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GARDEN OF POISON
Dancing at the gathering (Chapter 185)
Music Recommendation: One Last Dance - Kris Bowers
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Emily glared daggers at Raylen when she thought no one was watching her, but little did she know, she had earned a few admirers who were secretly appreciating her from a distance. As the king, the man didn't have to write down his name on anyone's card, as any woman who received his invitation to dance considered herself fortunate.
"If you keep staring at me like that, people are going to get the wrong idea, Princess," Raylen remarked in a lowered voice as he stood beside Emily. She looked away from him, focusing her attention on the couple and briefly conversing with Janelle. "Not that people won't relish the opportunity for some juicy gossip about the niece taking a liking to her uncle. I must say, I wouldn't argue with your taste."
"Why aren't you with your various companions, savouring drinking blood and enjoying worldly pleasures?" Emily inquired, mirroring his calm smile. She preferred to keep her distance from him rather than cause herself any more embarrassment than she already experienced.
Raylen flashed a grin in response to Emily's smile. "Look at that brilliant smile," he remarked. He continued, "I would have joined them, but then I remembered I had to check on how you were doing. But it looks like you've already managed to find some decent suitors." He casually picked up her card and read the written names.
Emily subtly withdrew her hand, as if tucking a strand of her hair away from his view, and replied, "Thank you for your interest, but as you can see, I am managing just fine on my own."
"Indeed. As expected from a princess," Raylen replied, appearing to chew on something. "You'll end up with squinted eyes," he teased when she shot him a small glare and turned her gaze in another direction. "It will be hard for you to find a suitable man if that happens."
"A man who cannot accept me for who I am might not be deserving of having me, then," Emily responded, her chin held high, and she refused to look at him again. The room they were in was filled with music, and as people started clearing the area where elegant chandeliers hung from above, some couples began making their way towards the centre of the room.
"Well, since you clearly can hold your own," Raylen murmured, before turning to her friend and saying, "Lady Janelle, how about that promised dance?"
Emily saw Raylen extend his hand forward, and Janelle placed her hand in his, which the king gallantly kissed. It took her friend only a second to be charmed and melt at his gesture, a blush forming on her cheeks before they strolled towards the dance floor. She had a single genuine companion here, and that demon took her away, leaving her standing alone.
She observed men and women gracefully dancing with each other. Her attention was inevitably drawn to the music emanating from the corner of the room, where an expert pianist, a violinist, and an instrument larger than a violin were set up on the floor. Her gaze remained fixed on it throughout the song, wondering what it was, until she sensed someone approaching and coming to stand before her.
The man who bowed at her possessed dark brown hair, and as he straightened, Emily observed his calm demeanour. He was a fairly attractive man, his attire neither extravagant nor showy, but sufficient to convey his origins from a respectable family.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, milady. My name is Julius Ardolf," he said, his voice exuding sincerity.
Emily returned the bow and replied, "Good morning, Mr. Ardolf. I am Emily Thorn."
"You are Emily Thorn. I have been hearing about you," Julius informed her, his brown eyes locking onto her brown ones.
"I hope the things you've heard are all positive," she responded with a smile.
"I assure you, they are all positive," Julius reassured her, his eyes shifting to her hands. He continued, "I hadn't initially planned to attend today and wanted to sit this one out, but my mother is quite insistent that I find a wife. That's my mother over there." Emily's eyes followed his gaze to land on a middle-aged woman who warmly smiled at them.
She offered a small bow from where she stood, and the woman graciously returned the gesture. As if to inform her about what he did for a living, the man said,
"I am an officer responsible for recruiting young men into the Storm Kingdom's base. It's a role my father held as well."
"The king must be pleased with your service," Emily responded, though she couldn't help recalling the bitter memory of when the Storm soldiers had attacked the Versailles Kingdom's walls.
"He is," Julius nodded. Curious to learn more about her, he inquired, "If I may ask, what does your family do, Lady Emily?"
"My eldest brother used to serve at the base, and my father used to… manage it," Emily replied, offering a response that didn't divulge the entire truth but wasn't a falsehood either.
