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GARDEN OF POISON
The Princess's Decision (Chapter 175)
Music Recommendation: Come with me - Kris Bowers
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Emily felt her heart skip a beat.
Despite his warning to stay away from him and Emily telling herself not to glance in his direction, it took only seconds for her to realise just how incredibly hard it was to do. She clutched the sides of her gown tightly with a determination equal to the way the distance maintained between them constricted her heart.
Her hazel eyes slowly shifted to look at Nathaniel, whose gaze stared right at her. However, she could only hold it for a mere two seconds before Lady Layla stepped in front of her, obstructing her view.
"Princess Emily, I will be taking my leave now." Lady Layla air-kissed Emily's cheeks, a common greeting custom in the western lands.
Emily snapped back to the present, mustering a smile as she whispered, "I hope your journey back is comfortable." It wasn't that she didn't genuinely mean it in her heart, but these were some of the practised words she had to offer to every guest.
"It is unfortunate that we didn't get to spend as much time together as we did on other days. Perhaps we can catch up later?" Lady Layla asked with hopeful eyes. Emily responded with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Lady Layla was about to leave but then paused and made a request of Lady Sophia. "Milady, I hope it would be acceptable if I could have Princess Emily's company for a few days before the wedding? She has been a dear friend of mine, and I would greatly appreciate her presence."
Emily's eyes widened in surprise at Lady Layla's words, as did Nathaniel's. Equally uncomfortable with the idea, he interjected,
"The Princess has a busy schedule, Layla. You shouldn't request something like that."
Lady Layla offered him an awkward smile and then addressed them, saying, "Forgive me. It's just that I am so fond of Princess Emily that I thought she might enjoy spending some time with me before the wedding."
"I cannot make any promises, as sending Emily alone is not something the Mother Queen would readily approve of, but I will discuss it with her," Lady Sophia replied with a smile. Soon after, the couple turned and made their way towards their carriage.
Nathaniel assisted Lady Layla into the carriage, and just before he could step inside himself, his eyes fleetingly met Emily's, who remained standing there.
"Hmph, having you stay with her until the wedding?" Lady Sophia questioned out loud. It wasn't that the Mother Queen disapproved; rather, she was the one who was not in favour of having her unmarried daughter away from the palace. She added, "She's two years younger than you and already getting married."
Having listened to enough talk about marriage, Emily stated, "I would like to retire to my room now, Mother."
"This early? You haven't even had a chance to talk to the fine gentleman I picked for you to converse with—"
"Please, Mother. I am exhausted." Emily met her mother's gaze, who appeared perplexed at her sudden request. She leaned in and kissed her mother's cheek before entering the palace.
Upon reaching the door of her room, Emily addressed her newly appointed maid, saying, "Thank you for your help today, Helen, but I won't require your assistance for the night."
Helen, one of the senior maids, inquired, "What about dinner, Princess Emily?"
"I filled my stomach with appetisers earlier and I am still quite full," Emily replied with a smile. After the maid bowed and departed, leaving her alone, the smile on her lips evaporated, replaced by a sadness that settled in her eyes.
Emily had barely touched any food or drink since that morning, as she had lost her appetite. Without bothering to change her clothes, she only took off her shoes and removed the hairpins before getting into bed.
She couldn't comprehend how this could happen to her. Throughout her life, she had diligently followed every instruction, ensuring she didn't upset anyone and avoided picking up any bad habits that her parents disapproved of. So why, among all the people in the world, was she the one left out, even by her soulmate who was supposed to love her unconditionally?
Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled from the corners, only to be absorbed by the pillow beneath her head.
The following day, after breakfast, the remaining guests departed from the palace, allowing the family to relish the tranquillity and space following the grand wedding celebration.
"Why haven't I seen your sister in the dining room this morning?" the Mother Queen questioned Aiden, who had taken a seat at the table.
"Which sister are you referring to, Grandmother?" Aiden inquired, as neither Emily nor Niyasa had joined them for breakfast.
