CHAPTER 27: A MEETING. PROOF TO SHOW THE QUEEN HAS BEEN POISONED

The inner chamber of E country palace was steeped in solemn silence.

Queen Elizabeth sat upright on the throne, her face pale and frail, yet the aura of authority around her remained diminished.

Below her, seated on either side, were Luna and Kiara.

Further down the hall was Harvey, Lucky, and Camilla.

"Madam Luther," Harvey began, his eyes flickering subtly toward Luna before he broke the heavy silence.

"You claimed earlier that Her Majesty isn’t ill—she’s been poisoned?"

"Poisoned?

How could Grandmother possibly be poisoned?"

Kiara gasped, her face twisting in shock as she glanced at the queen before turning her wide-eyed gaze to Camilla.

"Camilla, do you have any idea what the consequences would be for spreading such baseless accusations?"

Luna, too, fixed Camilla with a dark, unreadable stare, though no one noticed the momentary stiffness that had seized her body moments before.

The queen observed Kiara’s reaction, and the icy glint in her eyes softened slightly.

She prayed the truth wasn’t what she feared.

"I don’t know," Camilla replied coolly, her voice steady.

"And frankly, I don’t care."

Camilla gazed calmly at Kiara, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Your Highness needn’t worry about me," she said with quiet confidence.

"Since I dare to make such a claim, I naturally have both evidence and certainty."

Worry about you?

Who said anything about worrying?

Kiara bit back her retort, mindful of the formal setting.

"If that’s the case," she said coolly, "then present your evidence."

Without proof, she couldn’t possibly believe that her grandmother had been poisoned.

After all, the Queen was the most revered figure in all of country E The Queen remained silent, her keen eyes fixed on the young woman before her.

She, too, wanted to know how this girl could be so sure about the poison in her system—especially when royal physicians had examined her countless times without detecting anything.

Camilla turned to Sonia, who immediately understood and stepped forward with the silver basin.

Kiara frowned at the murky liquid inside.

"What is this?"

"This was originally a basin of clear water," Camilla explained calmly, repeating the same explanation she had given to Harvey and the others moments before.

So that’s how it is.

Queen Elizabeth’s eyes gleamed with sudden understanding.

"And here I thought there was some concrete evidence," she remarked.

Kiara, however, wore a look of blatant skepticism.

"So everything just boils down to your own words?" she scoffed.

"Who knows if this so-called poison-detecting powder of yours is even reliable?"

Sonia frowned.

These people just wouldn’t let it go.

Harvey was about to step in and defend Camilla when Luna’s voice cut in before his.

"Kiara does have a point," she said coolly, lifting her gaze.

Her eyes bore down on Camilla like a crushing weight.

"Aside from this one-sided claim, does Miss Rodriguez have any other proof?

Or perhaps a method that the royal physicians could also verify?"

The dosage of the poison had been meticulously calculated—there was no way it could be detected so easily.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have slipped through countless inspections and remained undetected until now.

This woman dared to speak so boldly either because she had conspired with Harvey beforehand or had simply stumbled upon the truth by sheer luck.

"Well then," Faced with Luna and Kiara’s skepticism, Camilla merely offered a faint smile.

"Actually, there is a way," she said, lifting her gaze to meet the queen’s.

"Your Majesty, may I suggest having Dr. Lucky or another physician draws some blood for testing?

I believe the results will speak for themselves soon enough."

"Of course," Queen Elizabeth replied with a gentle nod.

"Though we’ve drawn blood many times before, and it’s never revealed anything."

Dr. Lucky shifted uncomfortably, nodding in reluctant agreement.

Over the years, they had exhausted every conceivable test to uncover the root of the queen’s ailment—yet nothing had come to light.

"Your Majesty need not worry," Camilla addressed the queen with solemn reverence.

"Through acupuncture, I’ve successfully drawn out most of the deeply embedded toxins in your system.

They can now be detected for examination."

She actually has such methods?

Luna’s hands, resting gracefully on her lap, clenched into fists beneath the fabric of her skirt, though her expression remained composed and unreadable.

Harvey had been closely observing Luna’s demeanor but found no trace of unease in her calm facade.

"Is that so?"

Queen Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, clearly intrigued, and turned to Lucky.

"Make the arrangements."

"At once," Lucky rose swiftly from his seat and bowed deeply to the queen.

"I shall see to it immediately."

With purposeful strides, he exited the room in haste.

"Grandmother, you truly trust her?"

Kiara didn’t want to see Camilla steal the spotlight.

Turning to the Queen with practiced sweetness, she murmured, "After all those royal physicians examined you repeatedly without detecting any toxins, isn’t it suspicious that she suddenly ’finds something’ with just a few needles?"

Her gaze shifted to the composed beauty below, lips curling into a cold smirk.

"Even if she did discover something, who’s to say she didn’t stage it herself?

A clever trick during the acupuncture—just to curry favor with you, Grandmother."

Queen Elisabeth’s brow furrowed slightly at this.

"Kiara, mind your words."

Though this was their first meeting, she’d taken an immediate liking to this Camilla girl.

Whether it was the girl’s role in rousing her from unconsciousness or those faintly familiar eyes—so reminiscent of Allen’s—she couldn’t say.

And then there was her San Francisco heritage.

A flicker of calculation passed through the Queen’s eyes.

This girl’s background warranted thorough investigation.

If her suspicions proved correct... it would truly be divine providence.

Allen seethed inwardly at the Queen’s unexpected reprimand over Camilla, though her face remained schooled into perfect composure.

Only her eyes betrayed her, shooting daggers at Camilla.

The moment was interrupted by approaching footsteps.

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness," Lucky entered with several royal physicians, carrying blood-drawing equipment.

"To ensure fairness and transparency," he announced, "I’ve gathered everyone here.

We’ll conduct separate tests to eliminate any possibility of tampering."

The queen nodded in agreement, rolling up her sleeve to facilitate the procedure.

The required blood sample was swiftly drawn, and Lucky, leading the team of physicians, immediately took it away for analysis.

"Your concerns are understandable, Princess," Camilla remarked calmly, speaking only after Lucky and the others had left.

"However, there’s something you may not be aware of—the toxins in Her Majesty’s system have been present for at least three years."

Compared to Luna, who remained unreadable, Camilla found Kiara’s brash foolishness far more amusing.

"Three years?"

Kiara’s jaw dropped.

It was true—her grandmother’s health had taken a sharp decline three years ago.

Back then, Camilla hadn’t even been in the picture, so this couldn’t possibly be her doing.

Even if Kiara wanted to pick a fight, she was at a loss for words.

"Let’s wait for the results before jumping to conclusions," she muttered.

Meanwhile, Luna’s pupils contracted almost imperceptibly at Camilla’s revelation, her body tensing for the briefest moment.

Harvey, who had been observing Luna closely, didn’t miss the subtle shift in her expression.

His sharp eyes narrowed.

"If what

Madam Luther says is true," he interjected, "then this is a grave matter indeed.

What are your thoughts, Your Highness?"