The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 199: escape punishment

Chapter 199: escape punishment

Physician Nathan let out a deep breath of relief when he heard this. In truth, he had already completely treated the poison in Anastasia’s body, but Physician Clay was unaware. After all, King George only intended for her to be unable to conceive for a few years.

So, before taking the risk of prescribing the yellow life herb, Nathan had ensured that the previous poison had been cured.

Clay and the other physicians did not know much about poisons, so naturally, they couldn’t properly diagnose the queen.

"What do you have to say now, you poisonous woman?"

"What is this? Didn’t you just say the queen was in good health?"

Two voices rose at once—Mary questioned Dorothy, while the king addressed the three physicians.

"Your Majesty, the queen did appear to be in good health. But there are many women in good health who can’t have children," Physician Clay replied.

Mary looked at her son with disappointment. Her gaze turned toward Dorothy, now filled with hatred.

She concluded that Dorothy was skilled at acting—her face seemed open and honest, but it was all pretense.

Mary even began to suspect that perhaps someone had deliberately arranged for Dorothy to save the prince, just to get close to him. Why else would a mere wild physician have the confidence to lie so boldly in front of the royal family?

When King Edward heard this, all hope he had for Dorothy began to fade. Dorothy, who had stood confidently before, now began to feel the weight of the queen’s presence. Even the king’s gaze had turned cold.

She immediately fell to her knees again.

"Your Majesty, this really is the prescription given by Physician Nathan! Even if I were a fool, why would I add yellow life herbs when I knew it would be presented to Her Majesty?" Dorothy cried. "Please, Your Majesty, investigate further."

Mary wanted nothing more than to order someone to slap her into silence, but instead, she turned and looked at her son. She wanted to see how he would handle the situation.

Physician Nathan remained composed.

"I did indeed give her a prescription, but I never added yellow life herbs. I serve the royal family. I was aware of the queen’s previous poisoning. If I intended to harm her, why would I go to great lengths to cure her of it?" he said.

"Others were helpless in her situation. I alone told the king and queen that I could cure her. Why would I then turn around and harm her?"

King Edward took a deep breath. Physician Nathan was skilled and capable. The only possible reasons he might hurt Anastasia would be a personal grudge or political motive.

If it were the latter, Nathan and his family had always been loyal. If it were the former, he wouldn’t need to go this far. He could simply have failed to treat her effectively.

Anastasia did not have great influence in her father’s house—certainly not enough to make Nathan risk his reputation.

Seeing Dorothy weeping, the king began to believe she might be innocent. After all, the physicians said the prescription looked harmless on the surface.

He understood that Anastasia had only treated the injured and hadn’t realized she was pregnant.

But if neither Nathan nor Dorothy added the yellow life herb—who did?

He began to suspect that one of his royal relatives might be plotting against his wife, hoping she wouldn’t bear a child soon.

"Walter, investigate. I want to know if someone is playing tricks behind the scenes," King Edward instructed.

Hearing the king’s words, Anastasia once again understood what it meant not to be loved. Despite the overwhelming evidence, the king still doubted her simply because Dorothy cried.

The more she thought about it, the more bitter she became.

"Your Majesty, there’s no need to investigate further. I believe Physician Nathan had no reason to harm me. As for Physician Dorothy, she claimed to follow his prescription. I, too, have a copy of that prescription, and it does not include the yellow life herb. How did it appear in hers?" Anastasia finally spoke. She would not allow the king to twist the situation. She feared he might assign blame to someone else to protect Dorothy—just as Duchess Anita had Leah take the fall.

"Your Majesty, God is my witness—I dare not lie in His name. I truly don’t know how that herb made it into the prescription. Please, Your Majesty, investigate and clear my name," Dorothy pleaded through tears.

She could tell the king believed her and hoped he would uncover the truth. If she were innocent, surely the culprit had left a trace behind.

"Queen, let Walter investigate thoroughly. Even I was poisoned once. Someone is targeting the royal family—we must get to the bottom of this. Perhaps we’ll find a lead," King Edward said.

It wasn’t that he blindly wanted to protect Dorothy, but he genuinely believed she was innocent.

Mary frowned but said nothing. After all, her late husband’s poisoning had been strange, too.

If Dorothy was guilty, she wouldn’t escape punishment.

Just a matter of days would tell.

"Physician Nathan and the others, please leave the room. I would like a word with Her Grace and His Majesty alone," Anastasia said. Her gaze remained fixed on the king as she gave the instructions.

She wanted to preserve both her dignity and that of the king, avoiding palace gossip. If she feared living the same life she had seen in her dream, she had to act.

She no longer believed the king’s reasoning. In her heart, she believed he only wanted someone else to take the fall for Dorothy.

King Edward waved his hand. He had never seen Anastasia look at him so coldly; she had always appeared gentle.

Everyone left the room promptly. Soon, only the three of them remained.

"Your Majesty, let us get a divorce," she stated calmly.

Anastasia suspected the king wouldn’t accept her proposal, so she dared to bring it up. Even if he did, she wouldn’t regret it. After seeing how far he went to defend Dorothy, she felt the only way to save her life was to leave the palace.

Being queen was a privilege, but having a husband like this meant she would live and die in misery, just as in her dream.

Rather than hold on to this marriage, she would let it go.

The king didn’t truly care for her, so she could take some riches and travel after leaving the palace.