The Rose Of The South
Chapter 29: Morta's

While Anna and Xavier are busy in Eze City pretending to date while meeting their would-be allies, Queen Isabella is preoccupied with some nobles who have already received letters and come to Anastasia Palace. Queen Isabella also accepted the arrival of the family of Marquess Gillies, Count Montgomery and Count Renaux thanks to Anna and Xavier's negotiations with the Elise and Renaux brothers. They were willing to surrender their remaining family forces to become part of the Queen's Army.

With the arrival of Queen Isabella to the Blue Diamond, Constanza and the members of the Red Queen fully believed in Anna's words. They immediately summoned the only healer in Eze City to try to treat Xavier. Constanza, who was a member of the Smirnoff family famous for archer women, actually almost managed to kill him. It was only a few inches before the tip of the arrow hit his heart.

After the healer managed to stop his bleeding and bandaged his wound, Xavier was still unconscious.

"It must be the poison." Constanza. Even so, there was not the slightest bit of guilt in his words. He still holds a grudge especially towards the Nordhalbinsel royal family. Moreover, due to the similarity of Xavier's face with his former fiance, Prince Ludwig.

Anna shook her head, "Xavier has been hit by poison darts as well before. Poison of Siarine from the Orient. I heard it's the deadliest poison. But he was fine after." He said it was more to calm himself. Convince himself that Xavier will be fine.

"You don't understand, Your Majesty. This was different from any poison. I stole it from a witch."

"Ludwig?" Anna guessing.

"true." Constanza replied directly. Anna wants to talk about it, asking why she stole from her former fiance, but then she is reminded that she herself did the same thing to Nicholas, so she allows Constanza to continue. "Ludwig called it Morta. Poison created and developed by the tower witches. The same poison they used to kill my parents. I think there's some kind of magic in it." There was a sense of sadness and resentment that enveloped those words.

Anna was cautious as she then asked, "Could Ludwig have kept the antidote as well?"

"I don't know. My father and mother died immediately after being hit by a gun that Morta smeared with, so I never found out about the antidote."

Asking Constanza to find out the antidote to his poison might be impossible. Because Constanza definitely doesn't want to be reunited with Ludwig. After all, not necessarily Ludwig had the antidote.

Unable to find a way out, they eventually bring Xavier to be treated at Anastasia Palace. Anna immediately sent a letter to Rumelle Francis to send Francis' family doctor.

At the Palace, Constanza tells of the enslavement that took place in Schiereiland especially in the Schere region and began to spread to almost all regions, except the Duchy of Francis region because Nicholas was still holding his post thanks to Xavier. Witches and warriors of Nordhalbinsel wandered throughout the settlement, both to the mansions of the nobility and to the mansions of the commoners. The sons of Schiereiland were taken and made slaves. Some young women were even kidnapped to be taken to Nordhalbinsel. The heads of families who do not give up their children will be killed on the spot. Constanza told him about what happened to him the day after the attack on Schiereiland Palace.

After Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Smirnoff were murdered before his eyes, Constanza tried to get his younger siblings to run away despite their shaky legs. But on the way, the tower witches confronted him. Constanza tried to fight back when the witches would forcibly bring her sisters.

Suddenly his entire body was immovable and he became invisible to the witches until his younger siblings were taken away by the witches. Ludwig appeared shortly after. Knowing that Ludwig was making him immobile and invisible, Constanza took off his ring, threw it at Ludwig and stepped away.

"If you fight them, you'll die." Louis followed him from behind.

Constanza was too angry and sad to be able to say anything back then. So he just stepped in without knowing the purpose. Forcing both of his legs to walk step by step even though his entire body wanted to collapse to the ground.

"Where are you going? Come with me. You'll be safe in the palace." Ludwig said in a pleading tone. As Constanza did not slow down, Ludwig grabbed his hand. But Constanza immediately pulled back his hand.

Constanza turned around only to slap her face so hard.

"Don't. Ever. Touch me." His fizz with emphasis on every word. His eyes were radiating hatred. "Go! I'm sick of seeing you. Never again appear before me!"

Then Ludwig disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Constanza wasn't crying. His anger overcame his pain. He walked for hours. He walked all night until dawn. Until he finds a special training place for female knights who serve for the Smirnoff family. The female archers. He then told them everything and planned his revenge. That's how they became the Red Queen.

While listening to Constanza's story, Anna kept quiet. He was angry, upset and disappointed. And sad, because of what the people of the north have done to their people. He was also angry at himself for having been so weak for such a long time that he could not keep his people. It has been too long to close his eyes so that only now he knows what has hit his country.

Anna glanced at the Queen. Her mother's. Eyes glazed. Anna knew the Queen's current feelings must have been more shattered than her. The Smirnoff family is his family. The oppressed people are the people. The land that was taken away was his land. And the king who was killed that night was her husband.

"I have failed as a Queen." Queen Isabella said with a look of guilt.

"Please don't blame yourself, Your Majesty." Constanza. "It's not your fault."

Queen Isabella nodded. "It's all my fault."

