It’s not like poisons are bad

Dinner was a feast of unmatched splendor, every dish a masterpiece that danced on the taste buds and filled the soul with warmth.

By the end, I was comfortably full and basking in the afterglow of good food and laughter. As we leaned back in our chairs, Rowena nudged my arm.

"Come on," she said, standing and stretching. "Let's help clear the dishes."

I raised an eyebrow. "We have staff for that, you know."

Rowena shrugged. "So? I like to help out sometimes. Besides, we probably owe them after all the chaos we caused growing up."

"Fair point," I said with a grin, rising to join her.

We gathered the plates and silverware, our movements synchronized as only twins' could be. The clinking of dishes filled the air as we stacked them neatly, carrying them to the kitchens.

The servants tried to stop us, of course, insisting that it was their duty, but Rowena's charming smile and my stubborn refusal won out in the end.

"Thanks for letting us do this," Rowena said to one of the cooks, her tone unusually soft.

She wasn't one to show her sentimental side often, but it was moments like these that reminded me how much heart she truly had.

Later, with the kitchen clean and my hands washed, I decided to seek out Leora. I found her in the library, leafing through an ancient cookbook with a nostalgic smile.

She looked up as I approached, her sharp purple eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Ah, Rhiannon," she said, closing the book and setting it aside. "What brings you here, my ambitious little chef?"

"I had some questions," I began, pulling up a chair across from her.

Leora tilted her head, intrigued. "About what?"

I hesitated for a moment, then decided to dive right in. "About poisons."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, and then she burst out laughing. "Poisons? Oh, your mother did mention something about your… unique experiments."

I groaned, slumping in my chair. "Of course she told you."

"Why wouldn't she? It's not every day someone hears their grandchild is trying to create a poison that works on demons. It's both hilarious and mildly alarming." She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.

"So tell me, how did you even come up with this idea?"

The memory hit me immediately a vivid flashback to when I was ten years old and far less cautious.

---

I had been wandering through the woods near the castle, chasing a particularly shiny butterfly, when I stumbled upon a fruit tree.

The fruits were bright orange and glowed faintly in the dim light filtering through the trees. They looked delicious, and without thinking, I plucked one and took a big bite.

It wasn't until the bitter aftertaste hit me that I realized something was wrong. Within an hour, I was doubled over with the worst stomachache of my life.

I spent the rest of the day in the bathroom, vowing to never eat anything in the forest again.

But the experience left me wondering, why hadn't it killed me? Would it have worked on a human? And what would it take to create something that could actually affect demons?

---

"So," Leora said, snapping me back to the present, "you decided to turn a childhood trauma into a culinary science project?"

I shrugged. "Pretty much. I mean, it's not like poisons are inherently bad. They're just misunderstood."

Leora laughed again, shaking her head. "You really are something else, Rhiannon."

"Well," I said, standing up, "if you're so curious, I can show you what I've been working on."

Leora's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, this I have to see."

We made our way to my personal kitchen, the one I had begged Seraphine to let me build when I was ten even if Riley was not happy with it.

Even now, it was my sanctuary a space filled with gleaming countertops, meticulously organized spices, and the comforting hum of magical appliances.

Leora looked around, clearly impressed. "This is quite the setup," she said, running her fingers over the polished surface of the counter. "You've been busy."

"Welcome to my world," I said with a grin, pulling out a small vial of pale green liquid from a shelf. I held it up, the contents glinting ominously in the light.

Leora raised an eyebrow. "That's it? Looks like any other poison."

"Exactly," I said, placing it on the counter. "But it's not. This one's designed specifically for demons."

"And how do you know it works?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"I test it," I said simply.

Leora blinked. "You what?"

"To see if it's effective," I explained, reaching for the vial. "I drink a small amount. Just enough to—"

Before I could finish, Leora's hand shot out, slapping the vial out of my grasp. It hit the floor, shattering, and the liquid hissed as it met the tiles, eating through the surface like acid. We both jumped back, staring at the damage.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Leora exclaimed, her voice a mix of shock and disbelief.

"I diluted it!" I protested. "It wouldn't have done that in my stomach."

Leora pointed at the still-smoking floor. "You call that diluted?"

"Well… maybe I miscalculated."

She let out a groan, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Rhiannon, you can't just go around testing poisons on yourself. What if it actually works one day?"

"That's kind of the goal," I said, earning myself a glare.

"You're impossible," Leora muttered, shaking her head. "Do you have any idea how reckless this is?"

"It's not reckless—it's scientific," I said defensively. "Besides, you're one to talk. Didn't you once set a kitchen on fire trying to make flaming soufflés?"

Leora narrowed her eyes but couldn't hide the hint of a smile. "That was artistic experimentation. There's a difference."

"Sure there is," I said with a smirk.

We stood there for a moment, glaring at each other, before bursting into laughter. It was the kind of laughter that only family could share, filled with exasperation and affection.

"So," I said, wiping a tear from my eye, "when does enrollment for the school's culinary program start?"

Leora leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms. "It ends tomorrow afternoon."