Garden Of Poison-Chapter 200: A gold coin or a kiss

Music Recommendation: The Real Work Begins - Kris Bowers

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Emily rode in Janelle’s carriage after sending her own carriage back to the castle with a message notifying Raylen that she intended to spend time with her friend. She couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, primarily because she had never ventured beyond the palace walls at such a late hour without the presence of her family.

Being a princess, Emily had lived a sheltered existence. Her mother had turned livid after she was kidnapped and subsequently rescued, with her abduction further supporting and emphasising the very reason why she was forbidden from mingling with the commoners, as interactions with such people frequently resulted in trouble. In a way, she understood that her mother was only trying to protect her, and she had accepted the life she was born into.

"Did Mr. Ardolf leave quickly?" Janelle asked Emily as they continued on their way towards the town that she was taking the princess to.

Emily turned to look at Janelle, and she shook her head, replying, "He didn’t come to visit."

Janelle’s eyebrows furrowed at this because it was evident the man had been showing interest in courting Emily. She gave him the benefit of the doubt, suggesting, "Perhaps he was unexpectedly tied up with work and couldn’t make it today?"

"It’s possible," Emily responded with a faint smile. However, as she turned to gaze outside the window, the smile slowly faded from her lips.

Emily had believed that she had handled the situation during her visit to the Ruiz’s mansion the previous day. She inquired, "Do you know what is being said in the rumour going around the kingdom?" She was curious about what exactly Nathaniel might have heard. The thought of Layla learning the truth left her with a sense of unease lingering in her mind.

"It is being said that Nathaniel intentionally came to the Storm Kingdom while fully aware that you were here and that the two of you are planning to reconcile. That it’s too soon for someone who has experienced the heartbreak of a broken bond to overcome the pain and emotions they feel. There are even allegations that you have tried to entice him by using other men to get to him. Every bit of that is just fabricated nonsense spun by that scoundrel Marshall; I think yesterday’s slap made him very angry for him to spout such drivel," Janelle concluded, pursing her lips in disapproval.

Emily responded with a quiet nod before saying, "I see... I guess I understand why he was so angry."

"He deserved it, and you are not the one in the wrong, Lily," Janelle reassured her, offering support.

"No," Emily whispered, and she met her friend’s eyes. "Not Marshall. Nathaniel came to visit me, about the same."

Janelle could tell things had not gone well and offered comfort by placing her hand on Emily’s before giving it a reassuring squeeze. She said, "He shouldn’t have even come here when he knew you were in the same place. He’s acting heartless."

"That is how soulmates act," Emily replied, her voice growing distant. "People often lose sight of reason because every breath you take is tied to the person you are bound to."

Janelle had known Emily well enough to understand the princess’s feelings and thoughts. She was too kind and understanding, and Janelle could sense that the princess was probably still emotionally connected to Nathaniel. Not in the same way as before, but tied by that lingering wound that was not given the chance to heal. She asked,

"Did Layla write to you?"

"No," Emily breathed out softly, her back pressing against the seat.

"You don’t have to worry about her, Lily. She has Nathaniel to look after her; she will be fine," Janelle consoled her.

After several minutes had passed, Emily observed a shift in the atmosphere outside the carriage. The horses pulled the carriage into an area where the once-posh and pristine buildings began to change into something murkier and more sombre. The well-arranged stone roads started to fade away, and the carriage now softly wobbled along a bumpy, uneven path.

"I don’t mean to doubt you, but where exactly are we going, Jane?" Emily inquired as the nervous feeling in her stomach intensified. The surroundings had transformed into what felt like an entirely different place, yet there was an air of ancientness in the architecture, as if it had been forsaken and left behind after its previous high-standing inhabitants had built cleaner and tidier towns to reside in.

"The town is called Deathfall," Janelle answered, receiving a pointed look from Emily.

"You don’t say..."

"It may look shabby, but it is the heart of Storm Kingdom. And most of the people here are commoners who don’t know about you," Janelle explained with a smile.

"I am not sure if I should ask how you know about this place, but don’t you think we are going to stand out with how we are dressed? I have heard about places like these, and they are never welcoming towards those of high status." Emily murmured the last words, and a wave of lightheadedness washed over her.

"I have already made prior arrangements for that. No one will know that we are women of the upper class. You will see that people here are far more progressive than those on our side of the world," Janelle assured her, raising her eyebrows with eager anticipation as if she couldn’t wait to show her this different aspect of life. "Billy, my cousin, brought me here with Phoebe. It has been riveting, and I think this is exactly what you need right now."

