Garden Of Poison-Chapter 231: Early Halloween

Before Emily could respond or say something, blood rushed up her neck and settled in her cheeks. Surely, he wasn’t expecting her to lick the cream off his finger. She quietly stared back at the blue eyes that patiently waited for her.

The water she had earlier gulped down had provided no relief, as her tongue still felt as though someone had set it aflame, and she took a deep breath through her lips in an attempt to alleviate the sensation.

Until now, Emily had only been subjected to Raylen’s sarcastically kind taunts and teasing, but his current actions had left her speechless. Desperate to extinguish the fire in her mouth, she leaned forward, much to Raylen’s pleasure.

There was a glint of wickedness in Raylen’s eyes, mixed with excitement. He made no effort to move from his seat, only observing the lovely princess glaring at him as she leaned forward to his waiting finger covered with the buttercream to soothe her. He noticed her delicate lips parting open like a flower blooming in spring, and he couldn’t help but part his own lips as he watched her like a hunter tracking his prey.

But before Raylen could see Emily’s mouth wrap around his finger or lick it, the princess’s hand reached for his plate, which held the slice of cake, and a triumphant smile appeared on her lips. She said,

"You shouldn’t be so smug, King Raylen. You can enjoy the cream yourself."

But as Emily pulled the plate towards her, Raylen caught her wrist. His grip was firm, but not harsh enough to leave an imprint of his fingers on her skin. The sudden movement caused her to inhale a sharp breath.

"Stealing my cake isn’t very nice, Princess." Raylen’s words fell like a whisper, their faces close to each other. "Should I remind you that I don’t share? What is mine is mine alone and no one else’s. But I would like to be benevolent in your case and offer you the cream."

"And should I remind you that I am perfectly capable of eating it with my own two hands?" Emily retorted, even as she felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Such a difficult princess to please," Raylen murmured, and as a faint smile appeared on his lips once more, Emily’s eyes caught sight of his sharp canines. He questioned her, "Why trouble yourself when there’s help readily available at your service?"

Emily was well aware that Raylen was a conniving demon of the highest level, but she hadn’t realised just how shameless he could be until now. She said, "The service I require from you is to let go of my hand. Now."

She felt Raylen uncurl his fingers from around her wrist and heard him say, "There you go. Just as you requested." She gingerly let go of the plate and pulled her hand to her side.

It felt like Raylen was suddenly engaged in a competition with the men who had courted her until now, and he was going for the kill rather than waiting like the others. It left Emily unprepared because no one had ever been so forward with her before. Maybe Marshall had displayed such boldness, but that man had also degraded her and attempted to ruin her reputation. In contrast, this archdemon was openly trying to seduce her.

Emily watched Raylen put the buttercream-covered finger in his mouth, the cream vanishing as he pulled it out and licked it clean.

In Emily’s imagination, she envisioned hurling the entire cake at Raylen’s face, and she couldn’t help but smile at the mental image before quickly composing her expression as she was still mad at his antics. She pushed her chair back and began to walk around him when she heard him say,

"Not going to have a slice of cake?"

Emily’s eyes narrowed, and instead of cutting a slice of the cake, she impulsively grabbed the entire platter with her hands and stormed out of the dining room. She retreated to her room and took a bite from the cake, and its buttery texture helped to soothe her tongue. Before she realised it, she had devoured half of it—partly fueled by her anger and partly by her hunger. At the dining table, she hadn’t eaten much, thanks to her companions.

Currently, she sat beside the fireplace, listening to the gentle crackling of the logs, a spoon in her hand as she licked her lips.

"It is tasty," Emily murmured, feeling full, her back leaning against the wall.

The candles scattered around the room continued to burn brightly, and she heard the soft sound of her door being opened. She briefly wondered if it was her mother coming to apologise for her earlier behaviour. However, when the footsteps drew nearer, she realised it was her maid, who glanced left and right as if wondering where she was as the bed was empty.

"I am here, Julia," Emily let her know, causing the maid to jump in fright at the sound of her voice.

Julia turned, her eyes finding Emily. "I was worried about where you were, Princess," she confessed. Then, with a hint of doubt, she inquired, "What are you doing, sitting down there?"

"Resting," Emily replied, scooping up another bite of the cake with the spoon and placing it in her mouth, much to her maid’s surprise and shock.

It was because the princess had been raised not to sit on the ground, Julia thought to herself. She glanced at the bed, wondering if there was something amiss and if she needed to check it. However, she noticed that the princess looked tired and pressed her lips together before inquiring,

"Are you alright, Princess Emily?"

Emily took a deep breath and replied, "I am fine." She couldn’t help but smile bitterly as she remembered how she had anticipated seeing her mother.

Unlike her younger brother Aiden, Emily had accepted her fate of being born into the royal family and understood that she had to act and behave in a certain way. It was how she had been brought up. However, at this moment, it felt like no matter how hard she tried, it was never enough to satisfy her mother.

"Want to have some?" Emily offered the cake to Julia, who declined with a shake of her head.

"It seems that you have acquired a taste for cake," Julia noted, and she saw the princess stare at the nearly finished cake. "Did something happen during dinner, milady?"