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GARDEN OF POISON
Warning of the conveyance (Chapter 189)
Emily had moved aside in shock, allowing Raylen to step in front of the vessel and lean forward. He smiled at the Mother Queen and said,
"Good evening, Queen Ginger. You don't look like you've aged a day," Raylen greeted her with a charming smile.
The Mother Queen had looked forward to a one-on-one conversation with her granddaughter, but she didn't mind the slight interruption. She greeted the archdemon back, saying, "I hope you are taking good care of my granddaughter."
"Providing her with ample candle stands, despite being called insufferable," Raylen smiled, the corners of his eyes and lips crinkling, and Emily shot him a glare.
"Don't take her words to heart, Prince Raylen. I hope you can excuse her. Sophia raised Emily too strictly, without letting her breathe," the Mother Queen remarked.
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"I am breathing just fine," Emily retorted with a frown. "I just don't want to suck up all the air around me," she added, taunting Raylen.
"Ahahaha!" the Mother Queen laughed heartily. "It seems both of you are getting along just fine."
"Better than you can imagine," Raylen replied politely.
Emily questioned whether her grandmother and Raylen were cut from the same cloth. She muttered something under her breath, earning a quizzical look from him.
As the Mother Queen observed them, something struck her. Emily didn't seem as sullen as she had been in the Blackthorn Palace, and it must be due to the presence of the man next to her. She appeared much more lively, and this brought her a sense of relief.
She had done well in sending Emily to the Storm Castle. Of course, she was never wrong in her decisions, except for a few unmentionable instances, she thought.
"It is reassuring to know that you are there to take care of our Emily. We would be quite concerned otherwise," the Mother Queen expressed, showering her gratitude upon Raylen.
"You seem to forget that Aunt Cecelia is also here," Emily replied, her eyes narrowing at her grandmother as she wondered what was running through her grandmother's devious mind.
"There's no reason for you to impose yourself upon their mansion. Cecelia will have her own duties to attend to, while you can keep yourself occupied with your own matters," the Mother Queen suggested with a smile.
"Emily." Emily heard her eldest brother's voice, and an instant smile graced her face when she saw him appear in her view. "How are you doing?"
"I am doing well, Brother Dante. How are you and Anna doing? I miss everyone," Emily confessed, despite the fact that only three days had passed since she had arrived at Storm Kingdom.
"We are doing well. You make sure to take good care of yourself." Dante's words were full of concern, and his gaze then shifted from his sister to Raylen, and the warmth in his eyes instantly evaporated.
"Keep your claws off my sister," Dante stated explicitly, and Emily's face reddened in response.
"Brother Dante… There's nothing to worry about," Emily assured her brother.
While Dante had entrusted his sister to be taken care of during her stay in the Storm Kingdom so that she could meet potential suitors, at the same time, he also kept a vigilant eye on Raylen. He was protective of his family and wanted his siblings to have good partners. A woman like Emily needed to be handled with care, to be cherished and protected, with all attention focused solely on her. Having known Raylen for an unduly long time, he was aware of the archdemon's preferences.
"The princess is far too refined for my tastes," Raylen smiled. And while the women pondered his words, Dante's eyes narrowed.
The Mother Queen began, "Refined is—"
"Okay! I will talk to you again. Convey my love to all!" Emily hurriedly responded before using her hands to ripple the water, severing the connection.
Emily gazed at the rippling water when she heard Raylen say, "Insufferable? I don't believe you truly understand the definition of the word, Princess. Would you like me to enlighten you?"
"No thanks," came her quick response. She had tested Raylen once but wasn't foolish enough to test him again. Instead, she asked him, "How did you get in?"
Raylen tilted his head and replied, "Through the door?"
"No. I mean to say that I locked the door… How did you get in?" Emily's expression turned cautious.
"Something to think about," Raylen hummed thoughtfully, and Emily narrowed her eyes at him. Now that she thought about it, it occurred to her that Julia had entered her room in the morning. Did the lock not work? They gazed at each other, and he said, "The lock must be loose since this room hasn't been used in a while. I will have Westley fix it."
