Garden Of Poison-Chapter 232: Evading the swirling storm

In one of the dark forests of the Storm Kingdom, Raylen stood with a grim expression on his face. Beside him stood Westley, displaying his usual expressionless demeanour. Their eyes were trained on the dead body found by one of the local residents only two hours prior.

"King Raylen," one of the officers in charge of the town reported, "We have finished questioning the man who discovered the body. He said that the dead woman’s hand was sticking out of the ground."

"And what was he doing out here so late in the night?" Westley inquired of the officer.

"He claimed he was returning from Deathfall when he stumbled in here to relieve himself," the man explained. "I don’t think he had anything to do with it."

"Detain him in a cell," Raylen instructed, and the officer’s eyebrows rose in question.

"Do you suspect he’s the culprit, My King?"

Raylen stepped forward and sat on his heels before the woman’s lifeless body. He said, "No, he isn’t." His blue eyes carefully examined the gruesome sight before him. The woman’s chest cavity had been opened up, her insides missing, leaving only an empty ribcage behind. Blood had mingled with the mud in which she was buried. In a composed tone, he continued, "Our perpetrator might not surface if we announce that we are searching for him. But then again, he might become more audacious with his next victim. Not to mention, this scene is something I have heard of and seen before."

Opened up chests... it looked exactly like what Emily had described. His hand moved to touch the woman’s exposed chest cavity, taking a closer look at the technique, which appeared similar to his father’s work.

"Should we warn the townsfolk?" the officer inquired, and Raylen pondered for a moment before responding with a hum.

"Yes, let’s do that before we find another woman’s lifeless body lying around the kingdom. Tell them there’s a curfew due to the incoming storm, and everyone needs to return home," Raylen declared, his thoughts dwelling on where the culprit might be hiding. The man approaching Emily felt like a warning, a reminder to be prepared for whatever had been planned.

When the officer bowed and departed, Westley remarked, "Master, there is a resemblance..."

"There is." Raylen’s lips twisted in displeasure, noticing how the woman had similar attributes as the princess, yet she wasn’t an exact likeness. "It almost seems like he wasn’t after the organs but wanted to send a message to me."

Was it because he was protecting Emily? Or was there another ulterior motive at play here? The number of bodies had been increasing for far too long.

"Clean this up," Raylen ordered before leaving the scene. He opted not to take the carriage, choosing instead to walk. His hands slipped into the pockets of his trousers as he made his way through the desolate, rain-soaked grounds of the nearby town.

As the air turned colder and it began to drizzle, Raylen continued his unhurried walk, seemingly unbothered by the weather. While most of the town’s residents had retired to sleep, he moved like a ghost. He had traversed these streets several times before, and he knew how many steps it took to walk from one corner to another. Eventually, he entered a cemetery, passing among the graves until he stood before one that had weathered and faded with time.

"A lovely night, wouldn’t you say, Mother?" Raylen asked with a pleasant smile. "I thought I would come check on you."

Raylen bent down, carefully picking up the twigs and dried leaves that had settled on his mother’s grave. The grave lay far apart from the others, as if left in solitary isolation even after death.

"Another Hallow has arrived here without you, but my memories of you have not faded," he murmured, as if she could hear him beyond the veil. "We made beautiful memories together, didn’t we?" he said with a nostalgic smile, remembering the fond moments.

The name engraved on the headstone read: Antonella Storm, Mother of Raylen Storm.

The sight elicited a wry twist of amusement on Raylen’s lips as he stood up. However, the smile quickly faded, and his cold eyes remained fixed on the grave before he remarked, "The irony of what it once was and what it has become. You must be regretting it now."

Although Raylen cleared away the dirt and twigs from the surface of the grave, he had never once brought flowers to adorn it. His feelings towards his mother were a complex mix of love and disdain, and he was certain that was how his mother felt too.

The following morning, when Raylen arrived at the dining room, he encountered Lady Sophia in the corridor. Though the woman wore an expression of displeasure, she bowed to offer her greetings to him.

"Good morning, King Raylen."

"Good morning," Raylen responded, his eyes drifting to the closed doors to detect the emptiness beyond them. "It seems that your words from last night have deeply upset the princess, and she hasn’t left her room."

