Garden Of Poison-Chapter 199: First flap of the bird

There was a time in Emily’s life when she was filled with enthusiasm for anything related to soulmates and the deep connection destined couples shared. And now she didn’t want to hear about it. Yet, not a single day had passed since that fateful moment without her experiencing the agonising pain in her heart. She wished she hadn’t been foolish enough to anticipate something so fragile and unpredictable.

As Emily sat on the couch, awaiting the arrival of the gentlemen, she made a conscious effort to steer her thoughts away from Nathaniel. However, her mind betrayed her, as if it were conditioned to dwell on her broken heart and the person responsible for it. And while she was lost in silent contemplation about what had transpired, she failed to register the steady progression of the clock’s hands as they continued to make their ceaseless rounds.

"Princess Emily, would you like me to set up lunch for you?" inquired Lauren, observing the earthling demon’s dazed expression.

Emily’s hazel brown eyes lifted from the floor to meet the head servant’s gaze. She asked, "Could you bring me some parchment, along with a quill and ink?"

Lauren offered a slight bow and departed, leaving the princess alone in the parlour briefly to fetch the items. Upon returning, she announced her presence, saying,

"Princess Emily, I have brought the items you requested."

"Thank you, Lauren," Emily expressed her gratitude as the parchment and ink were placed on the desk in the corner of the room. She dipped the quill’s tip into the ink and swiftly composed a letter. After the ink had dried, she carefully folded the parchment four times and handed it to the head servant. She instructed,

"Please have this delivered to Janelle Windsor, and also arrange a carriage for me."

"Right now, milady?" Lauren confirmed, as the request was somewhat sudden.

"Yes," Emily replied with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her words were clear, yet there was a subdued quality to them. She said, "It doesn’t appear like I have any other engagements scheduled for the day, so I might as well use the time to visit my relatives. I will not be staying for lunch."

"I will inform the kitchen staff, Princess," Lauren responded before arranging a carriage for the princess, who had a difficult morning.

While Lauren carried the supplies she had earlier brought to the parlour, she encountered Raylen, who exhaled a puff of smoke from the cigar held between his fingers.

"The parlour seems quieter than I had expected," he remarked, taking a drag from the cigar.

"Except for Archdemon Nathaniel, Princess Emily has had no other visitors so far, Master," Lauren informed him in a lowered voice, glancing over her shoulder. "It appears that the rumours about her being a rejected woman must have spread within society."

"Earthlings, be they demons or not, are all the same. Easily influenced, like goats jumping at the sight of another doing the same," Raylen remarked, exhaling the smoke to the side. Upon hearing the sound of the carriage, he questioned Lauren, "I thought the princess didn’t have any visitors." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"It is the princess. She went out to visit her relatives, Master," the demoness informed him.

"Alone?" Raylen raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Lauren nodded in confirmation.

"Would you like me to accompany her, Master?"

Raylen’s lips twisted, and after a moment’s pause, he answered, "That won’t be necessary. The princess is a responsible woman, and if she has chosen to leave the castle, it must have been after carefully considering the current situation. Let us give her some room to breathe."

"I thought the same," Lauren replied. After a moment of silence, she added, "The poor lady has been plagued by nightmares at night." This statement grabbed Raylen’s attention. "I don’t believe she has been sleeping all that well since she arrived."

"So stubbornly proud," Raylen murmured before ordering, "Make sure there are extra candles stocked in her room. The last thing we need is her dying of fright before her actual time comes."

"Yes, Master Raylen," Lauren agreed. Just then, they heard a crackling sound, and Raylen’s imp, Balor, materialised beside them.

The imp appeared duller than Westley, and it reported, "Master, last evening’s mend to the barrier is showing signs of cracking and requires your attention. We tried to repair it, but it seems it won’t hold the walls around the kingdom for much longer. The damage this time seems more serious than it has been until now. As if it was intentionally forced open."

When Raylen’s blue eyes fell on the imp, a sharp glare straightened the imp’s posture, causing it to lower its gaze to the ground. He remarked,

"Always giving me work, Balor. I wonder, is it incompetence or ignorance that none of you bothered to keep an eye on it? Are you all just waiting for me to give you a warm bath?" Raylen’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled.

"We took great care... But considering the level of force used, it must have been breached by someone we didn’t expect," Balor replied. "I suspect that with the number of guests that have arrived from foreign lands, someone managed to slip through, and that’s likely what caused the damage."

"So, it appears we have a demon intruder, a higher-level one," Raylen mused with a thoughtful hum.

"Should I make a list of the guests who have arrived in the kingdom, Master Raylen?"

"I doubt it would make a difference. Our esteemed guest seems to have chosen the gathering season to make an appearance," Raylen said with a thoughtful expression before adding, "The individual is probably looking for a spouse. Let’s not be unkind to them." He smiled, receiving a puzzled stare from the old imp.

