Snake Satchel

"I will be completely frank with you, my lady. You have nothing to threaten me with. And I am not afraid to die, so whatever tricks you've conjured up inside your insidious mind this time around, I'd suggest you keep them to yourself. I am an old woman nearing the end of her life. I may only have a good five to six years left. And when I die, I will embrace it wholeheartedly. I yearn to be reunited with my dear friend Moniqua again."

Hildegarde stood up and delivered the final blow. "And I am not alone in yearning for death. The Duke too misses the woman he loved with every cell in his body. He too is looking forward to dying so he can finally reunite with her. And we both know, Duchess Tyren, you've never been able to replace Moniqua. She always has and always will be the only in his heart."

Hildegarde stepped back and bowed. "If you need to see me again, my lady, I'll be with Duchess Moniqua's children. She is the only one I am loyal to." She smirked at the shattered expression on Tyen's face before walking away. 

As soon as the door closed behind her, Tyren knocked the table over. She barely heard the sound of the crash, as her heart was pounding in her ears. She couldn't think of a single thing to say to counter Hildegarde's words because she knew the hag was right! The Duke would never love her the way he did Moniqua! Tyren had watched from afar with jealousy and greed in her mind at the way Roelle had fawned over Moniqua and it was not what she received from him after becoming his wife. 

She had killed that bothersome bitch because she'd wanted Roelle to love her instead. More than that, she craved the title of Duchess and desired to give Helena a better life. Although she had accomplished most of it, she had never been able to capture the Duke's heart. He may have married her, he may show her some care from time to time and he may allow her to spend his money, but he did not love her!

And that single fact infuriated and pained her to no end!

Furious tears streamed down her face.

Grabbing her head in her hands, she began to pick up more items from her room and slam them into the floor. Her maids, who had been about to enter once again scurried away and closed the door. This wasn't a novelty and they knew all they had to do was patiently wait for the Duchess to regain her sanity and order them back inside.

Later that day, when Hildegarde heard about Tyren's outburst she scoffed with derision.

We never had to deal with such things when Lady Moniqua was the Duchess. She was a very graceful, intelligent and mature woman. There was no such thing as her throwing a tantrum. Tsk! That silly woman. How embarrassing must it be to have her for a master. She is no true Duchess.

After having her room cleaned and taking another bath as well as medication to calm herself, Tyren was feeling sane and had gone back to her calculative self. Entering her large closet, she walked to the very back and took out a green satchel made out of snake skin. It was where she stored her poisons.

Had done so for many years.

The bag was gifted to her by the Empress, who was the only half-sibling she had who was actually kind to her. From the age of 16, Tyren began collecting poisons and using it on servants who dared to disrespect her. Since her father, step-mother and half-siblings always looked down on her, some servants also took to belittling her. Tyren was tempted to poison them all, but knew she would get caught so she just took to killing a few servants throughout the years and always got away with it. She was very good at covering her tracks and being able to take her revenge as well as decide who lived and died had filled her with euphoria.

One of the poisons from this satchel had been what she used to kill Moniqua. She had wanted to kill Felicia too, but the Pope had cautioned her against it saying she would get caught if both mother and daughter were to die at once.

Tyren remembered his words precisely.

"It will no longer look like an accident, Tyren. And the Emperor and Duke would suspect a targeted assassination which would lead to a very lengthy and thorough investigation. Don't mind the daughter. She is only 14 years of age. She can be dealt with later on."

Tyren took out a small vial and smiled. This would be the best method to kill Hildegarde. The last and only time she'd used it was to kill her stepmother. It was one of the best days of her life and since the poison had left no trace, she wasn't caught.

I felt so powerful that day! Taking the life of my abuser was the most liberating thing I did! And she never saw it coming! She never thought I'd strike back at her for all the abuse. How foolish! She made my life hell simply because I was her stepdaughter, not because I did anything to harm her or her children. It was karma and a most beautiful one. 

Drawing out of her reverie, Tyren placed her satchel back inside the bottom drawer and walked out of her closet. 

The vial in her hand was small, but it would do lot of damage. Most especially to the lungs. It was a toxin as clear as water, tasteless and completely odorless. A few drops every couple of days and you'd be in a casket.

Hildegarde won't know what hit her. How dare that bitch taunt me about my marital problems?! Look at her! She admitted her husband left her for another woman and her children are in jail. Her position is even more miserable than mine. What hypocrisy!

Seated at her vanity table, Tyren placed the poison on the wooden countertop and waited for a particular maid to answer her summons.

Maid Tara was Tyren's favorite subordinate as she would do anything for some extra gold. Her heart was as black as coal and Tyren trusted her completely. Nobody was more loyal to her! Tara never hesitated to help Tyren with all her schemes. If Hildegarde was to be poisoned, then naturally only Tara could to trusted to successfully complete the task.