The matter of Mirabelle being given a taste of her own medicine and slowly dying had been handled very discreetly by the king. To protect the royal family's reputation and prevent the scandal from spreading, even though the king's poisoning had caused a huge uproar, the identity of the poisoner—Mirabelle—was kept secret. Even those within the palace who were aware of the truth were strictly forbidden from speaking out.
It wasn't until the royal palace reopened and nobles were once again permitted to enter and reside within that rumors began to circulate. Word had it that the queen had fallen ill from exhaustion after caring for the poisoned king, and was now recuperating in a secluded royal villa.
"What a shame. I was just thinking of visiting her, only to find she's no longer here. When exactly was she sent away?" said the long-absent Countess Nelson, delicately sipping from a fine porcelain teacup, her expression one of bliss. "As expected, you've got milk tea here. This is far better than anything the shops serve."
Ever since milk tea appeared in Sardinson, the afternoon tea trend has gradually spread to other regions. Tea-and-dessert cafés had started popping up all over and were extremely popular. Some were run by the Williams family, while others were copycat ventures. But since only Sardinson had access to real tea leaves from the East, most other places served herbal infusions marketed as health teas. Authentic milk tea made with actual tea leaves could only be found in Sardinson—or in a few high-end shops in the capital, where it was a limited daily offering. Even though the price (by noble standards) wasn't steep, customers still had to line up just for a chance to buy it.
Originally, the popular sweets were things like honey pancakes and flat hard biscuits. Now, however, many had learned the basics of cake-making by mimicking Sardinson's baking techniques. But even then, they hadn't yet mastered the art of making cream, let alone more complex pastries. So most shops only sold cookies and egg-based sponge cakes—nothing close to the variety and flavor of Sardinson's delicacies.
That's why whenever there was a milk tea shop run by people from Sardinson, nobles would always choose their snacks and beverages. Afternoon tea thus first caught on among the nobility, and hosting guests with Sardinson's exquisite confections was a source of pride. Add a pot of milk tea, and it became the ultimate social flex.
Countess Nelson was a regular customer of milk tea shops and had drunk her fair share, but she swore that the tea here at Wei Wei's was entirely different from the stuff sold in stores.
And of course, it was different. Shops used lower-grade tea leaves—many of which had been dried again after getting damp, so the flavor was inevitably compromised. Wei Wei, on the other hand, only drank the best batch—fresh tea from this year's harvest.
Her tea plants had been cultivated for years and had started producing leaves suitable for brewing just this year. Although the yield was small, it was enough for personal use. While the processing methods were still being refined and didn't yet compare to Huaxia's traditional craftsmanship, the tea brought by the Great Song delegation had been fairly ordinary anyway. Besides, fresh tea always tasted noticeably better than old tea. Add to that the fact that Wei Wei brewed it on the spot, while store-bought milk tea was often reheated before consumption, and the difference was obvious.
Wei Wei simply smiled at the compliment and said, "If you like it, I'll send you some tea leaves. You can brew it yourself at home."
But she didn't mention Mirabelle at all, deftly sidestepping the probing.
The king's decision to execute the queen was top secret—even most of those close to him were unaware. But Wei Wei was one of the few who knew. The poison Mirabelle was given had been mixed and delivered by Wei Wei herself.
After confessing to the crime, Mirabelle couldn't produce an antidote. But she did divulge the formula for the drug. Since Wei Wei needed to study it to attempt a cure, a copy of the recipe was made and sent to her—though she suspected the king kept a copy for himself as well. After all, a drug like that was far too effective for him to let it slip away.
To verify the formula, Wei Wei had to make a batch of the medicine. That entire batch, in the end, had been used by the king—on Mirabelle.
Wei Wei hadn't seen Mirabelle since her arrest. But if the king had fed her the entire batch in one go, then even a slow-acting poison would have become lethally fast. She figured Mirabelle was probably already bedridden—if not worse.
She understood Countess Nelson's motives well. She'd come not only out of curiosity about her former rival's downfall but also to test the waters.
Though the king had never publicly stated that the queen was involved in the poisoning, her sudden illness and discreet relocation—without anyone having seen her since—was enough to make the nobles suspicious. It didn't take much to guess that she was somehow involved, and likely to a serious degree.
Plenty of people wanted to know more. Countess Nelson was just the first to ask—she certainly wouldn't be the last.
Seeing that Wei Wei wouldn't speak on the matter, Countess Nelson dropped the subject. She hadn't come solely to gossip—what she wanted was to bask in the satisfaction of seeing her enemy fall. Even if she couldn't witness it firsthand, knowing Mirabelle was suffering was good enough.
She smoothly changed the topic. "I came today to thank you."
"Thank me?" Wei Wei was puzzled. "For what?"
Since the palace had reopened, noblewomen had begun returning—starting with the king's concubines, then the noble ladies holding court positions. These women immediately began vying for influence again. But they were late to the game.
Elina, during this period, had already learned how to handle palace affairs. While not yet seasoned, she had the king and the crown prince behind her, plus the head steward to guide her. The other noblewomen, who had dismissed her as insignificant, found it difficult to wrest control back from her. Especially now, after the king's poisoning, he was understandably reluctant to let these women take charge again. If he didn't trust them, he wouldn't have given so much responsibility to a young girl like Elina.