"I am her mother, and I naturally worry about her safety. You don’t know what happened, King Raylen," Lady Sophia retorted with a faint frown. "And I thought we agreed on this yesterday."

Raylen smiled in response to the woman’s words and remarked, "Your daughter isn’t someone who cannot take care of herself. What happened in the past was when she was young, and it was an unfortunate incident. As a person from a desert kingdom, you should know that the tighter you grasp the sand, the faster it will slip through your fingers."

"Yes, that is why she left the castle so early in the morning," Lady Sophia replied with an unhappy expression.

Raylen raised one of his eyebrows and inquired, "What time did she leave?"

"It appears that she left about ten minutes ago. She was gone before I could talk to her about the dresses," Lady Sophia conveyed with an exasperated tone. She then glanced back at Raylen and asked, "You heard what happened to her?"

"What she went through, yes," Raylen responded. "It would have been strange if I hadn’t heard about it, given that she was placed under my care."

Raylen wondered where Emily had gone so early this morning, and when Lauren arrived to inform him about his weekly visitor, he questioned, "Where did the princess go?"

"She said she was going to visit her friend. Lady Janelle."

"Janelle?" Lady Sophia frowned with a disapproving expression. "She should be meeting potential suitors, not other women at this time."

Raylen didn’t know why, but he had a feeling that Emily hadn’t gone to meet Janelle. He said, "I will be heading out as well, as I have something I need to attend to."

But before he could leave, the distinct sound of clicking shoes reached his ears, and shortly after, Gloria appeared in his view. The woman had dressed up and styled her hair to look as appealing as possible to the king. She greeted him with a low bow, which was when Lady Sophia noticed the woman subtly revealing her cleavage before straightening up.

"I didn’t know you were into old women’s blood," Gloria quipped in a playful tone, which only caused Lady Sophia to shoot a disapproving glare in her direction and then inwardly direct a critical gaze at Raylen for his ways.

"This is Lady Sophia Blackthorn from Versailles. Princess Emily’s mother, and she’s our esteemed guest," Raylen introduced her.

Gloria chuckled softly behind the hand she had raised to her mouth. "My apologies," she said. "I am just relieved that I am still one of your preferred blood givers. For a moment, I thought you might be drinking from her."

Lady Sophia scowled and reprimanded, "You should cover yourself before speaking. Excuse me." She then departed to return to her room.

Gloria commented, "I can see where the prudishness comes from now." She then turned to look at Raylen, who smiled at her. She returned the smile and said, "I am here to serve you your breakfast, My King."

"You are dismissed," Raylen stated, and he proceeded to walk past the woman. Gloria’s mouth hung open in astonishment, and her face displayed a clear expression of shock.

Did she say something that he didn’t like? Gloria hurriedly caught up to him and apologised, "King Raylen, forgive me if I have said something out of line. If you are busy, I can return—"

"Your services will no longer be required, and there is no need for you to return to the castle for the same. This applies to the others as well." Raylen’s words were polite, which only confused Gloria. Knowing the woman was a blabbermouth, he decided it was best to shoot the flies through her rather than having to repeat himself later.

The woman continued to follow him, and they reached the entrance of the castle. She offered an apology, saying, "King Raylen, I will take good care to provide you with high-quality blood. I —"

Raylen’s footsteps paused, and the gentle, kind expression on his face evaporated, only to be replaced by a cold glare. He questioned her, "Are you intentionally attempting to get on my nerves?"

Gloria abruptly fell silent, even though she hadn’t finished pleading her case, as she was desperate for his attention. She heard him say,

"Speak another word, and you will wish you were in Hell. Now leave before I tear your head off for still standing here and keeping me away from my work."

Gloria’s eyes widened, and comprehending that Raylen wasn’t joking about ripping her head off, she hastily made her way to the carriage she had arrived in, but not before briefly glancing at the archdemon, who appeared to be in a foul mood. She jumped inside the carriage, which promptly departed.

Raylen ran his tongue along the tip of his canine, which cut the skin, and he tasted his own blood. If he hadn’t intended to send the message through Gloria, he would have snapped her head off for blabbering what she did in front of Emily’s mother.

Not to mention... he turned to look at one of the windows, where Lady Sophia had positioned herself as if to observe them, and he offered her a polite smile. The woman responded with a forced, tight smile before leaving the window. His gaze shifted when he spotted Westley walking in the garden.

