake violently, and the medical officer beside the Duchess's face changed: "This is not right."

The Moman mermaid in the tank also suddenly stopped singing.

"Not good," the mermaid medical officer whispered, "some foreign blood has entered her body, and her blood is rejecting it. Her condition is getting worse."

Cecilia paused and subconsciously looked at Euridsi——

The wound on Olidesi's arm had healed, however, some blood still remained on her arm.

A strand of hair fell beside her cheek. She slowly raised her left hand and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.

The back of Oulidesi's hand was stained with his own blood, and with this wipe, a bright red blood mark was left on his pale cheek.

Seeing Cecilia's gaze, she raised her eyes and smiled grimly, like a demon that had just eaten a human and had blood on its face.

"Oh, so," she said, "my blood isn't doing the trick."

The banquet hall suddenly fell silent. Oledsi tilted his head, looked at the two medical officers, and smiled, "Does this mean that I wasn't the one who poisoned you?"

The banquet hall fell into dead silence.

The guests looked at each other, with expressions of shock, suspicion and subtlety appearing on people's faces.

And Olly Desi just smiled cutely.

"Both medical officers have analyzed my blood," she said. "They have prevented my blood from entering the Duchess's body. However, not only has the Duchess's body not improved, but she has also experienced an invasion of unfamiliar blood. Isn't that right?"

The two medical officers looked at each other, their expressions somewhat bitter.

The mixed-blood medical officer replied in a deep voice, "Indeed, this lady's blood is not the blood of the 'Bloody Curse'."

The mermaid medical officer, Moman, also nodded slowly: "The blood in this silver bowl does not belong to the person who poisoned it."

The air in the banquet hall was slightly stagnant. Duke Hugh Caragaran had a blank expression on his face, seemingly unsurprised by this. Cecilia Caragaran, on the other hand, slightly closed her eyes.

Olidisi looked at this scene and said leisurely, "It seems that someone else murdered the Duchess."

The banquet hall fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone breathed softly. A drop of blood fell from Olidesi's left arm and dripped onto the ground, making a soft "tick" sound.

Euridice looked at Cecilia, curled the corners of his mouth, and revealed an ambiguous smile.

"Miss Carragalan," she said, "you just said that if the Duchess dies, you will no longer have an advantage in the succession to your father's title, and the new barons will have a greater chance of inheriting your father's title, right?"

Cecilia remained silent, and Euridice didn't need her answer.

She curled her lips and smiled, saying, "Since He Song and I are both suspects..."

She turned slowly, her eyes gently sweeping across the faces of several "illegitimate nobles".

"Then," she said, "the other new barons are under the same suspicion, aren't they?"

The atmosphere in the banquet hall was slightly tense, and the guests' eyes were involuntarily focused on Hesong, Eustace and Simon.

This was originally a banquet to celebrate the glory of the newly appointed nobles, but several of the newly appointed nobles were suspected of "murdering the Duchess".

Duke Karagaran's face was gloomy, and he finally spoke in a low voice: "All barons, submit to the inspection of 'Jing Ge Cao' immediately."

The knight of the Order of Ravenmont walked forward solemnly, holding the extract of Jinge Grass, and his footsteps were particularly clear in the silence of the banquet hall.

He Song looked at this scene with an unpleasant expression. His face was tense, and he was the first to reach out his hand.

His fingers didn't change color.

Hesong's arms trembled, and he breathed a sigh of relief as if he had collapsed.

The thin Simon stood beside him, his body trembling uncontrollably. When his right hand trembled and stretched out, the cuffs of his dress trembled slightly.

His fingers didn't change color either.

Simon immediately withdrew his hand and almost collapsed in his chair.

Eustace stood beside Simon, his thin figure and cold eyes, forming a sharp contrast with the nervousness and panic of his two brothers.

He didn't say anything, nor did he make any extra movements. He simply stretched out his right hand - with a slight "pop" sound, the extract dripped onto the back of his hand.

Eustace's pale skin suddenly turned into a bright and gorgeous yellow:

Exactly the same one as on the back of Ollidsi's hand, bright yellow.