"Mother..." Anna held her mother's hand. Hugged it. "Mom has not failed. Mother did not fail. We can fix everything if we stop blaming ourselves. We will fight and rise together. We're gonna find Alexis and take back Schiereiland."

...****************...

The next day, the nobles they managed to gather were already in Anastasia Palace. The palace had now become their secret headquarters. Soldiers were deployed to search for the whereabouts of other nobles. Some were deployed to go to Schere to execute their next plan.

Xavier was treated in his room at Anastasia Palace. Francis' family doctor taught Anna how to change her bandages. And every time Anna changes her bandages, she realizes that Xavier's wounds don't close. Not improving. It doesn't heal as quickly as it used to when in Trivone. Instead, the wound got worse. The stab wound on his chest was now blackened and his skin grew even paler and even felt cold. His poison slowly began to spread throughout his body, attacking his internal organs. The poison slowed his heartbeat, slowed his healing ability, and destroyed his bones from within. Slowly, each piece of his blood cells was replaced with poison, making the pale skin of his body appear covered in lines of black blood vessels that were visible on the surface of his skin like a cursed painting.

Anna clasped Xavier's hand that felt as cold and as stiff as a chunk of ice. The Great Fire Dragon without fire.

What the hell happened to you? I don't understand poison or magic at all. What am I supposed to do?

There's no answer.

There's a lot I haven't told you, so you better wake up right now before I change my mind and not say it.

There was no reaction.

I actually wanted to apologize to you. Related to many things.

Anna touched the ruby jewel ring she held around her neck. The ring is cold now. His pulse felt slow and faint.

Excuse me... I can't do much for you when you do a lot for me. You're... You came down from the sky and saved me when I almost gave up. When I have no one. When I thought there was no hope. When my world feels so dark. The moment I was about to jump off a cliff to end my own life as well as the even unborn Zuidlijk. Right, Xavier, I'm talking about a past life. I remember everything so clearly as it just happened yesterday. It was a thousand years ago, I know, but I'm sure I haven't thanked you back then. I'm even mad at you. Had you not come down from the sky and helped me, I would have died without ever knowing you. That was the beginning of all this, right? I was still dead in the end. But I died without regret. At least, I died after I got to know you. Once I know how it feels to be loved. After I felt complete happiness. Once I know what it's like to have a family I love. After seeing peace after my father's tyranny. The peace we create together, which we strive for together. I'm sorry that I left first. Had I survived longer, you would not have given up your heart and your immortality. You will definitely be immortal forever, not to be harmed by anyone. And you're not gonna lie down like this right now.

Anna closed both her eyes, pressing down on him with her hands, preventing her tears from coming out. His chest is tight and sick. It's hard to breathe.

My fault. Ii'm sorry... What would you say at a time like this?

"You did it again. Lately you have been apologizing more often. You didn't do anything wrong to make you apologize." Anna remembers Xavier once saying that.

Without realizing it, her tears began to flow. He himself did not know what he was really crying about. Too many. Everything was. Xavier is dying. His people are suffering and he has not been able to do anything. Constanza lost her family. His mother continues to blame herself. His sister still could not be found. Leon... Leon is somehow in his current state.

Leon.

The moment the name appeared in his mind, a cursory glimpse of the memories surfaced. Anna turned to her side, towards the balcony where she and Xavier were standing looking at the mountains of Elphenes and Esthers.

Xavier tells him how to tell Leon, but after that they are preoccupied with the various things they have to do. Anna had never sent a letter to Leon after that.

Anna rolled her eyes across the room. Quickly, his gaze was fixed on the eagle that was still perched inside his cage. The eagle was still motionless like a statue. The creature was created from the magic of Eleanor Winterthur, one of the greatest witches in Nordhalbinsel. The Queen of the Eternal Winter Country.

"The speaker will only send a letter to one of the Winterthur twins very quickly."

Anna immediately got up and started looking for paper and pen.

...****************...

That night, Nicholas delivered a shocking news. His spies in the Schere area said they saw Crown Prince Alexis there.

They hold meetings whenever they get the chance. One of them that night, after dinner. They gathered in the meeting room of the Palace. Anna had just finished changing Xavier's bandage and had come down only to attend the meeting because Nicholas' arrival always meant there was new news from Schere. And more than anything else, he was looking forward to the news. He needs a glimmer of hope. He needs good news that can take his mind off guilt.

"Is he alone?" Ask Queen Isabella. "Is he okay? How's condition?"

"Please calm down, Queen. I'll tell you everything I know from my spies." Nicholas. Her voice sounded calm, so Anna was sure it must be good news. That Alexis was found to be in good health and safe. "His Highness Crown Prince Alexis was seen with several soldiers in one of the noble houses in the Pruz region, on the outskirts of the city of Schere. He looks healthy and fine. He even wore noble clothes. And there was a young girl with him. According to my informant, the girl may be the same age as Crown Prince Alexis and she's a witch."

"One of the tower witches?" Ask Constanza.

"Looks not. My informant said that the girl did not look like a northerner. From his name, and the color of his skin, he's more like a Schiereiland man."

"What's his name?" Ask Anna.

"People call it Luna."

...****************...