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"Emily," the Mother Queen replied. She continued, "Is she feeling unwell? It is very unlike her to miss family meals. Now that I think about it, she missed dinner as well."
"Mother mentioned that she asked to retire to her room early, saying she was tired. She must be quite exhausted from conversing with the guests and dancing yesterday," Aiden responded, relaying the information he had received from his mother. "Would you like me to check on her?"
"No, that won't be necessary," the Mother Queen replied. "You can go. But don't go wandering about in town," she added, subtly narrowing her eyes as she noticed her grandson grinning. She murmured to herself, "I don't understand the fascination the streets hold for him."
Footsteps echoed from the opposite end of the corridor, where Aziel appeared, his stride confident and the expression on his face calm. He extended a bow and offered her a greeting,
"Good morning, Mother Queen." The minister observed that she appeared free from any signs of a hangover as she had consumed alcohol in moderation the previous evening, choosing to finish the bottle during the day instead.
"A very good morning to you, Aziel," the Mother Queen reciprocated. "The weather today seems cooler compared to most days, don't you think?"
Aziel turned to look outside the window and agreed, "So it seems, milady. With the increased number of plants around Versailles, we might finally witness some rain after many years."
"Mm." The Mother Queen appeared thoroughly pleased and had every reason to be so. After all, the newlyweds had not been seen last evening, and the grin on her lips only grew wider with every passing hour. She remarked, "I have always been envious of people who reside in colder lands. They are able to adorn themselves in such beautiful fur garments, while we bake like loaves of bread."
"Everything has finally settled into peace, and your efforts have borne fruit, My Queen," Aziel praised the woman, who had sacrificed a substantial amount of sleep while worrying about King Dante.
The Mother Queen nodded and remarked, "The Versailles I have long envisioned is finally a reality. Now, where is my drink?"
Aziel signalled to a servant with a snap of his fingers, and the servant nodded before leaving the room. When the servant returned, he carried a tray bearing two glasses filled with the finest liquor one could buy. The liquor had been presented as a gift to her husband by men of high status, but she was the one who indulged in it.
"Milady, an envelope has arrived for you," the servant informed as the Mother Queen accepted the glass from him.
"Who is it from?" she inquired.
The servant said, "There was no sender's name. It simply read, 'Open me'."
When the servant retrieved the envelope from his pocket, Aziel offered, "Let me do it," but instead of the envelope, a glass was pushed into his hand.
The Mother Queen said, "Open it and see who it's from." She took a sip from her drink, watching as the servant pulled out the letter. However, the moment the letter was revealed to their eyes, the servant vanished into thin air amid a cloud of black smoke.
Aziel's eyes widened. Gone was the calm expression on his face as he glanced left and right. He asked in a voice tinged with shock, "W—what just happened??"
"That bastard." The Mother Queen's eyes narrowed. "It's the Devil. Unbelievable. To think he sent me an invitation to meet my demise."
"Does this mean the servant is in Hell? Why didn't you stop him?" Aziel wore a bewildered expression on his face, his brows furrowed in concern.
"I knew there was something suspicious about that envelope, and I am not foolish enough to open something that explicitly says 'Open me'," the Mother Queen stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "How do you think I have managed to survive in the palace all these years?" She rolled her eyes when her minister looked at her with disbelief.
"What does this mean?" Aziel asked her.
The Mother Queen hummed before replying, "It means alcohol saved you from a trip to Hell."
Aziel brushed off her words and asked, "He was thinking of sending you to Hell?"
"Let us hope it was simply an invitation for visitation hour and not for a lifetime commitment. I am still a young woman with a lot to accomplish," the Mother Queen remarked, making a mental note not to open any envelopes in the future. It appeared that she had caught the Devil's attention, and she let out a soft chuckle, while Aziel contemplated whether it was time for him to retire for good. Not from life, but from his work, he thought to himself. She continued,
"When Dante becomes available, which might take some time… let him know that one of our precious servants was stolen by the Devil, as if he cannot afford one in his desolate world."
