Chapter 18: A Pretty Face

Amaira froze after hearing the question that Lady Marin had just posed.

What if the King already knew that she had made the poison with Rein Melk in mind?

How would she explain it to him?

She had just announced it right in his presence that she had created the poison for a rat after being approached by Lady Marin's maid.

Now, how would she face him if he knew of the fact that she had lied right to his face?

It was true that when Lady Marin's maid came to her for help, she was already aware of who the true victim would be.

'Rein Melk.' She thought of that man who was the target of Lady Marin's scheme but she did not let the other know about it.

Though she pretended to be ignorant of who the real target was, she had kept his bodily stature in mind while preparing this poison.

It was created with the sole intention of killing the servant named Rein Melk.

She also knew why Lady Marin was attempting to get rid of the man.

In fact, she was not against this plan as she too wished that the eyesore would leave this Palace, much better if he left this world all at once.

'Who asked him to have such a pretty face?' Amaira glowered while recalling the face that was too pretty to belong to a man.

Rein Melk was the shy and introverted man whose beauty had caught the attention of many when he had first entered the Palace.

However, his timid behavior and refusal to mingle with them was what had pushed away those who wished to get closer to him.

This behavior of his made him seem snobbish and prideful which further increased their dissatisfaction with him.

Yet, even if the entire Palace ostracized him, the King continued to utilize his services which meant that he could not be chased away.

Her dislike for the young male servant only increased when she found that her maids were also secret admirers of that effeminate man.

'Men should be masculine, robust, and broad-chested!' She sneered as the men she knew all belonged to this category.

Thus, the pretty-faced Rein Melk had become a thorn in her eye and she was glad that the servant did not appear before her too often.

Yet there were instances where meeting him was unavoidable.

At such times, her dislike for the servant only intensified because this weak and delicate man was serving the King who might become her future husband.

When the time came for her to become the Queen, wouldn't she have to see that pretty face every day?

Just the thought of this ever happening made Amaira's teeth grit.

Therefore, when she found the opportunity to move him out of the way, she lent her aid to Lady Marin and prepared a poison that would accomplish this mission with ease.

With her latest creation, it was a given that Rein would experience a painful death after being fed the poison.

The poison she had made specifically for the manservant would activate once it touched any body fluids.

In this case, once the poison mixed into the pudding was consumed it would be activated the moment it came in contact with the servant's saliva.

Thereafter, it would corrode everything it touches, and the more fluid it gained access to, the more potent it would become.

Lady Amaira had prepared this poison to ensure that Rein Melk would experience the feeling of his insides being corroded before he breathed his last.

The proof of this was the diagnosis made by Doctor Bundt who claimed that Rein's throat and stomach lining had been seriously damaged due to the poison.

However, even with all the damage it had dealt, Lady Amaira knew that her creation failed to accomplish its purpose.

The moment her eyes laid on the man walking into the dining hall right behind the King on the next morning, she knew that the plan had gone awry.

Her shock was great but what happened next had helped her hide her thoughts which had appeared in her face for a split second.

With Lady Marin's maid reacting so strongly in the King's presence, the attention was directed towards her and Amaira had gotten enough time to sort out her emotions and calm her mind.

Unfortunately, her attempt to trick the King had failed as he had already discovered the abnormality in her expressions soon after he had entered the room.

Since she did not know about this, she was pleased with herself and even lied to him about how much she knew concerning the poisoning inside.

Now, thinking of how she had failed to kill the beautiful servant and even gotten herself entangled in this mess, she gritted her teeth in regret.

Her regret, however, was for all the wrong reasons.

'I should have at least added some herbs to ruin that pretty face.' She regretted that she had been too complacent about the success of her creation.

Ruining that pretty face should have been on her priority list but in her over-confidence, she had not bothered to use this as her fail-safe.

She could not decipher how he had managed to survive the poison she had prepared solely for him.

However, if only she had known that Rein would survive then she would have used this method to at least improve his current appearance.

'A scarred face would have been so much better than what it is now.' She sighed, for now, she could not do anything as the King's watchful eye was already on her.

The punishment she received might increase if she disobeyed him, which would hurt her pride once again.

Therefore, all she could do right now was to grit her teeth and remain inside this room.

In the other room, Marin realized that both of their thoughts had been exposed before the King and that was the reason why they had been punished.

She for orchestrating an attempt to poison the servant and Amaira for playing the role of an accomplice.

However, the point that they were missing was that they had tried to kill or possibly maim someone whom the King regarded as his aide.

This was the only reason why King Zander had taken action against the women, one of whom might someday become his wife.

"Three weeks locked inside for such a tiny mistake." Amaira sulked as she felt that this was excessive for the negligible error she had made.

After all, the servant was someone who could be replaced at any time, something she hoped would have happened if her poison had worked as it should have.

But the King had deemed this matter more than just a tiny mistake and even ordered them to stay indoors for the rest of their punishment period.

Lady Marin shut her eyes after hearing what the young cub had just said.

'So he knows everything.' She groaned as this would be detrimental to what she was trying to achieve through the death of that servant.

Her plans would need to be put on hold until she could find another opportune time to come back to it.

Doing anything suspicious right now would grant her the same fate that her maid had experienced.

'No…' Marin shook her head, dismissing this dreadful thought.

She had been personally selected by the Elders, implying that she had gained their trust and now had their backing.

No matter how powerful and mighty King Zander had become, there was no way that he would go against the elders and kill her, someone they had chosen to be his wife.

This reminder brought her relief and even a tinge of pride that no matter what she did, King Zander would not hurt her as she was his chosen bride.

Compared with the other two candidates, she had the highest probability of becoming the next Queen of the land thanks to the favor of the elders.

She would make sure that she sat on the Throne next to the King's, her rightful place as the Queen.

With that authority, she could rule this great Kingdom of Valanthur while assisting the King at all times.

This thought brought her confidence and she finally broke her communication with the werewolf who was also one of the candidates vying for the position of the Queen.

Thus, Amaira and Marin were left in their rooms to mull over the thoughts that were running through their minds in silence as no one would disturb them for the next three weeks.