Abnormal crossing

Chapter 168 Anomaly (Part 2)

I only see this moment.

Boko III's face contorted suddenly, his eyeballs trembled violently beneath his tightly closed eyelids, the veins in his temples bulged out like wriggling earthworms, and his jawbone emitted a terrifying "clunking" sound.

His right hand dug his fingers deep into his temples, the edges of his nails even sinking into his flesh, while his left hand convulsively gripped the armrest of the throne, the metal armrest creaking under his weight.

In less than a few seconds.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his hairline, carving winding trails of water onto his pale skin.

Fortunately, Boko III wasn't in a convertible at this moment, otherwise Gu Wei would have thought he was going to replicate the deeds of a certain smiling boy, after all, that person was, in a sense, a ruler.
"Father?!"

"His Majesty?"

Ophelia and Princess Adele gasped simultaneously in the hall. Ophelia nearly jumped up from her seat, her skirt knocking over the water glass beside her, spilling the liquid onto the polished floor.

She instinctively wanted to rush towards her father, but stopped abruptly when she reached the steps.

Lynn, the head of the internal affairs department, had somehow appeared in front of her.

His aged body tensed into a protective line, and some devices in his hands were flashing silently: "Your Highness Ophelia, please stop."

Ophelia staggered back half a step, she had never seen Lynn stop her with such force: "But the Chief of the Household, Father..."

The words have not yet fallen.

A pale golden light suddenly emanated from Boko III's body. The light, like living threads, traveled along the surface of Boko III's body and into the depths of his skin.

The golden light grew brighter and brighter, and Boko III's arched back gradually straightened, and the bulging blood vessels calmed down like the receding tide.

As the last ray of golden light entered his brow, he slowly opened his eyes—a few specks of light still lingered deep within his dark golden pupils, but his expression had regained its former majesty.

Seeing this, Ophelia couldn't help but step forward again: "Father, you..."

Boko III remained silent, his gaze sweeping over Ophelia and Lynn, who was blocking his way, before finally settling on Jokowen: "I apologize, Governor Jokowen, for making you laugh."

A glint flashed in Qiao Kewen's eyes, but it quickly turned into deep concern: "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Boko III waved his hand gently, a slightly tired smile appearing on his lips: "It's nothing. I just had some health issues recently, and I occasionally experience minor symptoms, like vomiting when you have heatstroke. You'll get used to it."

Qiao Kewen raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and continued to ask with concern, "Your Majesty, do you need my help? — To be honest, I've accumulated some valuable resources over the years, after all, the most important thing in our line of work is survival skills."

“I appreciate your kind words, Governor Jokowen,” Boko III waved his hand and rubbed his neck. “Thank you for your concern, but the royal medical team has prepared a treatment plan, and he should be fully cured in a while.”

“But given my current condition, I’m afraid I must take my leave now.” “Of course, Your Majesty’s health is of utmost importance,” Jokowen immediately said seriously. “It just so happens that Adele, Ophelia, and I haven’t seen each other for some years. I plan to take them on a tour of the Khan. Your Majesty can send someone to find me anytime if you need anything.”

“Then I shall take my leave,” Boko III said apologetically as he rose from his seat and addressed Chief of the Interior Lynn, “Chief of the Interior, please see Governor Jokovin out for me. Oh, and—”

As he spoke, Boko III seemed to remember something and looked at Ophelia again, saying, "Ophelia, don't forget your decision. In a few days, someone from the Herald Academy will contact you."

Ophelia was slightly taken aback, but quickly nodded after regaining her senses: "I understand, Father."

Upon seeing this, Boko III coughed twice more, slowly descended from his throne, and, supported by a servant, left the hall along another passageway.

Gu Wei's gaze lingered on the waiter for a moment.

The waiter had appeared when the wine was first poured, but Boko III fell ill—let's just call it an illness for now—and during his illness, just like Lynn, he didn't pay any attention to Boko III's condition.

To know.

Such attendants who can have close physical contact with the monarch are definitely the most trusted confidants, whose loyalty even outweighs their abilities. Lynn, in particular, has had his entire family serving the royal family for a long time, yet Lynn and his attendants completely ignored Boko III's abnormal behavior.

This is quite intriguing.

Lynn stood there watching Boko III depart. Only after the other man's figure had completely disappeared did he turn around and bow apologetically to Jokowen: "I'm sorry, Governor Jokowen, for keeping you waiting."

Qiao Kewen waved his hand dismissively, and the group followed Lynn out of the hall. After walking for a while, Qiao Kewen coughed lightly: "Lynn, the head of the internal affairs department, what exactly happened just now? Don't try to brush me off with some excuse about catching a minor illness."

Lynn seemed to have anticipated that Joe Cowen would ask this question. He slowed his pace slightly and hesitated before saying, "Your Excellency, to be honest, His Majesty's behavior has been very mysterious lately. He doesn't allow outsiders to come into contact with many things. I don't know much more than you do. I only know that His Majesty secretly met with an old friend three months ago, and these symptoms started to appear after that."

Qiao Kewen frowned: "An old friend?"

“Yes, it’s said he was His Majesty’s classmate during his studies, named Boru,” the old chief steward said, glancing unconsciously at the empty corridor, his knuckles tracing the gold thread embroidery on his cuff. “After Boru left, His Majesty began to exhibit strange behavior. Each episode was terrifying, like being possessed by an evil spirit, but those golden lights… those golden lights would suddenly appear and heal His Majesty. The strangest thing is—”

Qiao Kewen glanced at him: "What is it?"

A hint of hesitation appeared in Lynn's eyes, as if he was wondering whether he should reveal information about Boko III's private life.

He hesitated for a good half minute before lowering his voice, almost to the point of whispering: “The strangest thing is that if anyone gets close when His Majesty is ill, his symptoms will worsen rapidly—not long ago, His Majesty suddenly fell ill while eating, and the chief attendant standing next to him tried to help, but was stabbed to death on the spot by His Majesty with his sword.”

Speaking of it.

Lynn couldn't help but glance at Ophelia, who was somewhat dazed, and a hint of apology appeared on his face: "This is also why this old minister dared to stop Her Highness the Princess—His Majesty in that state was already somewhat abnormal."

Note:
I'm home today. Based on past experience, I'll probably sleep in a lot on the 24th (my health is still too poor), so I'll resume my usual 4000-word update on the 25th.

(End of this chapter)