Aziel couldn't fathom why the woman was playing with fire, considering that one day she would be engulfed by it for the things she had done. Curious, he asked her, "Mother Queen, are you attempting to evade eternal punishment?"
The Mother Queen smiled at him, seemingly confirming his suspicion. She said, "You and I both know that once I am gone, that's the only place I'll belong. But there's no harm in trying, is there?"
Aziel silently acknowledged that she truly was an ambitious woman. He then said, "The Floreses are scheduled to depart today, milady, along with the other guests from Hawkshead."
"So soon. It would have been nice to have them here indefinitely, but it seems like they have decided to return home with their daughter." She sighed before adding, "Sometimes, I find myself wishing Maxwell was brought back as well."
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Despite their efforts to control people by forbidding them from speaking about Marianne's past, it didn't eliminate the way people looked at Anastasia's resurrected sister.
"Maybe one day he will?" Aziel asked, recognising that if Marianne could be brought to life, that meant there might still be a chance.
"Maybe."
In a different part of the palace, far from where the Mother Queen and Aziel conversed, Marianne found herself in one of the corridors adorned with portraits of the Blackthorn family, proudly displayed along the walls in all their glory. She stood before a particular portrait, one that belonged to the former king, King Maxwell, who held the record for the shortest reign in the history of Versailles.
Marianne's gaze remained fixed on Maxwell's portrait, her thoughts drifting back to the day he had cradled her in his arms as she drew her final breath. It brought her comfort to know that he had cared, despite having ignored her in the preceding days. There had been torment evident in his eyes, and for those fleeting moments, he hadn't cared about anyone witnessing him with her.
Her younger sister had told her that Maxwell had been too deeply in love and had spiralled into despair after her death, and she wished she could have prevented it by sparing him from the pain. She didn't know whether it was because she had traversed through realms where her broken heart and the scars on her soul found healing, which might explain why she didn't feel as in love with Maxwell as she was before.
Later that evening, when most of the others had gone to bid farewell to the residents of Hawkshead as they boarded the ship waiting to take them home, Emily chose to remain behind. She took a seat by the drawing-room window, her gaze fixed on the garden outside.
"You have barely spoken a word since yesterday, Emily. Did something happen, or did someone say something?" inquired her mother, who sat in the same room.
"No, nothing happened," Emily replied curtly, effectively closing the subject before her mother would pry further into it.
"Is this about your desire to marry, like Niyasa? Apparently, Niyasa has been standing on the tips of her toes in her eagerness to get married," Lady Sophia said in a hushed tone. She continued, "I have already compiled a list of eligible suitors for you, and here you are, wasting your prime years away."
"I don't want to," Emily murmured, which caused a frown to crease her mother's forehead.
"What do you mean by 'you don't want to'?" Lady Sophia questioned before continuing, "We cannot have Niyasa marry before you; it wouldn't be proper, and you can't predict what people might say. You are going to be twenty-one soon. Give me one good reason why you refuse to meet those gentlemen?"
Silence filled the room except for the sound of the wind blowing outside the open window. Emily pursed her lips for a moment, knowing that her mother wouldn't let the matter rest. Finally, she spoke, saying,
"I have found my soulmate."
Lady Sophia let out a startled gasp, and she quickly moved closer to her daughter before asking, "Who is he? Why haven't you told us about it?" A smile blossomed on her face as she clapped her hands together. "This is wonderful news! We should tell—"
"He is with another woman." Emily's words were devoid of emotion as she vacantly gazed at the small table in front of her.
"But the two of you are soulmates, destined by fate and meant to be together. There are repercussions for both individuals if destiny isn't followed," Lady Sophia stated with a deep frown.
"I know…" Emily responded, her gaze shifting to meet her mother's worried eyes. She said, "I am aware there are consequences, but they are going to get married soon."
Lady Sophia's eyes widened, and she inquired, "Is it Layla and that man she introduced? Why didn't you tell me then?" She saw her daughter's hands clenching in her lap, prompting her to move even closer before wrapping her arm around her shoulder. "Oh, Emily..."
