Chapter 9: Nati’s Protection
In front of the northern gate, a hooded man dressed in all black sat proudly on his black horse, waiting for someone. He possessed the features of a fine warrior, but his face remained concealed beneath his hood.
With a swift movement, he dismounted his horse, landing gracefully on his feet, showcasing his muscular and well-proportioned physique. His broad chest, strong shoulders, and defined arms were on full display. Visible veins ran beneath the skin of his exposed hands. Though he exuded confidence with his straight posture and squared shoulders, his handsome but sickly-looking face gave him an unbalanced appearance as he leaned against his horse for support. This was King Treven of Nayak.
“Your majesty,” the man’s lips tightened into a thin line as Valtar, his guard, called out from a distance. Despite Valtar’s warrior-like appearance, he looked like a dwarf compared to his master.
“I asked you not to address me that way until we get back to the palace,” the king grumbled coldly, glancing around to ensure no one had noticed Valtar’s blunder. Fortunately, the guards at the gate and the few people entering the city paid no attention to them.
“I know, your maj… sorry, your lordship,” Valtar replied, catching his breath. Despite being a highly skilled soldier, Valtar occasionally behaved like a child. However, Treven treated him more like a younger brother than a friend, so it was hardly a bother.
“Please, where have you been? I searched the entire inn, lost my horse, and had to run. All this time, I thought you were dead, and I cried. I searched for you or your body in the woods, only to find you here. I thought I lost you,” the young soldier said, his voice quivering as if he might cry at any moment.
“All thanks to Nati for his protection,” he added, bursting into tears. Treven rolled his eyes.
Treven sighed, questioning why he had appointed this idiot as the head of the royal guards in the first place.
First, he had awakened in a strange room with the worst hangover of his life, lying next to the unstable woman he had encountered in the passageway, with no memory of how he had ended up there. The woman must have lured him in, despite her attractiveness. He didn’t appreciate being unconscious while she took advantage of him like that.
“I’d rather not talk to you right now,” he said, his tone icy. However, Valtar couldn’t care less. He moved closer to Treven and touched his forehead, finding his temperature normal, as if nothing had happened. Could his sense of smell be wrong? Valtar possessed an exceptional sense of smell, even better than some dogs. He often relied on this sense in battle. He could fight with his eyes closed as long as nothing obstructed his nose.
He could have sworn that his master’s teacup had smelled like Belladonna, the deadly nightshade plant found on the banks of Fleur River and declared forbidden ten years ago.
After Treven had awakened, Valtar had checked on him, only to find his room empty. All he had discovered was an empty teapot and a teacup. Someone who knew Treven preferred tea to alcohol must have located them and poisoned the tea. Despite another scented plant being added to the tea to mask the sweet smell of Belladonna, Valtar had detected it. He had searched the entire inn but couldn’t find his master. Their horses were also missing from the stables. He had planned to rush to the capital and report the situation, even if it cost him his life, only to discover Treven standing in front of the northern gate.
Valtar moved closer and sniffed his master’s body like a dog. Treven didn’t mind, knowing about Valtar’s unique abilities.
“Do you or do you not know that you came in contact with Belladonna?” Valtar asked, confusion etching his face. With his limited knowledge of Belladonna, his master should have been cutting ties with Nati at the afterlife bridge in the most painful manner, not standing alive and well before him.
“Deadly nightshade?” Treven inquired.
“The one and only,” Valtar confirmed.
“Then how did I survive?” Treven wondered aloud, turning around. He couldn’t believe that someone would dare poison the King of Nayak. Had they dared to lay their filthy hands on his life? They would rot in hell for attempting such a heinous act. Or could it be the shameless woman he had bumped into? She didn’t seem to have the courage for such a deed. But how had he survived this potent poison, capable of even felling the mightiest of Nayak’s kings? Scratch that, how had he ended up in her room in the first place?
“Someone must have used the tears of Natalí on you,” Valtar replied in a low tone.
“Congratulations, you’ve found your true queen,” he added with a smile and a slight bow. He was surprised to see the typically cold Treven burst into uproarious laughter.
“No, no, you’re joking. Nati must have saved me,” Treven said between fits of laughter.
“If someone saved me with the tears of Natalí, I must have made an oath to that person,” he added, still laughing at the absurdity.
“Yes, you must have made an oath for the tears to work. Making an oath means you accept it,” Valtar explained with a concerned tone, pondering the situation.
“Wait!” Treven’s eyes widened as reality hit him like a bucket of cold water on an early winter morning.
“I made an oath to a total stranger, and I don’t remember?”
“It appears so.”
He sighed.
“As soon as we get to the palace, ask Tameka to personally find whoever dared to poison me. They should be brought to me alive.”
His hornets would do the job, actually. They had been searching for the poisoner since he had arrived at the northern gate. He had communicated with them, and they were already on the case. However, no one could know about them, so he had given the order to one of his best trackers. Tameka was competent, but not as skilled as his tiny pets.
“Right now, your majesty.”
He mounted his horse and balanced perfectly.
“Any female who enters through the northern gate after us must be brought to the palace.”