"Why haven’t you accompanied the princess?" Raylen questioned.

"When I arrived, she was already gone, Master," Westley responded with a blank expression.

Raylen chuckled, one that wasn’t of amusement, and his expression soon turned into a glare. He murmured, "Looks like it isn’t Sophia, but me. How far can you go, though?" He then ordered, "Prepare the carriage."

Far from the castle, Emily strolled through the streets of a town with her maid. She had ventured out to escape her mother’s unsolicited advice and Raylen’s persistent attempts to seduce her. She had considered visiting the Ardolf’s residence, but deep down, she felt nervous after the archdemon’s warning.

Who even courts a woman by threatening another person’s life? Emily asked in her mind. Who else but King Raylen Storm! It had been less than twenty-four hours since he had openly shown his interest in her.

Emily had a very long night, and with her mind filled with an overwhelming amount of information, she needed some time away so that she could breathe and stretch her arms. It was only after she had left the castle that she realised that Westley wasn’t accompanying her. In her haste, she had left as quickly as a squirrel.

"Milady, do you plan to buy anything?" Her maid, Julia, followed closely behind her, holding an umbrella and maintaining a two-step distance.

"If I come across something worthwhile. Perhaps when my mother returns home, hopefully soon, I can have her take the things with her for my family," Emily responded.

She turned to her maid and said, "You do not have to hesitate to speak up if there is something you want from here, Julia," ending with a smile.

Julia turned excited in response to Emily’s simple words while also making an effort to contain herself. She asked, "Will it be alright?"

"Yes," Emily reassured her, and they continued to stroll down the street while observing other people and carriages passing by. After gazing into a number of shop windows, she remarked, "This place seems to have some interesting items. You said this is where you heard about the gloves?"

"Yes, Princess," Julia nodded. "I don’t remember the name, but the shop is supposed to have the finest quality gloves made of wool."

The town they were walking through wasn’t posh like the ones Emily had previously strolled in within the Storm Kingdom, but it wasn’t as ragged as Deathfall. The air around here was comfortable and pleasant.

Emily’s hair was tied into a ponytail in an attempt to make her appear less princess-like, but her efforts to blend in were in vain. People couldn’t help but cast more than a passing glance at her, bestowing her with attention much like in many other places she had visited since arriving in the Storm Kingdom.

"Will you be paying a visit to Mr. Ardolf today, Princess?" Julia inquired.

"Probably not, as I visited him yesterday," Emily replied, hoping that his family wasn’t being subjected to people’s cruelty. Even if Julius came to the castle to meet her, she wouldn’t have wanted to be there. When they crossed a street and ventured onto another, her maid accidentally bumped into a passing man.

"Forgive me for not watching where I walked!" Julia quickly apologised.

"Where are your eyes for you to bump into me?" the man asked gruffly, glaring at Julia.

Emily turned to look behind her and stepped forward, saying, "Please accept her apologies. She didn’t mean to."

The man’s eyes swept up and down Emily, yet his attitude remained unchanged. "There was enough room to walk, and she had to shove me. You lowly servant," he spat with disdain.

"Hey man! There’s no need to be rude." Another man walked over to them and interjected, "No harm was done. Why don’t we all go our own ways?"

Emily felt a slight sense of relief at the man’s interruption, and the one who had bumped into Julia walked away. But her relief was short-lived, as the man who had intervened to ’restore peace’ now turned his attention to her and questioned,

"And where might you pretty ladies be heading to? We can give you a ride." He turned to look at a nearby carriage, where two men sat wearing rather roguish looks on their faces.

Emily politely replied, "Thank you for your help, but we will manage on our own." She gave him a nod and was about to leave when the man tried to block their way. And although she succeeded in dodging him, the man managed to catch Julia’s arm.

"Let go of her," Emily demanded of the man, who smiled at her before shifting his gaze to Julia.

"It doesn’t look like you are from around here but from another side of the kingdom," the man observed, still not letting go of the maid. He continued, "We are kindly offering to help you, and it is considered impolite to decline, especially after I just saved you from that man."

His words reminded Emily of the archdemon she was avoiding. Her jaw clenched, and then she smiled. "I am kindly requesting that you unhand her, mister. We don’t want to cause a scene."