"They seem to have the same line of work as me," Julius remarked in surprise. As the song came to an end, and before anyone else could approach her, he asked with a polite bow, "Lady Emily, it would be an honour if you would agree to dance with me. Provided there is space available on your card," he added, not wanting to come off as overbearing.
This remark caught Emily's attention, and she replied, "There is space on my card." And as she smiled, she overheard someone from the side comment,
"You must be a lucky man, Ardolf, to secure a spot on her dance card."
Raylen sauntered towards them as the dance concluded, alone, as Janelle had left to touch up her makeup.
"Heartiest greetings to you, King Raylen." Julius offered a respectful bow to the King. During that brief pause, Emily and Raylen shared a subtle, narrowed glance at each other. "I must be lucky indeed," Julius continued, before turning his attention back to Emily. "Milady?" he asked her, extending his hand towards her.
Preferring Julius Ardolf's company to Raylen's, Emily accepted the young man's hand and gracefully walked past the devious demon. As she danced with Julius, she found him to be a respectful and courteous partner.
When the song ended, Emily and Julius left the dance floor. The man then offered her a deep bow and said,
"I have truly enjoyed your company, and I hope you have as well, milady. Perhaps we can find another opportunity to spend some more time together?"
"I think I would like that," Emily replied, and watched as Julius bowed to Raylen before rejoining his mother and leaving the room.
"So, Ardolf is your type of man," Raylen remarked once they were alone again.
"He is a pleasant man to talk to," Emily responded, and when she glanced at Raylen, she caught the grin on his face. "What?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Raylen replied, his gaze shifting to look at the next set of people approaching the dance floor. "I just didn't expect him to be your type. So I am a little surprised." Unless the princess was polite enough to accept the request of every single man who had approached her, he thought to himself.
"Why do you say that?" Emily inquired, her brow furrowing slightly. "Is he not a good man?"
"He is a good man. I knew his father, an honest man dedicated to his work," Raylen replied, his hands slipping into his trouser pockets. Receiving a questioning look from Emily, he continued, "He's too still for you."
Raylen's cryptic words left Emily confused, and she asked, "Still?"
"Mm."
"Based on what I've seen so far, he appears to be a genuinely good and honourable man. For instance, he went to keep his mother company." Emily defended her impression with an example. Unlike other men who had approached her, he didn't invade her personal space or get too close, leaning in just enough to allow her to breathe comfortably.
"He's come to a gathering where men and women meet to spend time together and get to know each other. You are absolutely right. Spending time with his mother is clearly top priority," Raylen retorted sarcastically.
"I call it being thoughtful," Emily retorted back, her gaze sweeping around the room. She glanced over her shoulder, wondering where Janelle had gone. She was still annoyed by what Raylen had done earlier, and she turned and walked away without another word.
"Where are you going?" Raylen asked, "Don't go anywhere unchaperoned, or where you might be out of sight."
"Unlike some people, I prefer to get to know someone before diving into a dark corner with them. I am going to get myself and Janelle a drink," Emily said, her dress ruffling as she walked away.
"So subtle, judgy princess," Raylen taunted as he strolled alongside her, walking into the corridor bustling with people engaged in conversation. "Who said I don't know the women I take pleasure in? I am intimately acquainted with every inch of them."
Emily's face scrunched in distaste, and she responded, "I don't need to know the details of your escapades," and she heard Raylen chuckling in response.
They reached the end of the corridor and made a turn towards the area where the drinks were laid out on a table in neat rows. The array of choices left Emily pondering which drinks to choose. After careful consideration, she picked up two glasses of pink juice.
Raylen selected a glass of wine, and they began to make their way back.
He remarked, "Your friend is pretty."
Emily's footsteps came to a halt, and she implored, "She's a good person. Don't hurt her." Her eyebrows furrowed in concern.
Raylen's head tilted and he responded, "I was merely remarking on her beauty."
"I was warning you," Emily stated firmly, her gaze locked onto him. To emphasise her point, she added, "She's here to find a husband, not to be someone's drink."