At the same time, the Mother Queen entered the room with Aiden following behind her, cracking a joke that made the older woman laugh. They had just returned with the rest of the group from the dock. Both of them immediately noticed the tense atmosphere in the room.
"Did something happen, Lily?" Aiden inquired, approaching them alongside his grandmother.
"Emily found her soulmate and he's rejected her!" Lady Sophia complained to the Mother Queen, despite her daughter not mentioning any rejection.
The Mother Queen's eyes narrowed. "Who is that fool who dares to reject my granddaughter? I will have him dragged to the palace at once!" she declared in a threatening tone.
"You don't have to do that, Grandmother," Emily protested, knowing well that her grandmother would follow through on her threat. "He has his reasons."
"I don't care what his reasons are!" Her grandmother's eyes flared in anger. "Give me his name, so that I can hunt him down this instant!"
Lady Sophia said to her daughter, "We will knock some sense into him. Soulmates don't frequently come together only to reject each other. Look at your brother and Anastasia. Look at your grandmother and grandfather."
Aiden's eyes fleetingly moved to his grandmother, whom he considered a bad example in this regard, he thought to himself.
As if the room wasn't already filled with enough spectators, Dante and Anastasia arrived at the door after hearing the Mother Queen's raised voice. Dante demanded, "What is going on in here?"
Before anyone could speak on her behalf, Emily stood up and declared, "I found my soulmate yesterday, who is already engaged and set to marry another woman, someone I am familiar with. I won't pursue a relationship with him."
"Who is he?" Dante was displeased with the news, as he could see the pain in his sister's eyes.
"It doesn't matter," Emily whispered, then added, "If Anna wasn't your soulmate and you found someone else who was, you wouldn't abandon Anna, would you?"
"I don't think you understand the severity of your decision, Emily. And I say this based on my own experience." The Mother Queen was concerned, wishing to spare her granddaughter from the pain she had endured.
"Emily, who is he?" Dante questioned his sister again, noticing that despite her claim of not wanting anything to do with her soulmate, she was protecting him.
"Nathaniel Lynx," Emily answered, and she saw her brother's eyes fill with fury.
Meanwhile, Anastasia experienced a sense of deja vu upon hearing the name. It took her two seconds to make the connection before her eyes widened, and she asked, "The archdemon?" This remark raised eyebrows from the others.
Not wanting to prolong the conversation, Emily offered them a brief bow and exited the room, leaving her family behind.
"What are we going to do, Dante?" the Mother Queen asked anxiously.
Dante wasn't fond of Nathaniel Lynx and couldn't believe that destiny had paired his sister with that worthless archdemon. While he thought about it, Lady Sophia said,
"There is still time until their wedding. What if we spoke to Layla?"
"I don't think Emily would appreciate that, Mother," Aiden sighed. He said, "She would never be happy with that."
Dante remarked, "Emily has already made her decision. And as her family, we can only support and be there for her."
_________
GARDEN OF POISON
The one left behind (Chapter 176)
Music Recommendation: 1917 - Thomas Newman
—
One night, when everyone in Versailles was fast asleep, a pair of candles continued to burn brightly on the table of the first princess's room where she lay asleep. The windows had been securely closed to prevent the wind from extinguishing the light and allowing darkness to creep in.
The peace and comfort, however, were short-lived, as Emily was abruptly jolted awake by a strike of intense pain in her heart, as though someone had seized it. A piercing cry of pain escaped her mouth as she quickly sat up, clutching her chest tightly.
"A-ah..!" Emily whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.
Every breath grew increasingly more difficult to draw than the one before, forcing her to take shallow, rapid breaths as the ache began to radiate from her chest. Unable to maintain her sitting position, she collapsed onto her side before drawing her knees up closer to her chest.
The door to her room quickly swung open, but Emily, engulfed in excruciating pain, either couldn't discern the identity of the person who entered or didn't have the capacity to muster any concern.