"How about you two join us in the carriage? There won’t be a need for a scene," the man suggested, returning her smile with a scoundrel-like grin.

Emily couldn’t help but notice how the people around them didn’t step forward to intervene but instead walked away as if not wanting to be part of the situation. She hadn’t noticed it before, but it became apparent that the onlookers were familiar with the man and feared him. When Julia raised the umbrella, the man swiftly caught it, and his grip on her arm painfully tightened.

"Okay, let’s go," Emily responded.

Julia’s eyes widened in shock, and she stared at the princess, surprised at her for agreeing. She was then forcibly pulled towards the waiting carriage, while Emily followed closely behind them. The maid was harshly shoved inside the carriage, with one of the men smacking her bottom.

Emily’s face hardened.

"In you go," the man ordered Emily, giving her a sleazy gaze. He placed his hand at the edge of the carriage, and as the princess stepped towards the door, he leaned forward and took a suggestive sniff of her. "You will find that Barrett, that’s me, will give you a good ride. You will remember my help—OW!" Suddenly, he let out a loud yelp of pain, his face contorting in agony.

Emily forcefully pushed the carriage door shut, causing it to close right onto the man’s fingers, which were resting on the edge. She glared at him, her expression one of anger and defiance, uttering,

"I told you to leave us alone."

All Emily wanted was some peaceful time to herself, but the people here were rude and pushy. She pulled the carriage door open, and Julia swiftly climbed out, coming to stand behind her.

"You bitch!" the man growled in anger. The backs of his fingers were now bleeding, and he glared at Emily. The other two men who had been sitting in front of the carriage jumped to the ground to help him up. "You are going to pay for this!" he warned, his voice seething with rage.

Emily’s hands clenched, but at that same moment, one of the men tumbled backwards onto the ground, followed by the other man, who fell as well, leaving only the one with the injured hand standing. Confusion swept over all of them as they tried to make sense of what had just happened, and upon closer look, Emily noticed round stones stuck in their foreheads, with blood dripping from their wounds.

"Now, how do you intend to pay her back, Barrett?"

Upon hearing Raylen’s voice coming from behind her, Emily bit the inside of her cheek in frustration, the sound of his approaching footsteps becoming clear.

"Ki—King Raylen?" Barrett stuttered because he was familiar with the King. He continued, "I was just going to bring her to you."

"How thoughtful of you," Raylen remarked with a smile. "Although I don’t remember making any such requests, hm?"

"It was a surprise birthday gift..." Barrett answered nervously, and he noticed that the women who had damaged his fingers turned their attention to the king as he spoke.

"Birthday gift, stay." Raylen commanded. He then turned to the maid, who appeared unharmed, and instructed, "I believe you know where the carriage you arrived in is. I want you to go back to the castle."

Julia exchanged a brief glance with Emily before hurriedly departing from the scene. Barrett said, "I didn’t do anything to her! She is the one who injured my hand, My King." He showed his wounded hand as evidence.

Raylen clicked his tongue disapprovingly and turned to look at the princess, who avoided meeting his eyes. "What a rude thing to do," he sympathised with the man and then positioned himself in front of Barrett. "Let me take a look."

"AHH!!!" the man screamed, and the sound of his bones cracking echoed as Raylen forcefully pushed the man’s fingers backwards, breaking them.

"You aren’t capable of doing proper damage and thought it was a good idea to leave the castle without a chaperone?" Raylen turned to look at Emily. "Apparently, your mother wasn’t entirely wrong."

"I think what you should consider is the presence of numerous ruffians throughout the kingdom," Emily retorted while feeling embarrassed, as she knew she had made the mistake of inadvertently proving his and her mother’s point. "I had Julia with me," she added in a whisper.

"Yes, because she’s well-trained to fight and protect you," Raylen responded sarcastically. "You know what? Barrett, take her with you. Maybe once she’s had her fill of thrills and excitement, we can talk about what transpired. Take her," he said to Barrett, who was still in pain.

Emily gritted her teeth and retorted, "I was simply minding my own business and walking down the street when this man decided to jump in."

"Then you should understand that you are irresistible to the wolves and foxes who desire you," Raylen stated with a straight face. "My apologies for interrupting your little adventure. You can take her now, Barrett."

