Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 278: Your Heart Stopped Beating

Chapter 278: Your Heart Stopped Beating

Arabella blinked repeatedly as her husband explained with a dark expression and balled fists that she was poisoned.

It was in the wine. Alwin had checked everything and it was the wine that had poison in it.

’I just took a small sip,’ Arabella paled as she realized it must have been so potent for the effect to have been instant. She lost consciousness due to the poison just a few seconds after taking a sip.

It meant the goal was to kill her.

’But why would someone poison me now? What would they gain from killing me right when Ferdinand was about to announce his decision regarding the invitation to join the Council?’

Arabella wondered if it was Lucille’s doing. The aphrodisiac drug was also added to Andrew’s wine. But would Lucille do the same thing twice?

Even if Lucille was assured she was not deemed as the culprit in her previous plot, it was easy to tell that the same person was responsible if she tampered with the wine again.

As far as she could recall, Lucille was smart. Would she do something that implies the two incidents were related?

And most importantly, was this the extent of Lucille’s hate for her? Lucille could have her killed just like this?

Arabella already knew Lucille hated her. But they had been together for several years. Does Lucille not feel guilty at all for doing something like this despite the years they were supposed to have been friends?

Ruining her reputation and ending her life were two different matters. Was Lucille fine with staining her hands with blood to eliminate Arabella because of all her insecurities and envy towards her?

Lucille’s hatred was this deep?

’Just what did I do to her for her to hate me this much? I don’t recall us ever fighting. We didn’t have disagreements when we spoke with each other. We never fought even once.’

Ah, but that was because Lucille didn’t tell her what she truly thought about things. After all, to Lucille, she was a rival and an enemy. She wasn’t a friend. Thus, Lucille probably never told Arabella her real feelings.

Only Arabella had bared herself. Lucille kept everything hidden. And she was never important to Lucille anyway so why would the latter care if something happened to her?

’But did she really have to go this far?’

But then again, in her past life, Renee had gone so far as manipulate her just to obtain her body and appearance.

Arabella sighed deeply. Lucille was number one on her list of "snakes" now if she was truly the one who poisoned her.

[That was so deep. Is she worried? Right. It must have been terrifying for her too. She must be scared.]

But Arabella was strangely not scared. She was poisoned but she wasn’t that scared she could have died. Was it because she already died once?

"The poison was already detoxified so you have nothing to worry about," Ferdinand clarified upon seeing her turn pale. He inquired once again if she was alright and Arabella nodded.

Both Alwin and Ferdinand examined her to ensure she was fine and they both were both relieved that she was fine indeed. But they still insisted she needed to rest in the meantime.

"How long was I unconscious?" Arabella inquired since they were so worried. Her husband looked like he hadn’t had a wink of sleep.

"Three days."

"What?! That long? Then why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be announcing your decision about the Council’s invitation?"

"Why would I be there when my wife is on death’s door?" Ferdinand had such a dark and gloomy look on his face as he held her hand.

[Her hand and her whole body had turned so cold earlier that I thought I was going to lose her.] Ferdinand touched his cheek against the back of her hand to feel her warmth.

She learned from his thoughts that he barely left her side because he was scared that the moment he left, something would happen to her.

"Thank you for staying by my side," Arabella maneuvered and hugged her husband.

He wrapped her tight in his arms and listened to her heartbeat. They just stayed like this for a while so Alwin and Rendell both turned around since Ferdinand’s face was buried in her chest.

[Her heart is beating as usual. When her heart stopped earlier, I thought I would lose her forever.]

’What?! My heart even stopped?!’

No wonder Ferdinand looked so grim when she just woke up and the look of relief was evident when she spoke with him as usual.

"You will be by my side for a long long time. So don’t you dare leave me all alone. I won’t forgive you. No, I won’t allow you to leave me," Ferdinand held her even tighter.

[In the worst case, I will perform the revival ritual. Right. She’s human. I have to do some research about that early on. I never thought I would one day need it so I never learned it. But now, I understand why the others had been so obsessed with it.]

Arabella flinched. Ferdinand had already performed that ritual on her once. It won’t probably work again even if he tried.

’Ah, but then again, time was turned back instead of me just getting resurrected.’

"Ferdinand, I’m alright now. You have nothing to fear. I will be by your side for as long as you want," Arabella stroked his hair.

"Then, be with me for all eternity," Ferdinand eyed her and asked with a serious look on his face.

"I’m not sure about eternity. But I will be with you for as long as I live," Arabella would rather not make promises she could not keep.

Eternity probably meant living with him for as long as he lives, but she’s not sure she would survive that long even if he prolonged her life. She’s not even sure how long a human like her could live with that method.

Ferdinand pouted at her response and buried his face in her chest again to listen to her heartbeat.

[Does she not want to live with me for what humans call forever? It’s not really forever or eternity but I want to be with her for the rest of my life. I also want her to be my wife again if I were to be reincarnated after death like the others.]

’My goodness. He is already thinking this far. How could I ever leave him if he loves me this much?’

Arabella was overwhelmed and embarrassed at the same time. She kissed his forehead and kept hugging him so he won’t look up and see her face.

Then she realized they were not alone. Alwin and Rendell were not leaving so they probably had something to say.

And was it just her or did the bed seem wider than she recalled?

No. It was entirely different. The bed was larger than a king-sized bed.

She looked around. The room was different too. This room was so huge and spacious. The ceiling looked so far away. And the windows were huge.

"Eh, where am I? This isn’t the room in the mansion," Arabella inquired since this wasn’t Valeria Palace either. Was she in one of the rooms in the Grand Palace of Medeus?

"Oh, due to the circumstances, I brought you home. I mean to my real home. The place where I lived before I went to Valeria. We are in my palace in a place called Estrella," Ferdinand said and Arabella instantly perked up.

’They brought me to his palace in Estrella this time?!’

"Really?!! Let me see. I want to look around!"

Arabella rose from the bed excited to take a close look at Ferdinand’s true abode.

She didn’t notice her husband looking lonely after she just left his embrace.

[Her eyes are sparkling. Bringing her to my place makes her this happy and excited?] Ferdinand smiled at the thought.

[No. Even if she’s excited to look around her safety comes first. What if she suddenly collapses? I can’t let that happen.]

"No. We will do that later. You have to rest first," Ferdinand scooped her up and returned her to the bed before she could even take a peek out the window.

"But I’m fine now," Arabella reasoned.

"No. You were convulsing just earlier."

Her husband was suddenly stern.

"And your heart stopped beating," Ferdinand added with so much emotion and Arabella froze.

[Damn it. Now that I recalled it, my anger is welling up again. If she had lost her life, I will raze that whole city. No, I will just burn down all the kingdoms that could possibly be involved. How dare they almost cost me, my wife?! I will kill them all and ensure not even dust remained! Yes, I will annihilate them completely. Those damn bastards.]

Arabella flinched when her husband had a flood of violent thoughts as he recalled how he felt when her heart stopped beating for several seconds.

"Right. I almost died," Arabella reminded herself as well.

’Of course, the poison was potent. If Alwin wasn’t good at healing I would probably be dead.’

She should take it easy and recover properly before her husband gets any more violent thoughts. With how his thoughts were going, she could picture him roaring and spreading fire.

The poison might have side effects as well so they still have to be careful and observe how she her body would be in the next few days.