Simultaneously, the sleeve of her gown slipped from her shoulder to hang on her arm, but her hands were occupied with the glasses she carried, preventing her from fixing it. At that moment, she noticed Raylen's gaze shifting from her face to her bare shoulder.
Raylen's blue eyes landed on her smooth and delicate shoulder, which seemed as though it could break with the lightest touch. Her pale skin started to flush, and when he raised his hand, Emily cautioned,
"Don't…"
But despite Emily's words, Raylen's hand reached for her sleeve, gingerly pulling on it to adjust it back to its earlier position. "You should find a pin in the powder room," he remarked before departing from her side and taking a sip of wine from his glass.
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GARDEN OF POISON
Women of envy (Chapter 186)
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Emily stood still with a stiff expression, staring at the space where Raylen had been standing just moments ago. She swiftly downed both glasses and then set off in search of the powder room. The skin around her neck was still red, and as soon as she located the powder room, she hurriedly slipped inside.
"Lily, over here," Janelle called from where she was sitting before a mirror, patting the empty seat next to her. "Forgive me for taking such a long time to return. I wanted to fix my hair."
"It's no problem," Emily murmured.
"Is everything alright?" Janelle inquired with concern in her voice upon noticing the princess's preoccupied demeanour.
Emily offered a reassuring smile and replied, "Yes." She then proceeded to open the small drawers beneath the mirror and said, "I am searching for a pin. Ah, found one."
One of the women in the room overheard their conversation and remarked, "It is quite strange that, being the king's niece, you haven't been provided with a decent gown."
Emily and Janelle both turned to face the woman sitting behind them. The princess asked,
"Were you talking to me?"
The woman wore a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and she asked, "You are searching for a pin to fix your sleeve?" Her eyes shifted to look at Emily's hand resting on her shoulder. "It makes one question whether you two are truly related, or if there is something you might be hiding, as though you are secretly living with him?"
The other three women in the room discreetly observed Emily and Janelle, either through the corners of their eyes or through the reflection of the mirrors in front of which they were seated in the circular room. Their curiosity was piqued, and they were ready to bite into the tantalising gossip dangling before them.
Emily understood that despite Raylen's status as king, people would still engage in gossip about them behind his back. And seeing the two women she had previously encountered, the ones Raylen openly admitted he took pleasure in, she realised that people would likely assume her to be involved with him in some intimate way. She politely smiled at the woman and said,
"Who said I was searching for a pin to fix my dress? This gown was meticulously tailored by Mr. Hatt at King Raylen's special request, just for me." She remembered that Mr. Hatt had said that no one had seen it before, as he had been working on it privately without anyone's knowledge.
"Then why have you been clutching one of your shoulders? And, what other purpose does a pin serve?" The woman called her bluff and softly scoffed before breaking into a knowing smile.
Emily didn't falter in front of the woman. She extended her right hand forward, displaying her ring finger, and said,
"A wood splinter must have lodged itself in my finger when I touched the woodwork on one of the doors, and it has been bothering me. I wanted to see if I could remove it with the pin."
The woman appeared momentarily tongue-tied, unable to accuse Emily of lying, and with a dissatisfied harrumph, she exited the powder room. The other three women, who had been observing the exchange, returned their attention to fixing their appearance before eventually departing from the room as well.
Janelle stared at the closed door and spoke in a hushed tone, saying, "It seems like the women who admire King Raylen are keeping their watchful eyes on you, ready to scrutinise you and ensure that you two are not romantically involved together."
Emily let out a sigh and admitted, "I didn't expect to be questioned about it this soon. I should talk about this with Grandmother."
"With the Mother Queen? How are you going to manage that?" Janelle asked, puzzled, as the old woman was back in Versailles.
"There's a way," Emily replied cryptically. She had been given a limited supply of the potions that allowed her to make contact with her grandmother, and she had to be cautious not to exhaust them prematurely, as replenishing them would be a challenge. She continued, "My sleeves are loose," as she proceeded to unfasten the safety pin.