"Emily!" It was Anastasia. With a worried expression, she took a seat on the bed and gently placed her hand on the princess's head. "What is happening to her??" she asked Dante, who stood beside the bed with a darkened expression.
"Nathaniel formed the bond with Layla, which in turn severed the bond with Emily." Dante gritted his teeth. He disliked seeing his sister in pain and added, "This is precisely what Lady Sophia had feared. Despite Emily's desire to be a better person and let go, she's the one who is now left behind and will bear the consequences of a broken heart."
But Dante wasn't the only one who had heard Emily's scream, as even the Mother Queen herself walked inside the first princess's room, her expression marked by a deep frown. Upon seeing her granddaughter writhing in agony, she murmured,
"So it has begun."
Anastasia gently clasped Emily's hand, hoping to alleviate her suffering and reassure her that she wasn't alone, that they were there for her. But nothing could provide relief from the pain that ravaged the princess's body, and she cried,
"P—please make it stop! Plea—se!" Emily sobbed, clutching Anastasia's hand tightly.
Emily had heard tales of soulmates severing their fated bonds, but she had never envisioned it would be this agonising. Every cell in her body screamed as if it were being torn apart and then mended, only to be torn apart once again. Her tears flowed ceaselessly, vanishing into the fabric surface of the bed.
Nathaniel had turned Layla into his soulmate, letting her know whom he had chosen, and the combination of emotional distress and physical pain made it unbearable for her.
"Dante, she's not showing any signs of calming down," Anastasia whispered to him. She had held out hope that her fairy magic could have some effect, but it seemed useless in this situation.
"There must be something in my concoction room," the Mother Queen stated, before leaving the room and hurriedly making her way to her workroom.
Upon reaching the chamber adjacent to the dungeon, the Mother Queen inserted a key into a cabinet. Her wrinkled hands ran through the array of tiny vials, shifting them aside until her hand settled on one. Picking it up, she returned to Emily's room.
"I need a handkerchief. Any clean, small piece of cloth should do," the Mother Queen said. "The liquid in this vial quickly saturates and spreads across the fabric once applied."
Anastasia, who had previously served as Princess Emily's maid, knew exactly where to find it. As the princess released her hand, she swiftly went to one of the cupboards and retrieved the handkerchief. Handing it to the older woman, she observed as the vial was tipped to let the liquid be absorbed by the cloth.
"What is that?" Dante questioned his grandmother, who came to stand beside the bed.
The Mother Queen didn't reply immediately, not until she had Emily inhale deeply from the cloth and observed the tremors in the princess's body cease.
"It's a sleep-inducing potion," the Mother Queen disclosed, removing the handkerchief as Emily drifted into slumber.
Dante had never known his grandmother to possess something of that nature. Seeing his questioning gaze, she explained, "I decided to start working on this when you and Anna were in the middle of your fight before finding out about you two being soulmates. It isn't as effective as I would want it to be, but for the moment, it should suffice," she added with a sigh.
The Mother Queen avoided locking eyes with her grandson, as she sensed his narrowed eyes on her. She remarked, "Poor Emily. If only she had not been aware that her soulmate was present at the wedding. Sophia must be regretting her decision to invite Layla to the celebration. I have never seen that man before."
"Because he's never stepped foot here before," Dante replied, his eyes shifting to look at his sister. He said, "Viktor must have sent him in advance to gauge the situation and check for any traps set against him."
"I never expected Emily would have such ill luck in this matter, and to think she has been eagerly waiting for this moment. It only makes the situation that much more distressing," the Mother Queen murmured.
Each of her grandchildren has inherited her attributes—courage, haughtiness, compassion, cunningness, and mischievousness. The youngest was still too young to determine his character, she mused to herself. They were all like mirrors, reflecting her essence. Her treasures.
Anastasia and Dante adjusted the blanket over the sleeping Emily. Anastasia's eyes shifted to the candles still flickering in the room, and she inquired,
"I thought only soulmates could mark each other. How is it possible that Nathaniel was able to mark the other woman?"
