Garden Of Poison-Chapter 238: At Mr. Hatt’s

When Julius appeared before Emily with the box of biscuits, she was greeted by their sweet and inviting aroma wafting to her nose. Little did she expect that she wouldn’t even get a chance to taste them before the biscuit demon devoured them all!

"They were my biscuits," Emily said with a frown. She couldn’t believe he had eaten them all so quickly. "Unless you believe Julius is trying to court you and secretly brought them for you."

Raylen finished munching the last piece of the biscuit, and he leaned back, running his tongue across one side of his mouth. He said, "So you are aware that they were brought with the intention to woo you. And here I thought you were being naive."

"There’s nothing naive about it. I was grateful that his mother made them for me and not for you to eat." Emily shot him an angry glare.

"No need to be bitter about it, Princess. If biscuits are what you desire, the cook would be more than happy to bake some for you." Raylen smiled with glee. He licked the last crumbs off his fingertips and continued, "Though I must admit, they were deliciously sweet. Probably not something you would have chosen to eat. But then again, how would they know that you prefer spice?"

This petty demon, Emily thought to herself. She turned around, ready to leave, when Raylen inquired, "Leaving already?"

"Yes," before I find something to throw at you, Emily said in her mind.

When she turned to glance over her shoulder, her eyes briefly landed on the book lying open in front of Raylen, and she noticed its unfamiliar script. Curious, she found herself not moving towards the door, and she asked,

"What language is that?"

"The dark tongue. It’s the language of demons," Raylen replied, watching Emily turn towards him as if his answer caught her interest.

"I didn’t know that you have your own language," Emily murmured, and she inquired, "What are you doing? Studying demon lore? Or perhaps a bedtime story about methods of torture?" fгeewebnovёl.com

Raylen grinned at the princess’ suggested choices. He replied, "Now wouldn’t that be interesting? I should definitely put that in as a request. But no. This book contains ancient spells from the realm of the dead that must be recited. They are essential for strengthening the castle’s invisible barriers. This dragon needs to ensure that every area is covered."

Emily was grateful to Raylen for safeguarding her within the castle, but every time she attempted to thank him, he invariably did something to annoy her, and she decided to keep her appreciation to herself.

"How was your time with Mr. Not-So-Charming?" Raylen asked before she could depart.

For a second, Emily blinked at Raylen’s choice of name for Julius. Then she replied, "It was good. No doubt you will hear about it from Westley."

Raylen’s eyes twinkled with amusement. He leaned his chair back, balancing it on its back legs, and he remarked, "I think it’s better to hear it directly from the person involved."

Emily stared at Raylen and, without any reservation, decided to test the waters. "We are going shopping tomorrow," she stated plainly.

She noticed him staring at her, his smile frozen on his lips, and he murmured softly, "Are you now?" His tongue ran across the tip of his canine, drawing a bit of blood for him to taste.

"Given that you’ve already finished your shopping, this must be for Mr. Not-So-Charming’s benefit."

Emily wondered whether Raylen had been keeping track of her even before he was drawn to her. She replied, "Yes. Why do you call him that?" her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Are you upset that I am not calling him your Prince Charming?" Raylen asked, tilting his head in question. "He isn’t exactly charming, especially if he needs your help for something as mundane as shopping. It’s quite pitiful that he is unable to make such simple choices on his own," he added, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

"It gives both him and me an opportunity to take a stroll and anticipate the unforeseen future," Emily replied with a serious tone. She believed that to truly understand someone, one must step out beyond the confines of four walls. "Encountering unexpected variables allows insight."

Raylen hummed softly, watching her for a moment before returning his chair to its upright position by bringing the chair’s legs back to the ground. He wasn’t elated with her spending time with a man other than him, yet the mention of unexpected variables caught his attention, prompting a smile to form on his face.

"I hope you have a memorable time with Mr. Not-So-Charming then," Raylen wished her.

"Stop calling him that. It’s rude," Emily said, her lips forming a frown.

"Why not? It does sound like an apt name for him," Raylen replied. The more she tried to take Julius’ side, the more he wanted to tear the man apart right before her eyes.

"In that case, you should be dubbed the biscuit demon," Emily huffed softly, subconsciously turning to face Raylen.

"Well, if we are assigning nicknames, we should have one for you too, Princess. It would be rude not to include you." One corner of Raylen’s lips curled into a smirk. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, and said, "My Princess."

Emily’s face flushed a bright red, resembling an apple rapidly turning ripe. She swiftly protested, "I am not your princess!"

"Right, not your princess, but mine." Raylen grinned, observing Emily’s flustered reaction as he smoothly invaded her zone of comfort. "Even if he does turn into a Prince Charming, the story revolves around a fire-breathing dragon and a sweet princess. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?" He lifted one of his hands, conjuring a spark of fire in his palm to emphasise his point.

Raylen’s words provoked an involuntary blush in Emily as he attacked her with verbal jabs, and her only response was a glare, one that quickly lost its strength as her cheeks only burned brighter under the intensity of his gaze.

Rising smoothly from the chair, Raylen calmly questioned her, "Is it just me, or have you also been unable to shake off thoughts about what happened earlier today?" He moved to stand in front of her.

"My mind was occupied with the conversation—I was having with my company," Emily said, averting her gaze from him.

"What a pity. It appears we’ll need to spend more time together next time to imprint more lasting memories," Raylen murmured, a crooked smile forming on his lips as he could tell she wasn’t being entirely truthful.