Barrett was too scared to move. Because on one side, the king had fractured his fingers, and on the other, he could see the king’s evident displeasure that his orders had not been followed.

When the man advanced towards the princess, Raylen’s eyes narrowed, and in one swift movement, his shoe made contact below the man’s chin, sending him flying before he landed on the ground.

"Some people really lack in the head area," Raylen murmured, wiping his shoe on the back of his trousers before he turned to look at Emily. "Any more adventurous plans?"

"No, I am good, thanks," Emily replied, and she noticed Raylen subtly narrowing his eyes at her.

"Don’t be cheeky, woman. I will not refrain from disciplining you," he warned, his piercing blue eyes trained on hers.

When Emily’s lips parted as if to speak, she thought better of it and held her tongue, restraining herself from uttering anything she shouldn’t. Instead, she suggested,

"Shall we return to the carriage?"

"As you wish, Princess," Raylen responded, raising his hand before they boarded it.

Emily sat in silence for a few moments as the carriage began to move. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a chain she had earlier removed from her neck and absentmindedly ran her fingers over it. Her eyes wandered over to the side where Raylen was seated, only to catch him already looking at her. She decided to break the silence and asked him,

"When is your wedding—"

"Already dreaming about the wedding," Raylen hummed.

"—to Celeste," Emily finished her sentence, giving him a small glare.

One corner of Raylen’s lips curled into a smile, and he replied, "In the Devil’s imagination, whenever he feels like dreaming about it."

So he had heard about it, Emily thought to herself. She then said, "Two archdemons would be a formidable match in terms of power, don’t you think?"

"Worried about the future?" Raylen asked, raising his eyebrows. He then said, "I am not interested in Celeste, and getting together with her would be like romancing a female version of Dante. Definitely not into that. When did you hear about it?"

After finding a bunch of skeletons sitting in one of the rooms, Emily said in her mind. She replied, "Last night. You weren’t in the castle."

Intrigued by her response, Raylen turned to face her and asked, "Was the princess looking for me? What a shame, as I had to look at a dead woman instead."

Emily, who was about to mention what occurred last night, was momentarily sidetracked and inquired, "Dead woman?"

"Mhm. Your stalker is practising how to perfectly cut open chests before the same thing is done on you," Raylen replied. He noticed her stop playing with the thin chain that held a lone pendant. "I must say, you are a little too brave. Where does such bravery come from?"

"I get your point. There’s no need to stress it," Emily murmured. "Is there no way to catch him?"

"We are planning to set a trap for him a week from now. To see if he falls for it by using a man dressed in a woman’s clothing and wig as bait," Raylen replied. Then he remarked, "It is a pretty chain."

Emily looked down at her hand and said, "It belonged to my grandmother. It was a gift from her father, who loved her very much." Her thoughts returned to the kidnapper, and she suspected that this individual was not an ordinary earthling but rather of demon blood. She inquired,

"What if this person decides to come for my soul before the planned time? He came to the gathering that day," which only showed how they were unafraid of crowds.

"But he never stayed. What he wants to achieve is to instil fear in you, and that will hasten the corruption," Raylen replied before explaining further, "Somehow the way he dissected the chest was oddly similar to my father’s methods, and it makes me question if it’s one of my father’s apprentices. The cutting technique resembled waves. There were several apprentices in the past, but tracing their origins has proven difficult, as many of their family trees have reached dead ends. Then I thought it could be my siblings, but they were too young. Some are in Hell, some in Heaven. All of them now collecting dust."

"Like in the lower room?" Emily asked, and then added, "I was led there."

"By my dead cat, perhaps?" Raylen asked sarcastically, his eyes shifting to a darker hue.

"It was a woman. She looked like a woman, but she was faceless. That’s how I know you weren’t in the castle," Emily explained apprehensively. "I know it wasn’t a dream."

"Tell me more," Raylen urged, and Emily recounted the events of the previous night until she stumbled into the cell area. After she was done speaking, he said, "That couldn’t have been my mother. Because she’s in Hell and hasn’t been let out of there."

Emily’s eyes widened in surprise, and she inquired, "Did she kill someone...?" To end up in the underworld.

Raylen gazed at Emily before a crooked smile appeared on his lips, and he replied, fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"She sold her soul to the underworld."