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GARDEN OF POISON
Princess served (Chapter 134)
Music Recommendation: Ladies of the Court- Johannes Lehinger
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"Is everything alright?"
Anastasia caught Dante's question as it reached her ears. Seeing him smile, she smiled back while feeling slightly nervous. With a hint of apprehension, she asked him,
"Is there an urgent need to visit the underworld? I was hoping we could have some time for just the two of us."
Dante tilted his head to the side, and he asked her, "Does the unfamiliarity of the place scare you?" His hand found hers and seamlessly intertwined with her fingers.
"More than anything," Anastasia answered, honestly sharing her true feelings.
Anastasia wished the imp would never come back with an answer. If only she hadn't possessed the ability to read, she would have never known that she belonged to the people of the forest, and the sensation of impending danger wouldn't be haunting her like an axe constantly swinging back and forth above her head. She knew she was supposed to come clean about what she knew, but was it wrong to wish for an extended period of peace now that she and Dante had finally settled on their feelings for each other? She parted her lips, preparing to voice her concerns—
"Nothing will happen to you, not as long as I am by your side. I won't allow anyone to harm you," Dante reassured her, and he pulled her from there.
"Out of curiosity, how do things operate in the underworld?" Anastasia inquired as they continued to stroll down the corridors. "I mean, apart from the deceased entering… Are there individuals with specific roles?"
"Wondering what I did before climbing out of the underworld?" Dante asked her calmly, and Anastasia nodded, comforted by the gentle touch of his hand on hers. His lips twitched before he said, "I was the Devil's executioner."
"The Devil exists?" Anastasia asked in a whisper, which brought a smile to his lips.
"Yes, the Devil does exist. He is the one responsible for creating the pentagon composed of the five main demons, out of which three managed to climb out from the demons' lair," Dante explained to her while she stared at him with a stunned expression. "Each side of the pentagon holds a distinct role within the underworld. From facilitating the passage of souls from the realm of the living to the dead, to meting out punishments, to cleaning up the mess of disturbances that take place in the underworld, and various other functions."
Who knew that the underworld was so profoundly intricate? Anastasia silently marvelled. She asked, "The Mother Queen said that Prince Raylen Storm is also a demon like you. What was his role?"
"He was the Devil's assistant," Dante replied to her, causing Anastasia's eyes to widen. He continued, "I can always sense Migdre when he's in the realm of the living, and he always responds to my commands. However, he hasn't responded since this morning. Who knows what trouble he's gotten himself into?"
Stealthily, the servants of the Blackthorn Palace observed the couple strolling through the corridor and offered their deepest bows as they passed. They couldn't believe that someone of their own status was on the verge of becoming the queen.
When Anastasia stepped inside the dining room with Dante, her eyes fell upon the members of the royal family, as well as the guests who attended the previous day's celebration, all gathered for breakfast. Upon spotting them, those present rose from their seats and offered respectful bows along with greetings,
"Good morning, Your Highness!"
As Dante took his place at the head of the table, everyone followed suit, gradually settling in their seats, while a chair was courteously pulled out for Anastasia on the king's right side. She slowly eased herself into the seat, feeling Mr. Gilbert push the chair forward.
"Brother Dante," Emily began, gaining his attention before continuing, "I was wondering whether I could involve myself in assisting with Anna's wedding gown when the seamstress arrives. Since tradition forbids the groom from seeing it."
"Go ahead," Dante replied, and Emily grinned at his answer. "Where is Grandmother?" he inquired, his gaze shifting to an empty seat on his left.
Lady Sophia answered, stating, "None of us have seen the Mother Queen since last evening. One of the servants said she retired to her room early."
Dante wondered how many hours had passed since the guests had taken their drinks and ingested his grandmother's potion for it to work. She had indicated that it would take over twenty-four hours for the potion to take effect, and given that it was only morning, they would need to wait for noon to transition into the evening to know the outcome.
Far away from the dining room, in the Mother Queen's chamber, as the old woman attempted to rise, a sharp pang of pain shot through her back, and she groaned loudly,
"AH!"
Abruptly, the door to her room swung open, and her worried minister hurried in, exclaiming, "Mother Queen!"
"Why the hell am I sleeping on the couch when I have a perfectly comfortable bed?!" the Mother Queen complained, even as Aziel helped her sit upright while she winced. "Did you just leave me like this?" She directed a displeased scowl at him.
Minister Aziel promptly clarified, "My Queen, I tried to advise you to sleep on the bed last night, but you insisted that the couch was more suitable for your back. In fact, you even threatened to use me as firewood in your fireplace if I persisted in talking about it."
"Rubbish!" The Mother Queen squinted before blinking rapidly several times. "Where is everyone now?" she inquired.
"They are presently partaking in breakfast in the dining room, milady," Aziel responded, observing the imprinted sleep marks on one side of the woman's face, though he refrained from commenting on it. "I have taken the liberty of arranging for your breakfast to be served here. A light soup that will be easy on your stomach and some sherbet to refresh you," he continued, before motioning for a servant to push the food cart inside the room and leave it near the bed after ensuring everything was properly set up for the Mother Queen.
"Don't open the blinds. I fear I will go blind," the Mother Queen ordered before she started to sip the soup, all the while wondering how much she had drunk. She asked, "How are things looking in the palace? Have there been any more instances of people dropping unconscious?"
"There have been a few individuals experiencing stomachaches or bouts of nausea. Consequently, not many have joined for breakfast in the dining room this morning," Aziel reported to her.