Before Raylen would pour further fuel onto the spark igniting in her mind, Emily quickly said, "I should leave you to your work."

"Mm." Raylen didn’t stop her, watching her steal a glance at him before leaving the library with the sound of her receding footsteps gradually fading away. Under his breath, he murmured, "You can try to seek connections outside the castle, but you will see it will be in vain in the end."

The following day, Emily and her mother visited Mr. Hatt’s shop to try on their dresses. The weather had turned bitterly cold, as it had snowed throughout the night, blanketing everything it had fallen on.

"Dear God! I am going to freeze in this weather!" Lady Sophia muttered, rubbing her hands together for warmth as she waited for Emily to emerge from behind the wooden divider. "From Versailles to the Storm Kingdom, the contrast is like night and day," Lady Sophia commented, her lips setting into a thin line.

Mr. Hatt walked to one of the cupboards and retrieved a shawl. Before Lady Sophia could utter a word, he draped it around her shoulders and proudly stated, "The finest wool you will find across both seas."

Lady Sophia glanced at the shawl, feeling a little warmer, and she cleared her throat at the gesture, murmuring, "Well, thank you."

It had been so long since someone had genuinely paid attention to her, but then again, she was a member of a royal family, Lady Sophia reminded herself. Her chin lifted in a regal manner as her daughter stepped out from behind the wooden divider.

Emily couldn’t help but notice how her mother’s expression shifted from a prideful one to a grimace as her eyes fell upon her dress. She could tell that her mother had something to say about it but was making a concerted effort to keep her thoughts to herself.

"How stunning, Princess Emily!" Mr. Hatt exclaimed, breaking the silence as he clapped his hands in delight. "It appears there’s very little alteration to be made. Please come and stand on the stool."

As Emily walked over, the lower half of her dress swayed gracefully. She positioned herself on the stool before gazing at her reflection in the mirror. Just at first glance, a smile threatened to grace her lips due to the way the silk dress looked on her. The half sleeves were intricately wrapped in an inward-diagonal manner, creating a V-shaped neckline and back, which were secured with a matching belt made from the same fabric.

When she turned to the side, she observed how the lower half of the dress moved with a subtle and elegant flow, the delicate layers beneath the overskirt shifting gently while the fabric snugly embraced her legs.

Emily hadn’t anticipated that the dress and its colour would complement her skin so well. She turned to her mother, who was staring at her dress.

"Mother?" Emily called out, not wanting her to feel that she had disregarded her opinions.

Lady Sophia pursed her lips and offered a slight nod. "I guess it is fine," she murmured, her thoughts drifting to not-so-fond memories associated with the colour from many years ago.

’Go and inquire if the king is occupied in the courtroom,’ Lady Sophia instructed the servant standing outside her door, while she eagerly waited for her husband to return to her so that they could spend time together.

After a while, the servant returned and informed her, ’My Queen, King William will be spending the night in one of the rooms on the first floor with a concubine.’

’Which one?’ Lady Sophia’s face hardened, as this night had been promised to her. ’Never mind. I will go ask him myself.’

Lady Sophia swiftly traversed the corridors and arrived just in time to witness the concubine and William entering one of the rooms. The concubine wore a striking red dress and was being doted on by her husband by her side.

"It isn’t that dreadful shade of red, but a different kind, so it’s acceptable," Lady Sophia responded.

Mr. Hatt discreetly shot a sidelong glare at the woman for merely deeming it ’acceptable’ because this rich colour was truly exquisite and suited the princess perfectly. He had saved the best fabric for her, knowing that no one could resist selecting it.

Emily smiled at her mother, who continued to gaze at her dress. Mr. Hatt approached her with a piece of fabric in the same colour, which he used to tie around her waist and fashion a bow at the back—something that Emily didn’t pay attention to at the time.

"The colour complements you exceptionally well, Princess Emily," Mr. Hatt commented, admiring his handiwork on the dress. There was no doubt that she would be a standout during the Hallow festivities. "I guess I will have it packed for you when you are ready."

Once the gown was neatly packed into a box, Emily expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you for the beautiful gown, Mr. Hatt. It is one of my favourites."

"That is a very generous compliment from a princess. I am delighted to hear that you are satisfied with it," Mr. Hatt replied, nodding appreciatively. "Here is the mask to accompany your gown, as it is a masquerade ball."

Westley picked up the boxes and carried them out of the shop to place them in the carriage. Just as Emily and Lady Sophia were prepared to leave, the latter remembered the shawl draped around her shoulders, and she was about to remove it so that she could return it, but Mr. Hatt intervened with a smile.

"Please keep it, milady," he insisted warmly. "The weather outside is quite harsh, and it goes well with the inky hue of your dress. Consider it a complimentary gift for the beautiful lady."

Emily’s eyebrows subtly rose in surprise, and after stepping out of the shop, her mother remarked, "The people in Storm Kingdom are nice. Paying attention to us and acknowledging our status," and nodded in approval.

While the elites and important people of the Storm Kingdom were busy preparing for Hallow, an individual stood at one end of the street, concealed behind a lamppost, his attention fixed on the young woman who possessed the Barter Soul.

The man observed her smile as she strolled down the street with her mother, his eyes tracking her every move. He couldn’t conceal his displeasure at seeing the expression on her face, and he murmured,

"I have missed you, Emily. We will meet soon."