Countess Nelson, however, was not among those returning to the palace. Once a socialite of the noble circle, her family's fortunes had declined after Duke Romanov's rebellion.
Though she was the cousin of the former queen, and her family had originally favored the two princes born of that union, Edward's poor health had led most—including Countess Nelson herself—to shift their support toward Prince Andrew.
But her husband, Earl Nelson, had seen things differently. Compared to the sickly crown prince and the incompetent Andrew, he believed Duke Romanov was the better candidate for the throne. While he never openly declared allegiance to the duke—given the king was still alive—his leanings became increasingly evident.
Especially when the king fell ill, Countess Nelson herself had nearly gone from neutral to openly pro-Duke. If not for her familial ties to the princes—whom she'd watched grow up—and her efforts to persuade her husband to hold back, their family would likely have become one of the purge's targets.
Just thinking about the noble houses punished for siding with Romanov was enough to make the Nelsons break into a cold sweat.
Still, they hadn't escaped unscathed.
When the Royal Knights began rounding up Duke Romanov's supporters, Earl Nelson was among those arrested. The king had already been angered by his wavering stance. He had merely waited for the right time to act.
With her husband imprisoned, the countess was terrified. The situation was too serious—if things went badly, he might be executed. His fate depended entirely on the king's whim.
Like many others, she sought help from all directions. Her first instinct was to approach Wei Wei—but Wei Wei was in the palace, inaccessible. Not even letters could reach her. So the countess turned to Felix.
Though he didn't accept any gifts, Felix didn't reject her either—perhaps out of regard for Wei Wei. This gave the countess a glimmer of hope.
When word spread that Felix had been scolded by the king for pleading on the nobles' behalf, she assumed it was because he had spoken up for her husband.
Now that Earl Nelson had been released—though it had cost them a fortune—it was still far better than being executed or stripped of title. For a family that had profited handsomely through their collaboration with Felix, the financial loss wasn't fatal.
Though they had lost the king's favor and she could no longer hold office in the palace, Countess Nelson was still deeply grateful. She attributed their salvation entirely to Felix—and, by extension, to Wei Wei. That's why she'd come to personally thank her.
This, however, was awkward for Wei Wei.
She did have a good relationship with Countess Nelson, but neither she nor Felix had intervened. The countess had completely misunderstood. But Wei Wei couldn't exactly correct her—not when the king had gone out of his way to give Felix face. She couldn't slap that face in public.
So she simply smiled, brushed it off as no big deal, and politely declined the gifts. What else could she do?
Countess Nelson, believing she was just being modest, only became more grateful—and refused to take the gifts back.
"You did our family such a huge favor. If you won't accept these, I'll just have to bring something even better next time."
Wei Wei could only accept them with a sigh.
While sipping afternoon tea and refraining—temporarily—from prying into the king and queen's secrets, Countess Nelson's love for gossip soon got the better of her. After holding it in for a while, she couldn't help herself and casually brought up another topic.
"I've heard that His Lordship the Marquis is performing brilliantly on the front lines. It won't be long before he defeats that Romanov scoundrel and returns in triumph, right?"
Hearing this, Wei Wei's smile deepened. She knew more than the countess did. As of now, Felix had already led his army through territories once loyal to Duke Romanov and was steadily pushing toward the duke's fiefdom. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell: that the duke's defeat was only a matter of time.
The better Felix did at the front, the smoother the campaign, and the sooner he would return. Having been gone for nearly a month, Wei Wei worried about him every single day. Even though she received letters every few days, they couldn't completely ease her anxiety.
She smiled and nodded. "If everything goes smoothly."
But Countess Nelson wasn't concerned about the war. What she was truly curious about was something else.
"I heard His Majesty is in especially high spirits lately, thanks to the good news from the front. There's even talk of him hosting a banquet soon?" She leaned closer to Wei Wei, fluttering her fan to cover the corners of her mouth, and whispered, "And I heard that he's planning to choose a Crown Princess at this banquet. Is that true?"
Wei Wei gave her an exasperated look. "Where do you hear all this? I knew this was what you wanted to ask."
Ever since the palace reopened and the noble ladies returned, many had considered visiting Wei Wei. But aside from greeting them once on the first day, Wei Wei never participated in their gatherings. Her reason, of course, was that she was too busy treating the king and the crown prince—no time for social calls.
Though that was partly an excuse, it was also true. The noblewomen knew perfectly well that Wei Wei was responsible for detoxifying the king and was now also in charge of the crown prince's treatment. Her days revolved around those two. Even the king's concubines didn't have as much access to him as Wei Wei did.
After all, both the king and the crown prince were under orders to rest and recuperate. The concubines could at most keep the king company with some light conversation—any nighttime activity was completely out of the question. The king had been so busy that just letting the concubines return to court was already a sign of his favor. There was no time for more.