Emily noticed his eyes shift to the vessel, where the contents had become still. She asked him, "Was there something you needed from me?"
Raylen ran his tongue over his canine and said, "I was wondering who opened the conveyance portal earlier, but it turned out to be you. I wasn't aware you knew how to perform a conveyance through the water medium."
"I learned it before leaving Versailles," Emily replied, noticing his intense gaze fixed on her. There was something eerie about the way he watched her closely, as if dissecting her with his eyes alone. "I did it so I could communicate with my family. Is there a problem?" she asked.
"No. None at all," Raylen smiled at her, though his eyes were empty. The tips of his slender fingers brushed around the circle she had made. He cautioned, "You should be careful with the summons and connections. A wrong symbol, an excess line, or an absence of one can bring forth unknown entities. The last thing I need is you unintentionally disrupting the protective barriers I've so fondly built around my kingdom."
The subtle warning didn't go unnoticed by Emily. She replied, "Grandmother mentioned it to me. I always double check before reciting the incantations and making the connection."
"That is good to hear. It is better to be meticulous than to invite something unexpected, isn't it, Princess?" Raylen asked her, the once-daunting atmosphere around him dissipating akin to the darkness before dawn as night rapidly descended upon the Storm Kingdom. He said,
"In the past, there were a few instances of earthlings stumbling upon scrolls belonging to Hell. These writings were designed for demons, but earthlings are foolish creatures, always wanting to dabble in things they do not comprehend. The consequences varied—some met their demise at the hands of vengeful demons, while others found themselves enslaved."
Emily watched Raylen leave the room and close the door behind him with a soft click.
When it was time for supper, she entered the dining room and took a seat at the table, and the minutes ticked by with maids coming in to serve her. However, the Storm King never made an appearance. She finished her meal in silence.
[Music Recommendation: Astronaut and Butterfly - Infinite Stream]
After her meal, Emily was strolling through one of the corridors when she heard the sound of the piano coming from another part of the castle. The music that drifted through the corridors seemed to cast a shadow over the walls, making them appear duller and darker, but the occasional flashes in the sky pierced through the darkness, illuminating sections of the corridor. She turned to gaze at the view outside, where the ongoing lightning continued as the clouds collided with each other.
"Princess Emily?"
Emily turned to meet Lauren's eyes, which now held a calmer expression than the day before. She heard the woman inquire, "Would you like me to bring the candles to your room, milady? I prepared the stand with five candles already."
Having been taunted earlier, Emily remained stubborn and refused, saying, "No, that won't be necessary." As she continued to hear the piano being played, and although she had a strong suspicion about the answer, she couldn't resist asking, "Who is playing the piano?"
"It is the Master who plays the music, milady," Lauren replied. "He has always played it well, ever since he was young."
The woman's words had Emily feeling curious. She whispered, "You are from here too…" The woman nodded. To think they knew each other longer than she had expected, the princess thought to herself.
"You should return to your room and get some rest, milady. The rain will start pouring soon," Lauren advised her. "Let me know if you need more firewood for the night. For the fireplace," she added with a warm smile.
Emily cast one final glance at the end of the corridor and then said, "I will; thank you, Lauren. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Princess Emily." Lauren bowed, raising her head only when she heard the young lady's footsteps walking away, her eyes following the princess as she headed in the direction of her room.
The head servant then cast a grim gaze at the deserted corridor from which the music echoed. It had been so long since her master had played this particular song. It made her wonder what had inspired his choice, especially as the music grew in intensity, mirroring the fierce clashes among the tempestuous clouds outside.
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GARDEN OF POISON
Darkest hours of the night (Chapter 190)
A deluge of rain poured down on the Storm Castle as ominous clouds growled in the sky, preventing Emily from falling asleep. With the burning fireplace as the only source of light in the room, she peered at it from beneath her blanket. The night was stormier than the previous two days of her stay, almost as if testing her courage against the enveloping darkness within the room.
The curtains remained drawn, concealing the window through which intermittent lightning flashes attempted to cast eerie shadows from the objects in her room, seemingly menacing her.
