Interstellar Beastworld: Raising A Cub With My Mummy System!-Chapter 16: TRACE THE POISON

"I just know. My body reacted." Lin Yue pressed a hand to her stomach. "Please fetch Physician Vethra. And send word to Prince Uriel. Tell him something is wrong with my breakfast."

The maid hesitated only a second before nodding and running from the room.

Lin Yue sat back against the pillows, her hand never leaving her stomach.

The baby moved beneath her palm, a small flutter, completely unaware.

[YOU HANDLED THAT WELL. THE MAID SUSPECTS NOTHING.]

"Who would do this?" she whispered.

[THAT IS WHAT THE PRINCE WILL DISCOVER. THE TOXIN WAS POTENT. DESIGNED TO KILL THE BABY AND YOU BOTH. THIS WAS NOT RANDOM.]

She closed her eyes and waited.

Vethra arrived first, her fox ears sharp and alert, her medical scanner already in hand.

She took in the scene with a single glance, the spilled water, the tray of food, Lin Yue’s pale face.

"Do not touch anything..." Lin Yue said. "The water made me dizzy. I think it was poisoned."

Vethra moved to the tray and began running her scanner over everything. Her expression grew darker with each reading.

"Powerful toxin.." she said quietly. "Designed to induce miscarriage and organ failure. If you had drunk more, if you had swallowed any of it..." She trailed off.

The baby kicked hard.

Lin Yue kept her hand on her stomach and waited for Uriel to come.

Vethra straightened and turned to the door. "Guards!"

Two soldiers appeared immediately, their hands on their weapons.

"Secure this room. No one enters or leaves without my approval. Send someone to the kitchen. Find out who prepared this tray and bring them to me."

The guards saluted and moved into position.

One of them hurried down the corridor toward the kitchen.

Vethra turned back to Lin Yue. "How did you know? The dizziness came before you could have absorbed enough to feel any effects."

Lin Yue met her eyes steadily. "I have always had a sensitive stomach. The moment it touched my lips, I knew something was wrong."

Vethra studied her for a long moment, then nodded. "Whatever the reason, your instincts saved your life and your baby’s life."

[THAT WAS CLOSE. SHE ALMOST ASKED MORE QUESTIONS.]

Lin Yue ignored the screen and focused on breathing.

Uriel arrived seven minutes later.

She knew because MS counted.

Seven minutes from the moment the maid reached him to the moment he burst through the door, his chest heaving, his gold eyes wild in a way she had never seen.

He crossed the room in three strides and dropped to his knees beside the bed. His hands went to her face, her shoulders, her stomach, checking, searching, making sure she was whole.

"I am fine.." she said quickly. "I did not drink it. The baby is fine."

Uriel’s hands pressed against her stomach.

The baby kicked immediately, right where his palms rested.

He closed his eyes.

His forehead dropped to her shoulder.

For a long moment, he did not move. His breath came in uneven waves against her skin.

Lin Yue did not know what to do. She raised her hand slowly and placed it on the back of his head, her fingers threading through his white hair.

"I am okay.." she whispered. "We are both okay."

Uriel said nothing.

He just stayed there, his face pressed to her shoulder, his hands on her stomach, feeling their child move beneath his palms.

Vethra quietly moved to the door and gestured for the guards to step outside.

She followed them, closing the door softly behind her.

Lin Yue kept her hand on Uriel’s head, stroking gently, saying nothing. The baby kept moving, small flutters and kicks, like they were trying to comfort their father too.

Minutes passed.

Finally, Uriel lifted his head. His eyes were red-rimmed, though no tears had fallen.

His voice when he spoke was rough.

"I received the message and I could not move fast enough. The corridor stretched forever. Every step felt like I was running through water." He swallowed hard. "I thought I would arrive and find you gone."

Lin Yue’s throat tightened. "I am here. We are here."

Uriel looked at her stomach, at his hands still resting there. "When I thought I might lose you both..." He trailed off, unable to finish.

"You do not have to say it."

"I know." He met her eyes. "But I want you to know. Whatever happens next, I will protect you both. With my life if necessary."

The baby kicked hard against his palm.

Uriel almost smiled. "They agree."

Lin Yue laughed softly, the sound wet with unshed tears. "They have strong opinions."

"Like their mother."

The door opened and Magus entered without waiting. His expression was grim.

"My prince. We have identified the woman who prepared the tray."

Uriel straightened but did not move his hands from Lin Yue’s stomach. "Who?"

"A kitchen worker named Kaela. Eighteen years in the palace. No prior incidents." Magus paused. "She was found in the back of the kitchen with a knife in her hand. She was about to take her own life."

Lin Yue’s breath caught.

Uriel’s jaw tightened. "Is she alive?"

"Yes. The guards stopped her in time. She is in custody now." Magus hesitated. "She is not talking. But she has a son in the guard and a daughter married to a minor lord’s nephew."

Uriel’s hands curled into fists on Lin Yue’s stomach. "Find out who ordered her to do this. Trace the poison. I want answers by nightfall."

Magus bowed and left.

Lin Yue looked at Uriel. "But why would she know something like this? We don’t even know each other.."

Uriel shook his head, the castle habored too much darkness to ever be clean.

Lin Yue was simply too innocent for it.

"I will get to the bottom of it. She should have died rather than fall into my clutches, because I won’t be sparing her or the person who gave her that poison. It seems I’ve been too lenient, they’ve started having thoughts of their own."