Page 54 of Poisoned Empire

“I’m surprised the rest of them haven’t found a way to disappear before being assigned the task.” He chuckled.

“The night is young.”

Darius patted his son’s shoulder and went to seek out Selene. In an instant Belli was swamped with female attention. He was a good-looking sort, but Darius always knew when his son was simply wearing the mask of the politician.

None of the dominae fighting for his attention held sway over his son’s heart. Darius supposed that was one of the hazards of growing up royal—you were desired for all the wrong reasons by all the worst sorts.

Darius had been lucky to find Nadia when they were young nobodies, relatively speaking. Even as a girl, Nadia had been a powerful plant mage, often called upon to help the harvests of powerful neighbours. As a minor noble with more siblings than she could count, she had also often played the peacemaker. Darius had been the sixth child of a third wife of the King, often left to his own devices, a prince in name only. Those were easier times. He wished Belli could’ve lived like that, a real childhood, a life where he could fuck up now and then without the weight of an empire on his shoulders, where he could’ve fallen in love ten times over with pretty girls who only wanted him for his smile.

He hoped Selene would be just that woman for Belli. She clearly didn’t want his son for his crown or power, and he’d never seen Belli so flustered over a woman before. Yet she wasn’t anywhere to be found. The eyes of predatory nobles on his back made his skin crawl. Fuckers were always scheming with their false smiles and hungry eyes. Even now, one or two hoped to throw their daughters at him. Frustrated, he marched back to his son’s side. Dominae excused themselves prettily and retreated.

“She’s not here.” He crossed his arms, slouching in defeat.

“I suppose your plans for mischief have been ruined.” Belli raised a brow.

“I hope you at least have some fun with her, Belli. You could use an uncomplicated bit of fluff.”

Belli looked at him oddly, grip tight on his glass of wine. Darius couldn’t help teasing him.

“And who knows? Maybe you’ll give me a couple of grandkids to play with. I won’t mind if they’re not legitimate. I’m not picky.”

His horror was stark, if fleeting. Darius stifled a snort. Then Belli narrowed his eyes when one of Marduk’s men whispered something in his ear.

“It seems she’s found mischief all on her own.”

Iliana paced back and forth, anxiety ratcheting up every few minutes as Selene failed to recover her faculties. She’d screamed and complained about how her clothes and shoes hurt, then that she was hungry, then that she wanted to play. She was seated now, stuffing her face with cake and explaining that her mother never made her cake or much of anything really, and that she’d learned to catch frogs for supper. It was a depressing window into Selene’s upbringing, but not unexpected, given the few tidbits she’d told Iliana over the years.

“Who else can we ask about those flowers? Surely someone remembers?”

“I’ve sent someone to ask the prince and the emperor.”

“I wanna play piggyback. Let me hold onto your horns,” Selene demanded, her arms outstretched towards Marduk.

“Finish your cake first,” Marduk replied, unease plain.

“Okay.” She grinned.

“How could the poison mages in the palace not know more about it?” Iliana’s hands shook as her heart raced.

What if Selene never recovered? She didn’t want to lose the woman she loved like a sister. How would she look after her if they didn’t receive payment for their charade? Iliana didn’t even know who she could ask for counsel on caring for adults with these kinds of needs. Overwhelmed, tears threatened.

“I think you overestimate how much importance has been placed on their department over the past several decades.”

“But she’s never been under a poison’s influence this long before. What if it’s irreversible?” Her voice wavered, emotion choking her.

The door swung open before Marduk could reply. Both the prince and emperor stormed inside, imperial red robes fluttering, their brows knotted with concern.

“What happened? Your message was cryptic at best,” the prince asked.

“She’s eaten a large quantity of poison and she can’t seem to recover,” Iliana replied.

The prince looked at Selene, who was stuffing her face with sweets, and then back to Marduk and Iliana. Selene was wearing a large, loose nightgown, her hair in disarray and her face and fingers covered in bits of cake. She had to admit, it didn’tappearparticularly alarming.

“Please explain yourselves. I was under the impression she was in dire straits.”

“Your hair is pretty. Why do you wear so much red?” Selene asked him as she licked frosting from her fingers.

“Gods damn it, Selene! I have had enough of your games!” the prince bellowed.

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