Garden Of Poison-Chapter 230: Burning hot!

Music Recommendation: No Splashing No Diving - Thomas Newman

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The room was quiet as the three royals continued their dinner. Apart from Westley, who stood discreetly to the side, camouflaging with the wall, there were two more maids on standby, ready to serve the dishes and replace the plates with fresh ones.

"It has been so long since I last heard thunder," Lady Sophia remarked, leaning back in her chair. She continued, "Back in the kingdom I come from, where my parents live, it rained endlessly."

"I presume the thunder and lightning doesn’t bother you then." Raylen’s polite smile didn’t leave his lips.

Lady Sophia chuckled. "It used to put me right to sleep when I was young." She paused and continued, "I’ve heard from my daughter about this scoundrel named Marshall. I wanted to thank you for taking care of the matter and not allowing it to escalate."

"You have entrusted her to my care, and it’s the least I can do," Raylen replied, his gaze shifting to Emily, who had been staring at him until now, and she quickly looked away as their eyes met. "Not to mention, trouble seems to be attracted to the princess."

Emily’s eyes returned to him, and she thought, good to know that you are aware you are trouble.

"Emily does find it hard to distinguish between good and bad," Lady Sophia remarked, which made Emily purse her lips in response.

"Mother, this was something that happened many years ago," Emily replied, and though her words were polite, they were tinged with a hint of irritation, as if she disliked that her mother had always held it against her.

"What about those thieving maids before?" Lady Sophia asked, raising her eyebrows. She turned to look at Raylen and added, "If it weren’t for me keeping a close eye on what happens around the palace, the maids would have brought Emily harm."

"The most harm they would have done is reduced the number of our jewels, yet you went ahead and ordered the execution of every one of them, even those you merely suspected," Emily said through clenched teeth. She didn’t want to talk about this, but since they were on the subject now, she didn’t hold back her thoughts. "There were innocent ones among them."

"They shouldn’t have acted suspiciously in the first place." Lady Sophia furrowed her eyebrows. "Especially after what happened, and how that girl drew you away from us, I did not want to take any chances. Do you think it was wrong to protect you? What do you think, King Raylen?" she inquired, turning her gaze towards him.

"Someone precious must always be protected," Raylen agreed.

"See? And you still get cross with me over something I don’t understand." Lady Sophia shook her head while Emily’s glare shifted from her mother to Raylen.

Emily then turned back to her mother and calmly expressed, "I think what you fail to grasp is that I am a grown woman, of marriageable age and capable of bearing children. I shouldn’t be treated like one."

Lady Sophia frowned in response to Emily’s words. She responded, "No one is saying that you are a child. But I am your mother and will always have your best interests at heart. Moreover, it is a blessing that I am here now to help you if King Raylen feels that the men you have interacted with weren’t good enough for you."

"Just because he or you don’t deem the men I engage with suitable, it doesn’t mean I don’t." Emily had hoped for her mother and herself to get along while in this new kingdom, to not be dragged down by the past, but her mother found it hard to let go.

Emily couldn’t help but glare at Raylen for agreeing and fueling the conversation with her mother. It felt as though he was using her mother as an indirect means to get her to speak, and she clenched the fork in her hand tightly, consumed by rising anger.

"I have had enough of people dictating what I should or shouldn’t do until now. I can make my own choices, and I have decided to see where things lead with one of them." Emily’s words were firm, accompanied by an unmistakable hint of glare in her hazel brown eyes.

Raylen, who had been enjoying the conversation so far, couldn’t help but notice Emily’s eyes flare up the moment she mentioned her intention to see how things would go with Julius Ardolf.

Although the smile remained on Raylen’s lips, it didn’t quite reach his eyes. It seemed like he had inadvertently fanned the flames in the wrong direction, but this was also what fascinated him about her. Despite her mother’s concerns, the princess wasn’t easily swayed and wasn’t someone to surrender quickly. She knew her worth and didn’t give in without a fight. She was a challenge he wanted to conquer.

In an effort to diffuse the tension between them, Raylen changed the subject and inquired, "I hope you are enjoying your meal, Lady Sophia? The cook prepared some exquisite delicacies in your honour."

Lady Sophia’s grim expression instantly dissipated, and she stoically replied, "Everything is just lovely."