As thunder struck nearby, Emily's heart swelled with unease. She whispered to herself,
"Maybe I should go look for the candles." Over an hour had passed since she had settled into bed, and the relentless rain showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Emily pushed the blanket away from her body and climbed out of the bed. She made her way towards the door, her hand reaching for the doorknob and turning it. As she stepped into the corridor, she observed the dimly lit passage being occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning outside the windows, only to be plunged back into darkness moments later.
Emily's bare feet carried her away from her room, leading her in the direction of the stairs. Silently, her feet padded down the steps, the faint creaks muffled by the relentless storm outside. Yet her ears caught the haunting music that floated through the air like ghosts of departed souls.
A few dimly burning candles cast a soft glow as she made her way towards the location of the piano. Her hair was loosely tied with a small ribbon, and her nightdress was covered by a robe. Eventually, she arrived at the source of the soul-stirring music.
As Emily finally reached the room, she noticed that the door had been left slightly ajar. Peering inside, she caught sight of a small candle sitting on top of the piano, before which sat Raylen.
His head was slightly bowed, his eyes closed, something she could discern due to the candlelight casting a glow upon his face. She noticed how passionately his hands danced across the keys, their rhythm in tune with the pace of her anxious heart.
Emily watched Raylen from a distance, her hand gripping the wall next to her for support. She had never seen him in this state of intense concentration, as if he were pouring his very soul into his performance. With each higher note he played, the tumultuous clouds outside grew even more violent. There was something profoundly heartbreaking about the piece of music he was currently playing.
When Raylen's fingers came to a halt, and his gaze shifted towards the door, Emily quickly hid herself behind the wall. For some inexplicable reason, it felt wrong to listen, as if she were intruding upon an intimate secret buried deep within the sands of time. Abandoning the idea of finding candles, she quickly ran back to her room, her rapid footsteps masked by the thunderous roars of the stormy clouds.
Once Emily returned to her room, she picked up a book from her nightstand and, along with her blanket and pillow, arranged them on the floor near the fireplace. She positioned herself to catch enough light while also staying safe from any wayward embers. While she read the book, her thoughts continually drifted back to what she had witnessed on the floor below.
"He plays the piano so well," Emily murmured, reflecting on the graceful fluidity of his movements, as though he had mastered the skill over a lifetime.
Emily had always wanted to learn how to play the instrument, but circumstances had never allowed for it. Now that she was in the West, she could use it as an opportunity to start learning.
As the fireplace continued to radiate warmth, Emily's eyelids grew heavy, and she gradually drifted off to sleep, taking her to a place reminiscent of the stormy ambience outside.
'P—please let us go,' a young Emily, who was around nine years old, implored, her face and clothes stained with mud and dirt. Her back was pressed against the room's chilly wall, the violent thunder outside striking with ferocious intensity.
A man wielding a knife entered the room, the blade glistening with fresh blood, while his hands bore dried, splotchy stains. 'No one is going anywhere!' he declared firmly. 'Not until we finish checking each and every one of you.'
In the same room, two more children around Emily's age were present—a boy and a girl. They were bound by their ankles with iron cuffs, the chains of which were firmly anchored to the wall. The girl sobbed inconsolably and cried out in desperation,
'Mama…! Papa…! I want to go home!'
The man with the knife looked at the girl angrily and said, 'Looks like you want to go next.' As he grabbed her by the arm, she screamed and thrashed, shouting,
'NO! HELP ME!'
'I'll deal with this noisy thing first,' the man declared to someone nearby. Then, he turned his gaze towards the boy and Emily. 'The better you behave, the more time you get to stay alive.'
'Handle them with care,' responded an eerie voice from the adjoining room.
Emily watched as the man unlocked the girl's ankles before carrying her to the other room. Although she couldn't see the individuals inside, she discerned the shadows of two figures as they laid the girl down on a table.
The faint sobs of the girl who had been taken reached her ears, her voice trembling with fear. 'Please, d—don't hurt m—me,' she pleaded. 'P—please.'