​​Inside the carriage, Emily’s face was turned to the window, mirroring her maid, who stared out the other window with a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. Her gaze wasn’t focused on anything in particular, as her thoughts were unusually subdued, a reflection of her mental fatigue.

Upon their arrival at the residence of Keaton and Cecelia Lowell, her relatives welcomed her warmly.

"Emily, it is wonderful to have you here at last!" her aunt exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm, wrapping her in a heartfelt embrace.

"I hope I am not troubling you with the sudden visit," Emily replied, gently pulling away from her aunt, who smiled at her in response.

"Of course not! We have been eagerly anticipating your visit since we received your brother’s letter asking us to look after you. Come inside," Aunt Cecelia said, guiding the young woman with a reassuring hand on her back.

Cecelia Lowell was Emily’s maternal aunt, her mother’s older sister, who had once borne the Winthrop family name, just like her mother. Once upon a time, the woman had been intended to marry William Blackthorn, but she had chosen a man of slightly lower status, a choice her family disapproved of. So she had eloped with Keaton Lowell to another kingdom and it took them some years before they forgave her for going against their wishes.

"How are you doing, Uncle Keaton?" Emily inquired politely, addressing the bearded man.

"Happily growing old. The last time we saw you, you were just eleven or twelve," he chuckled as they entered the mansion.

"It has been a long time," Emily agreed as the couple welcomed her into their home.

Though the couple inquired about the gathering, they tactfully avoided any questions about Emily’s soulmate. She began to believe it was either because they hadn’t heard about it or because they were making an effort to be polite by not bringing it up.

"So, Emily, have you found a man to your liking?" Cecelia inquired as they settled onto the couch after lunch. She noticed Emily’s dress, which was of a style not commonly worn in Versailles, and added, "It appears you came prepared with the right style of dresses. I must say, you look even lovelier than you usually do."

Emily smiled at her aunt’s kind words and said, "Actually, this one was created by Mr. Hatt. Thanks to King Raylen’s word, it has been quite helpful in expediting things."

The princess was grateful to the archdemon, no matter how annoying he could be. However, she had no intention of admitting it in his presence, as she had no desire to see that creepy smile of his—the mere thought of it sent a subtle shiver down her spine.

"King Raylen is indeed a kind and resourceful man, save for a few things. But nonetheless, it is reassuring to see that you are being taken care of," Keaton remarked, and Emily noticed her aunt shoot him a meaningful look.

Intrigued, Emily asked, "What few things?"

"I believe we should refrain from speaking ill of the king, who has been generous to us all," Cecelia began, clearing her throat before continuing. "It is just that he has a certain reputation, one that sets him apart from others. You could say that if your mother were to hear about it, she would insist on you leaving the castle immediately."

That... that was something she had already concluded during the first week of her stay, Emily thought to herself.

"But that is not what I meant," Keaton said in a hushed tone, even though they were the only ones in the room now. He continued, "The rumour is that many years ago, he earned the title of ’Murderer’. That is why, despite his seemingly calm demeanour, people are wary enough never to cross him."

"Idle people always tend to create rumours, Keaton. You know how they have been gossiping—" Cecelia paused, her face slightly red, and then added, "About us."

Emily behaved as if she hadn’t noticed the slip-up and continued to talk about other matters. Having never been away from her family, she missed them terribly. Visiting her relatives brought her joy and brightened her mood compared to when she had left the castle.

As the hours moved towards evening, Emily was about to board her carriage when another carriage arrived at the front of the Lowells’ house. It belonged to Janelle, who had just received the letter from Emily after she finished spending time with her prospective suitor, Mr. Hurbert.

"I thought I told you to meet me tomorrow," Emily said when her friend stepped out of her carriage. Just because she didn’t have any suitors didn’t mean she wanted her friend to miss meeting the people who had made an effort to court her.

"Oh, I am not as popular as you might imagine, Lily," Janelle responded, taking Emily’s hand. "As soon as Mr. Hurbert departed, my maid handed me your letter, and I came here to see you. How are you holding up? It doesn’t look like you’re doing too well." The news had spread to her mother and the neighbours by noon, and it seemed like everyone had found something to chew on in someone else’s plight.

"I am feeling better than I did this morning," Emily replied. "Thank you for coming to see me, even if it was for a short while."

Despite the challenging start to the day, Emily felt a sense of care and kindness from those around her, which touched her deeply.

Yet, at the same time, she noticed some of the passersby on the street turning back to openly stare at her. Even though she avoided looking directly at the other people walking by, it felt as if everyone’s attention was fixated on her. The hushed conversations about her further heightened the anxiety that she had managed to drive away earlier.

Janelle looked confused. "Short while? Now that we are out, we are going to spend time together, Lily."

Emily laughed as though Janelle was joking before noticing the woman’s earnest stare. She replied, "I don’t think I am ready to meet anyone who passes their time walking around Bramsfield, Jane."

"You don’t have to worry about that, because we are going nowhere near Bramsfield," Janelle assured her with a pat on her arm.