"So the woman was right. Let me assist with that pin," Janelle offered, taking it in her hand. She said, "I wonder how long she has been watching you like the others, especially since you were beside the king. Speaking of him, I must say he is a charming man, isn't he? The way he smiles, it just does something to a woman."
"Hypnotises you," Emily said, before finishing her sentence. "Like a snake."
"Now that I remember, you aren't particularly fond of him. How did you end up agreeing to stay at his castle?" Janelle chucked as she secured Emily's sleeve with the pin.
"It was Brother Dante's decision." And Emily never went against his word. When another woman entered the powder room, they both stepped out and made their way back to the centre of the gathering where the crowd was concentrated.
They enjoyed their time together, catching up on things they hadn't been able to discuss since Janelle had moved away from Versailles. A few minutes later, the men who had earlier asked them to dance approached them and escorted them onto the dance floor.
As time passed, approaching the lunch hour, Emily engaged in conversation with a considerable number of attendees. Men patiently awaited their turn for her attention, and she conversed with each one of them politely. However, as courteous as her words were, her heart was not fully present. Despite being surrounded by the company of a sea of people, she felt the void in her chest expanding.
"I have a stable with many breeds of horses that have been shipped from other lands…" one of the men was discussing with Emily when Janelle commented,
"It appears we are about to encounter more familiar faces."
Emily followed Janelle's gaze towards the entrance of the room, and as she did, she felt her hands go cold and her face drain of colour. There, at the entrance, stood the newlyweds, Layla and Nathaniel. They wore joyful smiles and began to speak to someone who approached them. They looked genuinely happy, while her own heart began to sink. The pain she had concealed surged back with even greater intensity, and she felt a sharp, shooting pain in her chest.
Why were they here…? Anxiousness surged within her. Her hands began to tremble, and in an effort to steady them, she tightly clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms to keep them from shaking.
"I—I, excuse me…" Emily stammered, taking a step backwards before hastily leaving the room through the back door.
Walking as swiftly as she could and as far as her feet could carry her, Emily eventually reached a deserted room. She had no idea where she ended up, but she stepped inside and locked the door behind her. Her breathing was unsteady, and she pressed her forehead against the door, attempting to regain her composure with deep breaths. Overwhelmed, her eyes welled up with tears, and she fought to hold them back.
Why was she being punished like this? Emily asked herself, frustration and sorrow gnawing at her. She had travelled all the way here to get away from him and forget about having a soulmate. All she wanted right now was to flee.
Wiping away her tears, Emily unlocked the door and ventured back into the corridor. To make her escape, she would need a carriage, and for that, she needed to find Raylen first. Upon encountering one of the mansion's servants on her way, Emily inquired,
"Do you happen to know where King Raylen is right now?"
"He's on the upper floor and we were instructed not to disturb him," the servant replied.
"Thank you," Emily murmured, before making her way towards the upper floor.
Raylen could spend many more hours here, but she needed to inform him before leaving the mansion. After all, it was his carriage, and he had brought her here. She made her way up the stairs and found a locked room. She blinked her eyes several times, then raised her hand and knocked on the door.
After a moment, the door was opened by Gloria. The room inside appeared dark, as if the curtains had been drawn. Seeing Emily at the door, the woman began, "King Raylen is busy right now. You should come b—"
"I need to speak with him," Emily responded, the smile on her lips vanishing as she adopted a serious expression.
Gloria turned miffed and said, "You see—"
The door was abruptly pulled open by Raylen, and Emily couldn't help but notice him licking his bloodied lips. His eyes had taken on a darker intensity, and, like her, his smile was notably absent. It was clear that he wasn't impressed by her interruption.
Emily informed him in a composed and pleasant voice, "If it's not too much trouble, I would like to leave first and return to the castle now."
While she didn't reveal the reason for her desire to leave, Raylen was about to dismiss her. However, when he continued to stare at her, he noticed the glistening droplets on her lashes—something she had failed to notice and wipe away before coming here.
"You can leave," Raylen remarked. A smile appeared on Gloria's lips, and Emily, ready to depart as soon as possible, turned to walk away. However, just as she was about to make her exit, they heard him say, "Not you. Gloria."
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