As a dutiful and responsible minister to the queen, Aziel had drunk no more than a single glass last night. Though it was another matter that, unlike the Mother Queen, he possessed a low alcohol tolerance, and had watched the woman down the only available bottle in the room.
"So far, there have been no reactions from the royal family members," Aziel informed before adding, "Following King Dante's orders, the concoction was also added to today's meals to ensure no one misses ingesting it."
The Mother Queen absentmindedly stared at the soup she had been drinking before lifting her gaze to meet her minister's eyes. Dropping the spoon, she said, "You revealed it prematurely."
"You instructed me not to spare anyone," Aziel dutifully responded to her.
Back in the dining room, Anastasia continued to have her breakfast and sensed someone glaring daggers at her. As she lifted a glass of water, her eyes met the blue eyes that remained unwaveringly fixed on her. It was Niyasa, whose jaw was clenched in visible tension.
"Was there something you needed from my soon-to-be bride, Niyasa?" Dante inquired of his second sister, who quickly shifted her gaze towards him.
"I don't think I need anything from her," Niyasa replied, pretending to resume her meal while only playing with her food.
"Behave, Niyasa," Lady Maya scolded her daughter under her breath. Knowing there was no winning against a higher demon, the woman had decided not to oppose the king, but her daughter didn't share the same comprehension of their current standing. She addressed the king, stating, "Your Highness, I was wondering if Niyasa could assist the future queen along with Princess Emily."
Both Anastasia and Niyasa simultaneously shook their heads in response to Dante, neither wanting to be near the other.
"Mother, what do you think you are doing?" Niyasa couldn't believe her mother would betray her like this, unless she had some intention of sabotaging their wedding through her.
Dante reclined in his chair before he agreed, "Emily has already expressed her desire to assist with the wedding gown, but there are other tasks that Niyasa can be useful with. At the same time, I don't think she understands what 'help' means. Not to mention, I heard she didn't want to serve her future queen."
Aiden's eyes widened before slowly shifting to look at Niyasa, who was as white as a ghost. It was evident that his youngest sister had dug her grave, and Brother Dante was prepared to lower her coffin and bury it with her inside.
"Before anything, though, Lady Maya," Dante's voice drawled, capturing everyone's attention as they waited for him to continue. He went on, "I considered exiling you to the old palace, but then I thought, what could be more fitting than to have you here, where hell is closer? Now, getting back to my dearest sister. Norrix." He called the man.
With a swift bow, Mr. Gilbert promptly reached the king's side, inquiring, "Yes, Your Highness?"
"Do you have a clean cloth on hand?" Dante questioned, and like the others, Anastasia wondered what was on his mind. "And Niyasa, my wonderful sister, come here. Quickly now, some of us have things to do."
Niyasa, who was rather full of air until this point, suddenly looked wary as she hesitantly rose from her seat. With a hint of nervousness, she said, "I think I am ready to assist Emily with the wedding gown. Maybe help with her gloves or shoes."
Dante's lips curled into a smile at her words, and he stood up from his seat. "I thought you would say that," he remarked before pulling his chair back and resuming his seat. Anastasia watched as Niyasa walked around the table and came to stand near him. He crossed his legs, and his black shoe lifted off the ground. He said, "Just so we know you are capable of tending to Anastasia's shoes, let me see it for myself. Hand her the cloth."
Niyasa's face flushed a deep shade of red, while the others in the room exchanged glances, as if the notion of a princess, let alone a member of the royal family, performing such a menial task was unheard of. For the first two seconds, no sound came out of her mouth before she finally uttered,
"I—I meant to help choose shoes—"
"Clean," Dante commanded, his eyes coldly fixed on the young lady, who wrestled with taking the cloth from Mr. Gilbert.
Lady Maya began to speak, "King Dante, did Niyasa do something—"
"Would you like to take her position?" Dante questioned the woman, who fell abruptly silent. "You will get your time, just like the others." He then returned to his younger sister and said, "Niyasa, time is ticking. There are other tasks lined up for you; the quicker you finish this one, the sooner you can proceed to the next. Better to start with Anastasia's shoes first."
When Dante's chair emitted a faint screech, Niyasa promptly grabbed the cloth from Mr. Gilbert and lowered herself to the level of Anastasia's seat.
Anastasia's eyes met Dante's, feeling a little awkward while also discerning the look of humiliation on the young princess's face. Feeling everyone's eyes on her, she swung her feet around and positioned them in front of Niyasa.
Niyasa's hands trembled, sensing Dante's brooding eyes on her, and she began to clean Anastasia's shoes as if she were the palace's lowliest servant. She couldn't believe this was happening! Just a week ago, she had been mopping the floor, and today, she was cleaning a former maid's shoes.
"I—I finished," Niyasa mumbled, her desire to leave the room palpable after being humiliated not only in front of her family, but also the guests.
However, Dante didn't let her escape, shifting his own shoes into her line of sight to be attended to next.
Niyasa didn't dare meet his eyes, because every time she encountered those red eyes, it sent a shiver down her spine. Wanting to finish the task quickly, she worked with haste, while the demon watched her closely. When she was done, she rested her hands on the ground and said,
"I have finished… cleaning the shoes, Your Highness."
Dante cast a brief glance at his shoes and hummed, "It looks like you need a little more practice, but this should do for now."
Niyasa gritted her teeth to stop herself from uttering a word. Just as she was about to stand up, Dante shifted the chair back to resume his meal, causing one of the chair's legs to land squarely on her finger, resulting in a sharp scream Of Pain.
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