Emily’s eyes widened as she noticed a few people engaged in a brawl, and she observed fists being raised in the air. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been exposed to violence before, thanks to Brother Dante, she thought to herself. However, there were certain aspects of it she found hard to digest due to the sheltered way she had been raised.

"And what if we get caught?" Emily asked, reflecting on how, since she had set foot in Storm Kingdom, she had been concealing her true identity. She found it somewhat amusing as it was typically the opposite—people often lied to elevate their social status, not the other way around.

"That is the only thing we have to be cautious of. We are in the underbelly of the Storm Kingdom, and they detest people like us here," Janelle replied with a slight furrow in her eyebrows.

"So, we are basically heading to a dangerous place." Emily didn’t know why, but she had a nagging sense of unease about the situation. She pushed the carriage window open to let in some fresh air so that it would help her breathe easier.

"Oh, dear God," Emily whispered in a prayer, hoping that nothing untoward would happen. She was prepared to set her foot down in the place but also ready to jump back in the carriage at the slightest sign of trouble!

At least, that is what Emily had thought twenty minutes ago.

They had finally arrived at the town named Deathfall and were now inside one of the shops tucked away in an unassuming alley. As Emily stood there, her shoes were coated in wet mud, and two women were busy measuring them. One of the women was smoking, while the other was chewing something in her mouth.

The shop was as old as the town itself, with clothes lining all three walls. Dresses filled the cupboards, covered the tables, and hung everywhere so that there was no space left to sit down. The owner of the store was an old man named Arnowe De Peyster. He had a hunched back, silver hair combed to the back, and frameless glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

’Do not associate with her, Emily," her mother cautioned her. "She is a bad influence. The last time I walked in on you, I overheard her speaking badly about her parents. What an ungrateful child!’

’She is no princess, whereas you are one and have a name to uphold. Young girls look up to you as an example to follow.’

Emily could hear her mother’s voice echoing in the back of her head as the assistant checked the last of her measurements before stepping away.

"I haven’t seen Billy for a couple of days. Hopefully still alive?" Mr. De Peyster asked Janelle.

"Very much in good health," Janelle replied, and she saw the shop owner looking at Emily. "This is my friend Lily."

"Lily," the old man hummed, as if trying to recall someone by that name. Emily noticed him keenly studying her before he said, "Doesn’t seem like her kind of place."

"What do you mean?" Emily inquired, seeking clarification from the tailor.

Emily swiftly grasped that the people here were unrefined in their manner of speech. She observed individuals outside the window who appeared to be cunning or shrewd, displaying boorish behaviour in their actions and words. Some of them were loud, while others attempted to mask their identities, and a few seemed to be deliberately deceptive. Not that the people of high status weren’t any different, but here it was as though the raw essence of human nature had been amplified, laid bare in its unfiltered form.

"All lilies are too pure to stay in this place. Can’t handle the mud, and they quickly run," the tailor remarked, pouring something into a wooden tumbler and taking a sip.

Emily had heard a similar comment about being pure before, which struck a nerve and ignited a spark of rebelliousness within her. She responded, "You shouldn’t judge me solely by my appearance, Arnowe."

The man laughed. "You’ve got a spark, woman. You’ll either walk out dead or you’ll end up liking the place. So tell me, what would you like to wear?" he asked the two young women.

Janelle didn’t wait for the dresses to be brought to her; instead, she walked up a line of dresses hanging on a rod. Emily turned to look at the two assistants, and one of them pointed with her finger towards the other side of the cramped room.

This was the last place she would have expected to set foot in, and perhaps the tailor wasn’t entirely wrong as she felt an intense urge to return to the castle. However, today was different, and she felt inclined to play along.

No one would know, Emily said to herself.

"Looks like you’ve added some new ones since last time, Arnowe," Janelle remarked as her hands continued running through the clothes.

"The pirates brought in some of these things and left them in a trunk here. All from different places," Arnowe explained, and his gaze shifted to the princess, who was inspecting the selection of clothes. "Don’t fancy pirates?" he questioned Emily when she turned to look at him. He said,

"King Raylen has good connections with the pirates and has used them for attacks and such."

Emily spotted a particular dress, and her hand reached out to pick it up. It was a deep blood-red dress, and she said, "I found it."

