Chapter 178: The Teacup [Part 1]
The cool wind came through, and his long, inky hair swirled lightly. He was properly clothed, which could only mean he had been around my gardens.
Was he watching me?
Murmur filled the table, for the prince hadn’t been seen for months, and his sudden appearance raised questions.
The knights who were on guard came forward, and a pressure filled the air, and I knew no doubt this would end in bloodshed.
"Stand down!" I commanded and they froze in place.
"Damon, explain yourself! What is the meaning of this?" Diana demanded standing on her feet. "How dare you show yourself here?"
Damon said nothing, simply bringing the teacup to his nose while pinning his bloodthirsty gaze on Aria, and then he smirked, rendering her to stare at him in bewilderment.
"Get this examined by Ravyn." He tossed the cup to her, and she caught it clumsily.
"What? Examine?"
"What is this, Prince Damon!" Sloane shot to her feet.
However, he was suddenly nowhere to be seen, gone like the wind.
"What just happened?"
"It was Prince Damon."
"Prince Damon?"
"I could barely recognise him."
"Your Majesty," Sloane began. "You should have him seized for crashing your gathering. He might have caused you harm like he did Lady Aria!"
Aria rubbed her bruised hand, but it was slowly healing.
Damon. Why did he come so suddenly, knowing the risk? If I hadn’t stopped my knights, who knew what could have happened?
I glanced at Diana. "Take it to Ravyn and tell her to examine it."
"You’re not seriously listening to him, are you? This could be one of his tricks."
"Just do as I say."
"Your Majesty!" Sloane spoke up again. "Prince Damon was probably drunk, as you know. He clearly spoke in a clouded mind. His sudden appearance proved he had come without thinking."
I wanted to believe that too. That Damon had no business risking his life for nothing. But I’m curious, curious as to why he wanted Ravyn to examine this cup.
"You’re right..." I said, and Sloane smiled.
Very suspicious.
"But I can’t ignore the fact that there’s something wrong. Go now, Diana."
I could feel her hesitancy, but she eventually walked out. I noticed how anxious Sloane got.
"Please, ladies, let us sit and remain calm."
"Calm? After what Prince Damon pulled off? What if he comes back and goes berserk? He’s an unstable alpha that should have stayed locked up!"
Sloane’s words were causing heat, and I could see the ladies’ scared looks.
"This is your inner court now. You should be protecting it. The more we stay here, the more we’ll be in danger. Isn’t that right, ladies?"
"The queen is just as anxious as you are, Lady Sloane," Celia spoke up. "Let us wait to see why the prince requested the cup to be examined." She looked at Aria. "I know you’re hurt, but to get a much better understanding of the situation, we must wait."
Murmurs filled the space.
"Wait?" Sloane huffed. "What the queen should be doing is sending her knights after the prince. He had once caused the queen harm, tried to harm the royal body, and yet you expect us—"
"As you are aware, I told my knights to stand down," I interjected. "I did that to avoid any bloodshed. However, if the prince shows his face again, I’ll not hesitate to put him down."
Sloane clenched her teeth. I had a feeling her strong opposition did not lie with Damon’s appearance, but the cup being examined, all the more reason to do it.
I moved a finger, and a knight dropped to one knee to give me his ear. "Bring in more knights and have my garden guarded tightly, so that no one goes in or out."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The knight rose and marched out.
I smiled at the ladies and said. "Now, we don’t have anything to worry about as we wait."
~•~
After two hours, Diana and Ravyn were back, followed by Osha and Talia.
Ravyn halted at my side. "The princess briefed me."
"Did you have it examined?"
"Yes," she gave me the cup.
"There’s a special type of poison, it."
"What?!"
"Poison?!"
"Oh, my!"
"Goddess!"
"T-T-That can’t be right," Aria stuttered. "What is the meaning of this? My tea was not poisoned!"
"That is the result of my examination. As you know, poison is one of the things I’m accustomed to, especially ones made with magic."
Is that why Damon requested that Ravyn have it examined?
"Lady Ravyn is right. She’s a scholar who has studied the foundations of magic and how they affect our resources. The arts may be lost now, but they still live around us," Celia explained.
All eyes turned to Aria, who looked scared. She quickly hurried to my side and dropped to her knees. "Your Majesty, please, I assure you I have no intention of poisoning you! Please, you have to believe me!"
"Ravyn."
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"If it’s poison, then why was it not sniffed out? I thought Lycans had a keen sense of smell."
"If the poison is based on magic, then it’d be harder for a Lycan to detect, although there is an exception for Alpha."
I see. That explained Damon’s interruption; he could smell it!
"Then this particular poison was made to be undetected and used swiftly. Which means it could be Lady Aria had no idea about it," Celia said.
"Bring the tools that Lady Aria used to make tea!" Ravyn barked.
Osha and Talia brought them to my side of the table for Ravyn to examine. Celia rose to her feet to add her input too.
Sloane was sweating now. Ever since her indirect opposition, I knew she had something to do with this.
Oh, Sloane...you just handed me what I needed to bring you down with your own hands. However, I love my evidence, and as it unfolds, I’ll watch as her world comes tumbling down. This is the end for you.