"You don't have to be soulmates to form a bond, although it isn't commonly recommended because it often carries repercussions," Dante explained to his wife. He continued, "It is like trying to fit a sphere into a box that doesn't conform to its form. Sometimes it works out, while at other times, it doesn't, and can result in disruptions. As Layla has demon blood in her, it made it easier for Nathaniel to establish a bond."
"There are times when I feel regret, and this is certainly one of them—I regret not having Emily married to a decent man before this occurred," the Mother Queen muttered.
"Then does that mean Emily could potentially form a soulmate bond with someone else?" Anastasia inquired.
"Perhaps with someone with a stronger bloodline, provided she's open to it…" Dante replied, because he knew that the severed bond would only widen the emptiness in his sister's heart.
"You both should get some sleep," the Mother Queen said, ushering them from the room. "I will stay here and keep watch over her. It's been a while since I shared a bed with anyone. Go on."
Once the couple stepped out of the room and closed the door behind them, the Mother Queen climbed onto the bed. She settled herself with her back leaning against the bedrest and crossed her legs. Gazing down at her granddaughter, she gently rested her hand on her arm and whispered,
"Today has been difficult, Emily. But I hope the coming days will be better." She patted Emily's arm, as if lulling her into an even deeper slumber.
The following morning, when Emily woke up, while she didn't feel the same physical pain as the previous night, she still felt the void in her chest, as if all happiness had been drained from her. A sense of despair and loneliness crept into her mind, causing her to tightly clutch the blanket wrapped around her.
"Emily," she heard her grandmother's voice behind her.
Emily rolled over and noticed her grandmother sharing her bed, sipping a cup of tea that had been quietly brought to her. She pushed herself upright and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing here?"
"Keeping you company, of course," she heard her grandmother reply. She took one final sip before placing the teacup aside. She touched Emily's face and said gently, "I am sorry, Emily."
Emily shook her head, blinking her eyes as she took a deep breath and said, "Sometimes, what you wish for is the last thing you receive. I am sorry too, Grandmother." She finally began to understand the agony her grandmother must have endured.
"Life tests us all, my dearest. Some may find themselves fortunate, while others need to carve out their own destiny," her grandmother remarked. "The days change, and we all grow with them. Because if you fail to grow, you are merely decaying."
"I am not ready for it…" Emily's gaze dropped to her hands, fully aware of what her grandmother was talking about. She was still grieving, feeling as though she was drowning in a sea of sorrow.
Her grandmother took her hands in hers, gaining her attention, and she said,
"I know you are hurting, and I understand it better than anyone in our family. But I also know that you need companionship from someone before loneliness leads you down a dark path, and I want to spare you from that. This is one of those rare instances where I find myself agreeing with your mother. No one is going to force you, but we would very much like you to meet a few worthy men to see if you connect with any of them. Life is too short to dwell on trivialities, even if it concerns your former soulmate."
Former soulmate... that's accurate, Emily pondered silently. With Nathaniel severing his bond with her, she had become a broken soulmate.
"How did you cope after grandfather's death?" Emily asked her grandmother.
The Mother Queen paused for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing as she considered the question. She eventually replied, "I kept myself occupied with the company of men. And by the time I started experiencing back problems, I had learned to get through it."
Despite being the one who had taken her husband's life, the Mother Queen couldn't deny that he remained her unbreakable soulmate. No one could escape the abyss of darkness, she thought to herself.
Emily contemplated whether she would have to seek a similar way to manage her deteriorating self and crumbling emotions in the near future. Because, at the moment, she had no desire to meet any men, while her former soulmate would carry on with his life in peace and love. She felt her grandmother pat the back of her hand and heard her say,
"Meet the men your mother has picked for you, and if you don't connect with anyone here, you have the option to go to the west."
Emily frowned and asked, "West?"
"This season, there will be a gathering held, where eligible men and women from all over the region will come together to socialise. Niyasa has been badgering us about it ever since she heard of it from someone at the wedding. You two can go together."
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