The dress was nothing like what Mr. Hatt had in his shop. The dress in front of her was made out of cotton, a fabric that Emily had never worn before. Once the two women slipped into their new attire, Emily tied her dark blonde hair into a braid, imitating the style of the women she had seen on the streets.

"Here you go," Janelle said as she handed the old man a pouch that jingled with coins. The clothes that had arrived in were taken away by Janelle’s coachman to be stored in the carriage while they stepped out of the shop.

Emily and Janelle exited the alley, appearing less like people of high society and more like residents of Deathfall. Suddenly, two men who were engaged in a brutal fight blocked their path. It was a bloody scene that made the princess wince as they walked past the brawlers.

"I never would have guessed you would visit places like these," Emily whispered to her friend. The sky had turned dark, and the clouds obscured the stars.

"I thought so too, but like many places, this one grows on you. We are heading towards an inn that welcomes both men and women," Janelle nodded, and they crossed the street.

While on their way, Emily detected the scent of smoke, and it caused her chest to constrict—not with the fluttery feeling of butterflies, but as if multiple needles were being pushed into her heart. When she turned to look in the direction of its source, her eyes fell on low-class men holding cheap cigars in their hands. However, as the smoke enveloped where they stood, her gaze landed on a man standing completely still in a dimly lit alley. Even though she couldn’t discern the person’s face, she didn’t know why, but it felt as though the man’s attention was fixed on her.

As the smoke began to dissipate, preparing to reveal the person fully, Janelle called out to her,

"What do you think about it, Lily?"

"What?" Emily asked, turning away from looking at the man to Janelle, having missed what she had said.

"I was asking if you wanted to sing. Did something or someone catch your attention?" Janelle looked around, and Emily turned back to glance at the now-empty alley.

"Just someone standing there," Emily replied before they continued on their way.

Upon their arrival outside the inn, Emily couldn’t help but notice the bustling crowd that stretched from the beginning of the street to the very end, as far as her eyes could reach. People appeared to gather in small groups scattered here and there, enjoying the evening hours after a day of labour. Laughter and chatter filled the air, but it wasn’t solely the sounds that caught her attention. The entire area was infused with even more vibrant elements, and music emanated from various inns along the street.

On one side, a man was forcibly ejected through a nearby door before a woman dressed provocatively shouted,

"Don’t even think of coming to see me again! I will gouge your eyes out with my fingers!"

"Antonette!" the man called out to the woman. "I love you!"

On the other side, some women were engaged in conversations with men, wearing deceptive smiles as they prepared to empty the men’s pockets. Meanwhile, drunken men engaged in fights, only to stumble and fall to the ground.

Emily and Janelle began to attract the attention of some of the sober men, who appeared poised to approach them and strike up a conversation with them at any moment. However, the women paid them no heed and instead entered the inn where the music was being played.

They found seats in a corner of the inn, and Emily found herself showered with even more attention than she typically attracted. The patrons became curious about who the two women were. She couldn’t help but notice that Janelle wore a wider smile than she usually did.

"Aren’t you worried about Mr. Hurbert finding out about your visits here?" Emily asked her friend.

"Mr. Hurbert will never find out because he wouldn’t set foot in a place like this," Janelle replied with confidence. "It’s not as if we are doing anything unethical. It’s just that the people in our social circle think it is when it really isn’t. I doubt I’ll be able to come here once I’m married, so I might as well indulge all my desires now."

Emily smiled at Janelle’s words and shifted her gaze to the upright piano, listening to the music emanating from it. It wasn’t as smooth and polished as the music she had heard at the gatherings or when Raylen had played, but it was joyous and uplifting nonetheless. The innkeeper approached their table and set down two tumblers before she asked,

"What will you ladies like to have?"

"Water for me, please," Emily replied, and she received a curious look from the innkeeper. "I mean, whatever delicious drinks you serve here!" She smiled at the innkeeper, who only stared at her before departing from their table. "That was close," she muttered.

"That’s alright, Lily. It’s your first time. It took me three visits here before I stopped adding ’please’ to every sentence," Janelle responded, leaning towards her. "You just have to be yourself without any walls."

"Thank you, Jane," Emily replied, not wanting either of them to end up dead.

"They have really good food here. And it’s much better than most of the inns around," Janelle told her. Emily observed that there were a few women with their families and some with friends, but their numbers were small compared to the predominantly male crowd. Lanterns burned brightly in every corner of the room and at the counters, illuminating the space with a warm glow.

