TWENTY-THIRD CHAPTER
"Malediction"

25 Novie, 391 of the New Era
16th Entry

They fed me something again today. It was a white pill and had no odor. My maid forces me to swallow them sometimes. My body rejects it, but when it does go down my throat, my body strangely feels light and I feel different. I would love to think of it as something that would make me healthy, but I don't think that evil man would feed me something like that.

If this were poison—I would have died. No—I might already be dead. Am I dead? Did I actually die? I want to get out of here.

"My Lord!"

Jack rushed toward the stables and mounted on his horse. Jamie stumbled behind him, calling out his name, but Jack was way too far away to hear him. For now, he needed to rush toward the Bjorgmans.

It was ten in the morning when Jack got the message from Hiccup about Lady Elsa. Apparently, the entire Bjorgman mansion had been in chaos when the Lady suddenly lost consciousness after drinking her morning tea in the gazebo. Hiccup said there was nothing amiss; everything was normal just like how everyday is in the mansion. However, the sudden fall of the beloved Lady caused confusion within the mansion.

When Jack heard of the news, he stopped his work and immediately ran out to go to the Bjorgman mansion. Jamie was startled and tired calling him out, but he couldn't miss a single second, especially when the lady he cherishes the most mysteriously collapsed.

He rode through the forest in the fastest speed and arrived in the Bjorgman mansion just fifty minutes after his departure. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he left his horse to the Bjorgman's stable boy. He ran into the mansion when the butler let him in and bolted into Elsa's bedchamber where he saw Anna and Merida guard over her unconscious body.

"What happened?" He asked amidst ragged breaths.

Anna looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "She just suddenly fainted. We called a doctor here and he said she was poisoned."

"What?" Jack asked in shock. "What do you mean poisoned?"

"I have no idea! The servants here know exactly how much I treasure my older sister. They adore her as well! They would never try to poison her." Anna said as she gasped for air. "Kristoff called all of the servants in and asked all the knights to search their rooms for possible poisons that was put in my sister's tea…"

"Did he find anything?" Jack asked, walking toward Elsa's unconscious body.

Anna shook her head and shifted her attention to her sister. Jack saw how tightly Anna held Lady Elsa's hand and knew how worried she was. "How did you get here so fast?" Merida whispered.

"I came running as soon as I heard what happened."

"Did you perhaps plant a spy?"

Jack went silent and answered moments later. Guilty as charged. "Yes. It was to assure her safety."

"What about the maid who served her tea?" Jack asked, his breathing ragged and his heart pounding. Seeing the Lady he loved so much lying unconsciously on her bed pierced his heart so much as if a spear rammed through it. It was unbearable.

He was surely going to find the person who did this to her. And he isn't going to let them live.

Kristoff walked into the room. "She's currently held as a suspect for my sister-in-law's poisoning. Although it doesn't seem like she was the one who did it since she was shaken up."

"What did you find out?" Nokk asked, his voice cold and steely. "We asked her a few questions and all she said was, she took some tea leaves from the kitchen like she always did and brewed tea for the lady."

"How do you know she wasn't lying?"

Jack clicked his tongue and clenched his fists. "Who do you think would do this?" Merida asked. "My sister isn't the type to make enemies out of anybody! She has been staying in the mansion ever since we brought her back from that wretched place!" Anna said, her voice filled with despair.

"If I catch this rat hiding in this mansion—I will not let you off." She cursed.

The atmosphere in Kristoff's study was tense. They left Merida, Nokk and Honeymaren to look after Lady Elsa. Anna, Jack and Kristoff gathered themselves in the study. After Elsa fainted, the entire mansion was placed upside down. And the Madam of the house was left furious. Not to mention the Duke who loved far away from the Bjorgmans rushed to look at how bad the situation is.

"There is only one person I know who could do this," Jack said as he massaged his left temple. Anna nodded her head and clenched her fists. "The only person who knows about my sister's existence is she."

"No matter how much I think about it…" Jack said. "It can only be Tatiana."

Kristoff nodded his head. "But how do we know if it's her? She's not the only person after Elsa. It could be the people of Westergard."

"If it is that person, then I will do my best to catch him. But if it is indeed Tatiana, then I won't have any choice but to sentence her myself."

"We have no evidence," Anna said.

Jack pursed his lips. They truly did not have any evidence to back up that the poisoning was Tatiana's doing. However, they could certainly find out about it using different methods. If this is the case, then he will surely make use of it to the highest extent. The anger that is rising inside him right now is massive. If it really is Tatiana, then he will do everything in his power to make her pay for the crime of what she has done.

For attempting to murder a noble, attempting to murder a Princess of another Kingdom—and for attempting to murder someone he holds dear in his heart.