As if on cue in response to an unspoken signal, Westley raised his hand towards the maids, who quickly approached the table and began to serve some of the dishes. Raylen remarked,

"This is one of the famous dishes of Storm Kingdom—Warmth of Winter."

Emily’s gaze landed on a bowl of garnished chillies, and for a moment, she felt confused, not knowing if Raylen’s intention was to usher her mother out of the kingdom or to shower her with enough praise to get her approval to court her.

Lady Sophia glanced at the dish without paying much interest to it and said, "I wish I had enough space in my stomach, but it seems I am full now." She had lost her appetite in the face of her daughter’s defiance, even though all she had done until now was keep her safe after that awful incident. She delicately dabbed her lips with her napkin and set it aside. "May I request permission to return to my room, King Raylen?"

"I hope you have a lovely night, Lady Sophia," Raylen expressed, more than pleased to have his future in-law out of the way so that he could get to work on extinguishing the fire he had stoked on his right.

Lady Sophia rose from her seat, giving him a polite bow, and her eyes briefly glanced at her daughter, who avoided looking at her. She murmured,

"Goodnight," and left the dining room, the doors quietly opening and closing behind her.

The maid, who was earlier poised to serve Lady Sophia the dish that Raylen mentioned, was about to pick it back up when Emily stopped her, stating,

"I would like to taste it."

Although the servant had brought the specially prepared dish, she had observed and noted what the princess selected to eat and knew it wasn’t something that would be to the young lady’s liking.

"It wouldn’t agree with your taste buds, Princess," Raylen commented coolly, and before he could dismiss it, he received a stern glare from her. "Or perhaps you would like a taste?" He smiled before turning to the maid.

The maid served a small portion to Emily before she was dismissed. "Westley, bring in the dessert," Raylen ordered.

Westley offered a respectful bow, while the maids efficiently cleared Lady Sophia’s utensils, leaving Raylen and Emily alone in the dining room.

Emily didn’t hesitate, and she stabbed the chilli with her fork before taking a bite. She chewed it once. Then, on the second chew, she felt the heat spreading from the tip of her tongue.

"You know how they say not to make decisions in a fit of anger?" Raylen inquired with an amused expression. "I believe this is one of those moments."

"You offered it to my mother," Emily stated, not revealing the growing discomfort of the burn she was beginning to feel.

"I thought she might enjoy it and that it would help her stay quiet for the rest of the evening," Raylen responded, tilting his head as he watched Emily part her lips to allow the air to soothe her tongue. "Though, this is a genuine dish, eaten by the poor. You see, there were times in the olden days when many families couldn’t afford wood to keep themselves warm. It’s not a dish that you can stomach."

"Is it because you can’t handle eating it yourself?" Emily asked him, wondering if the dish had any effect on him. She then took another bite from what remained on her fork.

Raylen’s lips twisted, half in amusement and half in concern. Perhaps he should find a way to send Sophia Blackthorn from the castle, as he didn’t want interruptions. Not to mention, he wanted Emily’s undivided attention and wasn’t lying about not wanting to share.

He took a chilli from the dish and popped it into his mouth. Unlike Emily, he savoured it as if it were a piece of candy before chewing and swallowing it, seemingly unaffected.

Damn the archdemon’s abilities, Emily cursed as she felt her eyes starting to burn and her upper face turning hot. She saw Raylen push a glass of water towards her.

"Perhaps it’s time to have a drink when your tongue is on fire," Raylen suggested before murmuring, "Angry little cat," when he observed her fingers slowly curling around the glass. He couldn’t help but compare it to the hiss of an angry cat that wanted to scratch his face as he saw Emily glaring daggers at him.

Emily raised the glass to her lips and downed the water, but it didn’t alleviate the burning sensation in her mouth, which felt like someone had lit a fire inside. She didn’t understand what the Devil was planning by bringing her mother here, because it seemed to be causing more trouble for her than for Raylen. Maybe Viktor had sensed her desire to stab him, and he was pushing her towards that outcome?

"Want another serving? It does leave an interesting aftertaste, doesn’t it?" Raylen hummed, observing Emily’s teary eyes, his chin propped up by the edge of his palm.