Naturally, a few people harbored unkind thoughts about Wei Wei. But even the concubines wouldn't dare say such things aloud. Every time she met with the king or the crown prince, there were always servants present—especially with the king. Beyond her scheduled diagnoses, she rarely visited.
And the noblewomen themselves had their favorite bit of gossip—the fact that both the king and crown prince were under strict orders to abstain. So even if anyone wanted to imply scandal, they wouldn't dare say it. After all, Wei Wei was now the most favored person in court, and if nothing changed, that favor would extend into the next reign.
Yes, the next reign.
After Duke Romanov's rebellion, many nobles who had originally supported Prince Andrew found themselves receiving surprising news from their wives upon returning to the palace: the crown prince's health had unexpectedly improved.
At first, no one believed it. But one look at the prince was enough to prove it. The king, overjoyed by his son's recovery, spoke of it to everyone he met. Word spread quickly—no one believed the old rumors about the prince dying before age twenty anymore. If his health held, he could live a long life, marry, and have children without issue.
This was excellent news for everyone. Those loyal to the king were glad to see a strong heir to stabilize the realm. And those who'd once hoped to rise after Romanov's rebellion now had to abandon their ambitions.
So naturally, attention turned to the matter of choosing a Crown Princess.
If the king had talked about finding a wife for the crown prince before, few would have truly volunteered their daughters. Marrying him back then meant becoming a widow shortly—no husband, no children, and a bleak future.
The previous Crown Princess was a perfect example.
But now, the situation has completely changed. The crown prince was visibly improving, and his strongest rival had self-destructed. If a girl could marry him and bear an heir, even if the prince were to die eventually, their child would have a better claim than Prince Andrew himself.
Such a grand opportunity was impossible to ignore.
Many noble families, especially those weakened by Romanov's rebellion, saw this as a chance to rise again. Even if the prince's health wasn't perfect, they'd still be willing to gamble with their daughters—because the potential benefits were far greater than before.
So once word got out that the king might be choosing a Crown Princess, no one could sit still. Everyone scrambled to verify the rumor, targeting those closest to the king. Most sought information from the concubines. Countess Nelson, being on good terms with Wei Wei, tried her luck here instead.
Wei Wei saw through her intentions immediately. But Countess Nelson didn't deny it—she admitted openly, "You know my family's situation. If there's a chance, of course, I want to seize it."
Wei Wei said helplessly, "Even if it's true, your family doesn't have a suitable candidate, right? Don't forget—the last Crown Princess had to divorce the prince because of blood relations. You're his grandaunt, and your husband carries royal blood. Even if you have a daughter of age, the king wouldn't consider her."
The dangers of inbreeding were still a hot topic in the capital. While not all nobles believed it, most now consciously avoided marrying within three degrees of kinship. The king, being especially concerned about the health of his future grandchild, had already eliminated any candidates with close royal ties when selecting a wife for Prince Andrew. That's how Elina had been chosen. Now that he knew asthma might be hereditary—thanks to Wei Wei—he was even more determined to avoid blood relations in his selection for the crown prince.
The Nelson family was clearly out of the running.
Countess Nelson was aware of this too. Though she had a daughter nearly ready for marriage, she hadn't considered putting her forward for the position.
But Wei Wei's comment only confirmed to her that the king truly did plan to choose a Crown Princess.
That instantly energized her.
"I was thinking about other candidates," she said, without specifying whom. "We all know the king's selection criteria. Given his standards, most daughters of high-ranking nobles are already ruled out. So it's likely he'll relax the requirements a bit. My family isn't suitable, but I know a few fine young ladies. The only issue is that they come from less distinguished backgrounds. I wonder if His Majesty would mind?"
Typically, the crown prince's wife would have to be from a prestigious family. But if bloodlines were to be avoided, then most of the prominent houses with royal ties were no longer eligible. Even families with slightly elevated status might be rejected—the noble class was practically one big extended family, after all.
Wei Wei understood. "So what you're asking is: what kind of background will the king accept for the new Crown Princess?"
Countess Nelson nodded.
"That, I truly don't know," Wei Wei replied. She wasn't about to introduce potential brides to Prince Edward, so she'd never thought to ask.
Still, considering that Countess Nelson had provided her with valuable court gossip before, Wei Wei offered a small piece of information.
"If His Majesty is choosing a Crown Princess this time, the final decision will be the Crown Prince's."
Yes, the king had given Edward the right to choose his wife. His only stipulations were that the candidate must be healthy and of noble birth. As long as those conditions were met, the rest could be flexible.
There were a few reasons for this. First, as mentioned, many noble families had royalties, making the king extremely cautious about genetics. But it was also partially thanks to Wei Wei.
She had told the king that a good mood would benefit Edward's health and that marrying someone he genuinely liked would greatly improve his quality of life.
So the king thought: if the requirements were already being relaxed, why not let Edward choose someone he liked?
When Edward learned of this, he'd gone out of his way to thank Wei Wei. He also stopped being indifferent toward the idea of a bride. Rumor had it he'd recently begun asking when the banquet would be held—looking forward to it.
When Countess Nelson heard that Wei Wei even knew this, she immediately followed up: "Then do you know what kind of girl the crown prince likes?"