Assassination

The patriarch's sickness was something that had only happened recently!

About two days ago. 

What was reported was that the patriarch had contracted a stomachache and could not go out because his stomach was giving him problems.

Worse, this was not news that people were not used to getting as things like these happened regularly in a world without any guard for diseases.

People used to get sick and go into fits of diarrhoea and it was seen as something that if you survived would mean you were strong.

So even if people heard about it, which they heard nothing about because it was kept only in the elders' circle, and Midas had heard about it only by his connection to the Second Elder, even if they knew about it, they would think it was just part of the living conditions and wish him well.

He must have drank some funky water, he'll get over it.