And while Emily waited for the food to arrive at their table, back in the Storm Castle, Lauren cast an anxious glance at the clock. Upon hearing the sound of a carriage arriving, she hurried to the entrance to catch sight of Raylen, who had successfully completed the task of fixing the kingdom’s barrier.

"Why do you seem troubled?" Raylen questioned as Westley removed his coat.

"It is the princess," Lauren began, and Raylen raised his eyebrows. "She hasn’t returned since this afternoon. She sent the carriage and the maid back to inform you that she would be spending time with Miss Windsor."

"Did you check at the Windsor residence?" Raylen asked, and the head servant nodded.

"But the young lady hasn’t returned home since she left to meet the princess," Lauren answered.

Raylen glanced at his pocket watch; it was nearly seven o’clock.

Back in Deathfall, when their drinks and food arrived, they were slammed onto the table with force, causing some of their drinks to spill before the innkeeper abruptly departed as if she had more pressing duties to attend to.

"Oh, it’s cherry!" Janelle exclaimed after taking a small sip. "They call it ’Cherry on the Trees’."

"An odd way to name a drink," Emily responded, and she took a sip herself. It tasted like summer berries, reminding her of home with its sun, sand, and comforting heat on her skin.

However, Emily knew that she couldn’t always rely on her family. She needed to fly out of the nest and build her own. She decided to seize the freedom she had longed for. With that thought in mind, she took a few more gulps from the tumbler.

"ANYONE HERE?" A man shouted across the inn, banging his hand on a table.

Emily savoured the taste of the liquid on her lips before taking a bite of the hot, delicious food, relishing how it melted in her mouth. As she glanced around, she noticed a few men looking towards their table, their interest unmistakable. She cleared her throat and sat up straight, maintaining her composure.

"ANYONE ready to win the gold coin?" the man shouted again, drawing Emily’s attention. She finally turned to see a bald, muscular man scanning the crowd.

"A gold coin?" Emily asked Janelle, who appeared equally clueless and shook her head in response.

"Would you want me to show you how it’s done?" a male voice chimed in, and the speaker came to stand next to their table.

When Emily and Janelle looked up, they saw a man who was dressed better than most in the establishment. He removed the hat resting on his head. "The men are showcasing their skills in hitting the bullseye. They get one gold coin if they hit the mark. I will be more than happy to win it for you," he said, courting her.

"Bullseye?" Emily asked, and the man confirmed with a nod. "Come on, Jane. I think I could use some of that right now."

"Let’s go!" Janelle exclaimed, her drink now empty.

The man was taken aback and inquired, "You want to give it a try?" As if to humour her, he suggested, "Why don’t we go over there?" Following that, he would demonstrate his skills and blow her mind.

When Emily went to stand up, she felt her head spin a little, and she shook her head. She murmured with a smile, "Wow, what was that?"

They headed towards the area where the sharp darts were being thrown.

The man who had accompanied them from their table introduced them. "These wonderful women would like to try their hands at the darts," he said to the man in charge.

The buff man looked Emily and Janelle up and down and chuckled, a smug grin spreading across his face. He then remarked, "Men who can’t hit the bullseye get a beating. A woman who misses will get a kiss. You each get only two chances. Agree? You didn’t think you could take a gold coin from me without paying a price, did you?"

Janelle’s eyes widened, and she tightly gripped Emily’s hand. "Maybe we should go back to our table. I am terrible at throwing just about anything."

Emily patted Janelle’s hand reassuringly and said, "Let me play your turn then." She turned to the bald man, raised her hand, and stated, "Knives."

"Your mother is going to have my head on a platter, Lily!" Janelle whispered anxiously.

The other man, who was clearly interested in Emily, offered her some advice, saying, "You need to focus and make sure not to aim at the sides. How about I show you once?" He took a knife and threw it, but it got stuck outside of the target box drawn on the wall. Janelle snickered behind her hand, and some others joined in as well.

Emily patted the man’s shoulder and reassured him, saying, "You did great! Participation deserves applause, everything else is secondary, isn’t that right, Mother?!"

"M—mother?" The man looked utterly perplexed.

Emily paid little attention to the man’s words as she focused her gaze on the bullseye, holding the knives in position. She thought to herself, I am going to imagine the target as that man... However, there seemed to be more than one that she wanted to hit.