She heard the other man speak softly, saying, 'Shhh… No one is going to hurt you.' There was a sinister undertone beneath his seemingly reassuring words. 'Close your eyes, and soon you will see your parents,' he cooed.
Emily watched in horror as one of the shadows raised their hand, still gripping the knife, and, in the blink of an eye, brought it down upon the little girl's chest. A high-pitched scream filled with agony pierced the air, 'AHH!!!'
The ensuing silence felt deafening against the backdrop of the torrential rain, until Emily heard footsteps drawing closer to the door, and the shadows slowly receded. A man came into view, wearing an innocent smile despite the blood staining his face and clothes.
"Princess Emily!"
Emily awoke with a sudden start, a surge of panic gripping her chest. When she attempted to sit up, she ended up accidentally headbutting her maid, who had leaned in close to wake her. "Ow!" Emily winced, instinctively reaching for her throbbing head.
"Forgive me!" Julia exclaimed, quickly moving backwards and pressing her forehead against the cold ground. "I didn't mean to do that; I was just worried that you might have fallen from the bed and gotten hurt!" the maid hurriedly explained in a state of pure panic.
Emily was still in a daze, her mind half-submerged in the realm of sleep. Thanks to her maid, the dream that had held her in its grip was replaced by a throbbing ache in her forehead as she rubbed it. She replied,
"I didn't fall from the bed," Emily replied, lowering her hand from her face.
"No?" Julia asked, her confusion evident as she raised her head. "You chose to sleep like this of your free will?"
Emily nodded, and the young maid had stars in her eyes, sparkling with admiration for the princess, grateful for the opportunity to serve someone as humble as her. The maid assisted the princess to stand up and swiftly began the task of helping her get ready.
While Emily bathed, her maid spoke up, saying, "Princess Emily, I shall ask them to provide two additional blankets so that you can sleep more comfortably if you intend to continue sleeping in the same manner."
"That won't be necessary," Emily replied, but the maid trembled with concern.
"You were shivering from the cold when I found you. It could be troublesome if you were to fall ill during these crucial days," Julia said as she washed Emily's arms. "Also, Miss Lauren handed me your dress for today, which arrived from the tailor early this morning."
Once Emily finished bathing, she slipped into a lilac-coloured silk dress adorned with delicate white embroidery. The dress featured half-sleeves, and the bodice was snug around her bosom, as if to provide a slight lift. The dress came with lacy knitted gloves in a design of floral patterns. Her hair was elegantly pinned up today.
"These clothes are pretty, aren't they, Princess?" Julia asked, admiring Emily's dress. "They suit you so well, truly making you look as if you belong to the Storm Kingdom."
"They are pretty indeed," Emily agreed. The fabric had a slight crispness to it, yet it felt smooth beneath her fingertips.
A sense of dread loomed over her, and she hoped to avoid running into Layla or Nathaniel. Regardless, she knew she needed to learn to ignore him the way he ignored her and not let it affect her. There seemed to be no other choice, she thought to herself, offering her reflection a resolute nod as she made up her mind.
As Emily made her way down to the main floor with her maid trailing closely behind, she spotted Raylen. He had been walking past the stairs when he came to an abrupt halt and stared up at her. His blue eyes were focused entirely on her, and the attention he directed at her made her nervous.
The half-sleeves and the snug dress must have made her look different than usual, Emily thought. Nevertheless, she greeted him with a polite bow, saying,
"Good morning, King Raylen."
"Good morning, Princess," Raylen returned, still maintaining his gaze on her. He smiled and noted, "You have a bump on your forehead. Did you hit it after feeling bad for me?"
Was it that noticeable? Emily asked herself. Her maid replied, "Princess Emily's head and mine collided earlier when she was sleeping—"
"We headbutted when I woke up. It was an accident." Emily finished the maid's sentence and questioned, "Are we to leave now?"
Raylen's eyes held a sense of curiosity, but he didn't delve further into it. His lips curled into a smile as he replied, "The carriage awaits us, Moon Princess."
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