Chapter 977

Leroy frowned. This matter didn't concern him. He'd noticed Penny's strange behavior, but it didn't matter what she had done. As long as Lisandra couldn't participate in the negotiations, the power to make decisions remained in his hands. However, there was one condition: Lisandra's life couldn't be harmed. After all, she was his niece. Arthur was gone, and even though Lisandra disagreed with Leroy about the war, he couldn't bring himself to take her life.

He found it odd that Penny, Lisandra's trusted confidante, would betray her. Was Penny pro-war? She had opposed it before. And clearly, she didn't want Lisandra to die, nor did she want to simply give up.

Penny couldn't be acting alone; someone must be manipulating her. Who? Edmund?

Questions swirled in Leroy's mind, unanswered. His suspicion of Penny stemmed from his connection to Harvey, but others wouldn't have noticed anything; she had always been one of Lisandra's most loyal subordinates.

While Leroy pondered, Winona turned to Penny and said, "We're all here. If it's poison, we'll all be poisoned together."

"If you're using poison, I'm sure you all have the antidote," Penny retorted.

Winona leaned back and said calmly, "Why would we do that? What good would it do us to poison everyone here in Starhaven?"

The Westhaven envoys understood the people of Starhaven wouldn't do such a thing. They turned to Javier, seeking reassurance. His agreement would ease their concerns about the incense.

However, Javier remained silent. Though familiar with parasitic toxins, he'd never witnessed their use, nor did he know the antidote. He couldn't be certain Lisandra had been poisoned by Soulgrip Threadworms, or whether this small object would awaken her.

Sebastian, noticing the silence, grew impatient. He raised his voice. "Her Highness has been ill for several hours. If the poison isn't neutralized within twelve hours, even a god would struggle to save her. Every hour delays the treatment and worsens the damage."

He turned to leave with his medicine box. Garrick and Javier quickly stepped forward to stop him.

Chapter 977 (+25 BONUS)

"No, you can't leave!"

Sebastian, an impatient man, gave them a cold look. "Since you don't believe me, I'll only watch her die if I stay. I'm too fragile to bear such a sight. It's best I leave."

Yasmine looked at Penny, then at the room. "Why don't we just listen to Mr. Dalton and light the incense? If it's poison, they'll all be affected. If it's harmless or doesn't wake Her Highness, we'll be no worse off, and we can think of another way."

This was the Westhaven envoys' consensus as well. But aside from Garrick, no one dared take responsibility. Now Yasmine, the eldest Stein daughter and Lisandra's trusted ally, had spoken. If anything happened, she would take the blame.

Naturally, no one objected. Even Penny remained silent, clutching her sleeve, her expression complicated. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Under their watchful eyes, Sebastian lit the incense and placed it near Lisandra's pillow. Initially, it emitted a delicate fragrance, but the scent soon turned strange. The familiar fragrance persisted, but a strong, bloodlike odor emerged, quickly overpowering the pleasant scent with a rotten stench.

Everyone covered their noses, hearts pounding as they watched Lisandra anxiously. Soon, something shocking occurred.

Tiny, almost transparent threadworms, about the size of a thread, emerged from Lisandra's ears and nostrils. After crawling out, they entered the incense burner through its openings.

Yuna gasped. "Oh my god, what is that? It's terrifying!"

"Are those Soulgrip Threadworms?" Javier asked, stunned. He'd never seen anything like it.

The poison was alive!