POISON

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: BLACKBIRD~ Lisa O'neill]

Almaria positioned herself in her chamber with her legs crossed. She could not get her mind off what Kitanna had done during breakfast. As days went by, the girl continued to taunt and make her look foolish in front of people. She needed to break her wings before she became a dragon, the queen thought to herself. There was only one discussion that got Kitanna's attention, and Almaria smiled when she remembered the one thing the princess dreaded.

As she was lost in her thoughts, Man-uel stepped into the room.

"Good Morning, the ageless queen dowager," he bowed deeply.

"Man-uel, welcome. Come sit," she waved for him to come and sit in front of her. If one person had the deadliest plans, it was Man-uel.

"Man-uel, I want to get Kitanna married. Do you have anyone in mind?" Almaria asked with a smile.

"It depends, my queen. What type of man are you looking to marry her off to?" the sly man asked, sticking his tongue out of his mouth to wet his lips.

"Someone without power. A man as weak as a dying plant," she pressed on.

Almaria had given it thought; if Kitanna were to be married off to a more powerful family, she would only gain more power herself, which would be to her disadvantage. She was not going to allow that, Almaria concluded to herself.

"Hmm, I heard of one of the lower ministers, the one from the Odel village. Rumor has it that he has a son. But..." Man-uel looked around with mischief in his eyes, then he leaned forward and whispered, "The son is a vegetable. He cannot even produce an heir for his family. His father keeps him locked in a room all day," the man grinned, looking at the queen.

Almaria glared at her confidante; this man was truly something else. He was better kept close than at a distance. But that was precisely what she wanted for the princess. A smile slowly spread across her lips.

"That is perfect! Send an invitation to this minister, sealed with the royal insignia!" she smiled and nodded her head in agreement to the plan.

Man-uel did not move from his seat; he continued to look at the queen with a grin on his face.

"Is that all, my queen? You know, obtaining this information was not easy," he said, raising his brows.

Almaria sneered at the greedy man. She felt comfortable keeping him around because there was only one thing he valued more than his life, it was either money or power.

"What do you wish for?" she asked him, pressing her palm gently.

"Twenty horses, four royal jades, and fifty silks," Man-uel called his price. He knew very well that the queen would soon make plans to get rid of Kitanna. The girl kept causing trouble day by day. He had heard from the servants about the little spat that took place during breakfast. He decided to prepare something for the queen and, in return, gain something for himself.

"I will have them prepared for you before you leave the palace," the queen informed him, waving for him to leave the room. She could not stand the sight of him any longer. Almaria despised most people like him.

"Your grace is most generous, my queen dowager. May your reign never cease!" Man-uel bowed deeply. When his head touched the ground, he snickered.

The former queen, now the queen dowager saw him as some kind of parasite instead of a human, but the truth was he needed to survive, and in that regard, they were no different from each other.

He stood up and walked out of the room.

Larel sat in her chamber, sifting through the gifts she had received during her wedding. She kept throwing everything aside, searching for something in particular. The maids tried to assist her, but she stopped them. After searching in vain, she went to sit by the window.

"Your Royal Majesty, the queen dowager has requested your presence in her chamber," one of the maids announced.

Larel got up from her position immediately, she looked at herself in the golden mirror that was on the table. Her eyes looked puffy because she had been crying. She quickly summoned one of the maids, and her make up was made neat again. She dressed properly to meet her mother in-law.

"Queen dowager, Queen Larel is here," the head maid announced at the door.

Larel entered the room; the queen dowager was busy watering one of her plants. Larel bowed, but the woman didn't bother to acknowledge her. She continued watering her plants with so much attention.

"Larel dear, do you know what kills a plant faster?" The woman finally broke the silence, placing the watering can aside.

Larel felt very uneasy, especially when it was the queen dowager. The woman made her feel so small, she tried to get close to her but every time, it ended with her feeling like she did not belong in the palace.

"Lack of sunlight and water," she answered, holding her dress.

"Poison," Almaria smiled, but the smile disappeared immediately. She moved toward where the girl was standing. "It's poison."

Larel could feel her heart beating faster than anything, she couldn't breathe properly. Her eyes were starting to close.

"I heard from a little bird that you were looking for something in your room today and that you cried," the queen whispered into the girl's ear, sending a shiver down her spine. Larel widened her eyes in shock. Her palm felt sweaty and cold.

"You should know, dear, that anything that passes the palace gate is inspected by me before it reaches the original owners. Why? So I can remove poison. Before it spreads"

"I am sorry, Queen Dow..."

"When we are alone, refer to me as Queen. I am your queen, Larel," Almaria said, holding the girl's hand. Larel's hands were already trembling as a result of fear. The girl was terrified.

"I-I am sorry, my queen," she stuttered. The woman's presence unnerved her. 

"I read your love letter. Forget about that man. You now belong to the royal family. Focus on your husband and make an heir. Any emotions you felt you were used to, discard them. Fall in love with Khelan; make him see you as a woman. Don't cause a royal scandal."

"I won't mind removing you as soon as I find out you are potential poison," Almaria looked at her sternly before a smile spread across her face.

"I-I am sorry, my queen," Larel could not gather her thoughts. She was terrified to her wits.

"Your beloved must have received my letter by now. If you want to keep him safe, I don't have to tell you everything, do I?" the queen raised her hand to touch the girl's face. Out of impulse and fear, Larel closed her eyes.

"Now leave, my child." When Almaria saw that the girl had received the message, she dismissed her.

After the wedding, some gifts arrived from Larel's family. They were first brought to her room. That's when Almaria found the love letter addressed to Larel. The man who wrote the letter was planning to escape with Larel from the palace. She decided to act quickly before outsiders got wind of it.

When Larel stepped out of the room, her legs gave way. She could still feel her heart beating fast. She tried hard to catch her breath before her maids helped her stand and escorted her to her own chambers.

Inside her room, she bawled her eyes out. She never intended on being a queen or a puppet. She had someone she loved so much back at home. He promised to come for her, now all her plans and hopes of Leaving the palace went flying out of the window.

After crying the whole afternoon, Larel stood up from her bed, she realized that in the palace everyone belonged to the queen dowager including herself. If she wanted to survive, she must find an escape to this madness. And only one person came to her mind.