She raised one knife in her hand, moving back and forth before finally throwing it. Unfortunately, the knife missed the target box and instead fell to the ground.

"OOOOOH!" the men in the vicinity shouted, as it wasn’t common for women to partake in such activities here.

"You should give up, lady!" someone shouted from the back, while another voice yelled, "Choose me, woman!!"

"No, pick me!" another male chimed in, while Janelle had begun nervously biting her fingernails. "I will be good to you!" And the men in the crowd hooted and cheered.

Emily stared at the second knife in her hand, playing with it as she allowed her body to relax.

’When you know what you want to hit, all you need to do is look at it,’ Dante advised Aiden while teaching him how to use the crossbow. ’Focus solely on the dot before you.’

Aiden attempted to do as he was told, but he missed the target. ’How long will it take before I can hit the mark?’ he asked dejectedly.

’Practise and stay focused. I can tell your mind is wandering,’ Dante said with a sidelong glance.

When Dante and Aiden had left the practice garden, Emily inched closer to the crossbow, somewhat fascinated and eager to give it a try. However, the moment she picked it up, her father, who happened to be passing by the area, startled her.

’Emily, what are you doing with that thing?’ her father inquired.

’I was just looking at it, Father,’ Emily replied, her heart beating loudly for being caught lurking around the weapon rack.

’A crossbow is not something you should be handling, nor will you ever have a need for it. You should focus on your embroidery instead.’

’Yes, Father.’

Emily gripped the knife firmly in her hand, feeling the pressure as the onlookers urged her, eager for the outcome of the bet so that they could see her being kissed. Dante’s voice echoed in her mind, and with a new sense of liberation in her mind and body, she hurled the knife, which struck the bullseye dead centre.

The room fell into stunned silence, as no one had expected her to hit the centre of the target, and a wide smile spread across her lips before she whispered, "I did it... I did it!"

"I am going to keep my head!" Janelle exclaimed with laughter, and she hugged Emily, who returned the embrace with joy.

Initially, the people around them wore expressions of shock, but those quickly transformed into applause for Emily’s unexpected success. The waves of support and admiration only elevated her confidence. It made her so happy that tears of joy glistened in her eyes.

"Here is your gold coin," said the buff man gruffly, clearly not thrilled with having to give it away. He added, "You had some pretty good luck with your throw."

Could luck and destiny finally be favouring her? Emily asked herself, and in that moment, she hoped it was.

"You’ve got better aim than some of us here," one of the men praised while bringing over two tumblers of drinks and handing them to Emily and Janelle. "We should celebrate!" The men cheered enthusiastically.

As time passed, the inn had become crowded, and the atmosphere was growing stifling. Feeling thirsty, they quickly drank the contents of their tumblers. Emily then turned to the innkeeper, who now stood behind the counter, and asked,

"How do you make this juice? I should try making it myself."

The innkeeper responded, "Don’t. I don’t want to be put out of business. It’s made from the fruits that are about to rot." She then complimented Emily, saying, "Nice throw."

Feeling happy, Emily smiled before asking, "Rotten cherries?"

"That’s how cherry liquor is made," the innkeeper explained.

The woman’s words faintly registered in Emily’s mind, accompanied by the distant sounds of bells. No wonder she was feeling so lightheaded. The sensation was pleasant, but alcohol was supposed to have a bitter taste, not be sweet like this...

"I am going to be like my grandmother," Emily muttered with a frown. She turned around, her feet wobbling as she attempted to make her way back to the table where Jane was seated. However, before she could reach the table, the man from earlier suddenly appeared before her and proposed, "How about we step outside for a bit? Just you and me."

"I have no interest in you," Emily replied firmly. But when she attempted to walk around the man, he blocked her path. She insisted, "Move. Now." Her head was spinning slightly, and she felt the need to sit down.

The man disregarded her words and continued, "I don’t think I caught your name."

"My name doesn’t fly for you to catch it," Emily retorted, feeling the effects of the second glass of alcohol hitting her harder.

Emily wanted to reach for her dagger, but it was concealed beneath her dress, and he was crowding her personal space. He continued, "Wearing such an alluring and enticing colour, I know exactly what you need. I will make you very happy—"

Suddenly, a bottle was forcefully smashed against the man’s head, causing him to crumple to the ground. Emily’s eyes widened as she stared at the fallen man before her eyes fell on a pair of shiny black shoes. As she slowly looked up, her gaze met the piercing blue eyes of their owner.