"No... I think I am good," Emily responded with her voice carefully composed and a little breathy as she was determined not to give in to tears. "But by all means, feel free to finish it," she added, and she saw him grin.

"Thanks, but I am good too." Raylen noticed how pretty her eyes looked, and her lips seemed to become pinker than before. "Not feeling hot?" he inquired with a hint of playfulness.

Emily was still annoyed by Raylen fanning the flames of the earlier conversation, and she stated firmly, "Stop trying to win my mother’s favour by agreeing with her. She doesn’t think highly of you."

"Nothing that can’t be turned around." Raylen exuded confidence, which didn’t go unnoticed by Emily. "I heard what she said earlier. A womaniser. However, Princess, you shouldn’t throw more fuel on the fire. Your favouring someone might contribute to their downfall, and we don’t want that."

Emily’s eyes narrowed as she asked, "Are you threatening Julius?"

Raylen pulled his hand away from his face and replied, "I don’t know. It depends on what you try to do. Using him to make me jealous is not going to end well."

"I wasn’t trying to make you jealous," Emily responded quickly, and Raylen’s tongue ran over one of his canines. "You said you would be a gentleman..." She took a deep breath in an attempt to cool her tongue, which remained far from cooled.

"Ah, you remembered." Raylen wore a pleased expression. He said thoughtfully, "I told you I would be a gentleman to you, but I don’t recall making the same commitment to others," and offered her a smile.

Emily questioned herself about how she got into this situation. Since this morning, which had begun calmly, it seemed as though a hurricane had swept in and was wreaking havoc... No, it was possible that this wasn’t the havoc, as she guessed that the real havoc was yet to unfold.

"What has gotten you upset, Princess?" Raylen asked her sweetly while her tongue was ready to unleash the fiery spice into his eyes.

"I told you not to treat me like a child. I am quite capable of choosing whom I should...and shouldn’t speak to," Emily reminded him while desperately wanting to extinguish the fire on her tongue. It was as if, the more time passed, the burn only intensified. She didn’t want him colluding with her already frantically anxious, overprotective mother to make things more difficult.

"Oh, believe me, me seeing you as a child is something that is never going to happen," Raylen assured her. He continued, "I actually understand what your mother means, and though she is a tad overprotective of you, I would do the same because precious things should be protected and treasured."

"Don’t use sweet words to try and sway me." If he thought she would fall for his buttered words, he needed to think again, Emily thought to herself.

"Ah, yes, you don’t like sweet things and prefer spice," Raylen remarked, angling his face as he cast a glance at the dish filled with garnished chillies.

Soon, the doors of the dining room swung open, and Westley reentered, carrying a cake inside. He carefully set it on the table. The cake was frosted with a white buttercream that resembled the snow that would soon fall upon the Storm Kingdom, and it featured thinly sliced strawberries artfully arranged on top. It was when the servant cut a slice of the cake that Emily caught sight of the red fruit nestled between the layers of the cake, and she couldn’t help but salivate at the delicious sight of it.

But just as the servant was about to cut another slice, Raylen raised his hand and dismissed the man, saying, "You can leave the rest as it is, Westley."

Westley swiftly cleared the remaining items from the table with the help of the maids, and in less than a minute, they were out of there.

"This is my favourite frosting—nothing over the top, just a simple layer of buttered cream over the fruit and cake, which tastes simply delightful." Raylen hummed in appreciation, further intensifying Emily’s desire to try it.

Raylen indulged in a bite of the cake, his eyes closing in pleasure as he savoured the taste and the fluffiness of it. "Mmm. There’s truly nothing that can beat the taste of a cake." He opened his eyes to reveal his blue irises that locked onto Emily’s gaze, and he asked, "Want some, Princess?"

"Yes," Emily replied, but the cake was just out of her reach.

Raylen’s lips curled into a smile, and he used his spoon to scoop up a bite, raising it towards her mouth.

"Are you serious?" Emily asked, her mind still processing what was going on.

Raylen offered her a regretful look and replied, "My apologies." In the next moment, he swiped some cream from the top of the cake with his finger and extended it towards her. His eyes glimmered as he added, "Just the cream will suffice. Sweetness always helps counter the spice. It is the perfect combination."