Adonis

Chapter 3

Minji lay restless in her bed. Though her head was mostly clouded with theories, she couldn't quite place why the dinner felt so strained. While Minji did keep her eyes on her food the whole time, she felt the cold stare Rachel directed at her. Was that the reason why it was strained? She had no idea.

The dinner started off really lively but everything seemed to have turned for the opposite the moment Della and the Crown Prince spoke of the same topic. Politics. They deliberately tried to push each other's buttons and Minji knew exactly what that was. Della must've thought the prince wasn't good enough as a leader. He was a lot more passive and appeared easy to control. He would've been easily devoured by the nobles who were hungry for power and that would not end well for the Kingdom.

Minji felt bad for the prince. It didn't seem like he had any choice as he was the only legitimate heir of the royal family and he's young. Way younger than Minji herself. She had asked Lucy for more information about the royalties and apparently, the Crown Prince is the King's youngest child. They originally thought that the Queen Consort was infertile thus led the King into getting a concubine but in the end, the concubine was deemed useless after birthing two daughters. Not only that, shortly after, the Queen Consort was able to bear a child and that was the crown Prince they know today.

***

Two hard knocks were given to the door of a small hut by a figure in black cloak. After a few moments, the door creaked open and another figure emerges. "Come on in,"

"What brings you here?"

"Sua, I need your help and I'm sure you know what it is,"

They both shared a look before Sua turned and head to the other room without saying a word. She came back soon with two cups of drinks and handed one over, "Look," she started as she held the other cup close to her mouth.

"I don't know how to help you," she took a sip of her own drink as she eyes the other intently. "He's not an easy target. One wrong step, they'll find out everything about us and send the whole kingdom to kill us and our sisters,"

"Also Dami," Sua sighed.

Dami looked up and Sua could see how anxious she was by the look in her eyes. She felt bad for her, she really did but she had priorities.

"I have children to take care of. I can't just risk our safety for a bounty,"

"I know-"Dami groaned in frustration. "But I made such a huge mistake! I mean- even tasting a drop of that poison would've killed and I don't understand how she survived a whole fist of them!"

"Was it the one that I gave you?"

Dami nodded.

"Are you sure you didn't switch them out?"

"Yes, all the side effects were just like what you've told me,"

Silence once again engulfed the dimly-lit room as Sua pondered harder. Soon after, she chuckled as if she had come up with a peculiar realization.

"The Lady must've had someone protecting her, and this person is aware of our plans. Perhaps someone who had been lurking around without rousing any suspicions,"

"Or someone who knew advanced magic," Sua clicked her tongue in annoyance. She mumbled something that Dami couldn't make out what and soon after, a jade bracelet appeared on the latter's left wrist. "I can only help that much. This can only be seen by those who had mastered the forbidden arts to a certain degree," Sua took hold of Dami's wrist.