Garden Of Poison-Chapter 239: Shoe that fits

Emily continued to stroll through the town’s streets in the company of her mother. Despite the arrival of winter, it didn’t deter people from venturing out and going about their day. She glanced back behind her and noticed Westley following them at a good five-step distance.

"I must say, I find the clothing in this place to be far more comfortable than what we have in Versailles," Lady Sophia said, adjusting the ends of her sleeves before holding the shawl tightly.

"It is indeed warm and nice," Emily agreed. Since her mother had arrived in the Storm Kingdom, their family in Versailles had made no effort to contact them, as if they were already aware of her whereabouts.

"Where is Mr. Ardolf? It looks like he is running late," Lady Sophia inquired, looking around the street.

Emily discerned a noticeable trace of wariness in her mother’s eyes, likely a result of what had transpired during her mother’s first visit to this place. No matter how prideful and confident her mother appeared, she could tell that she was worried about the possibility of someone pointing a finger at her.

"Or perhaps we simply completed our errand sooner than we expected," Emily replied, her gaze shifting to the town’s tower clock. "Mother, may I ask you something?"

Lady Sophia turned to her daughter and inquired, "Hm? What is it?"

"How do you find Mr. Ardolf?" Emily was more than curious about her mother’s willingness to let a man of his status interact with her.

"His manners and personality are quite pleasant, and he’s a good-looking man," Lady Sophia replied diplomatically. After a moment’s pause, she continued, "After what I’ve been through, I have decided to rethink some things. Before I married your father, Lily, I looked for a man of status and wealth. Someone with perceived power, with position. Of course, I want all of those things for you as well. You are my daughter. I didn’t raise you to have a difficult life. However, I am willing to... overlook certain aspects if you have made your choice."

"Made my choice?" Emily questioned, observing her mother give a short nod.

"Yes," Lady Sophia affirmed. She cast a glance at the overcast sky as they continued to walk down the street. "I’ve heard that you have only danced with a handful of suitors, and the majority of those dances were with Mr. Ardolf. He’s the only one who has been visiting you, so it’s understandable that you have already made your decision. He’s also openly expressed his intention of marrying you. Furthermore, the two of you have been spending time together—exclusively with each other and no one else."

Emily didn’t know why, but the way her mother talked about what Julius had conveyed to her only made her feel anxious. Her chest began to tighten, as though she was being cornered into something she wasn’t ready for.

"The man doesn’t appear to have any connections with other women, and we will be able to confirm that today," Lady Sophia stated with raised eyebrows, as if she were on a mission. "We can arrange for him to move to Versailles, and he can secure a better position under Dante," she contemplated aloud.

Emily’s footsteps gradually slowed down as she thought about the speed at which her mother and Julius were moving things. While she did agree with Julius being a good man, she was still in the process of being courted, and she disliked him unilaterally deciding that they were already a couple.

And although Julius had indirectly hinted at certain matters to Lady Sophia yesterday before Emily and Raylen returned from the Forest of Red, it was the devil whisperer who had filled the older woman’s ears earlier that morning.

Not paying attention to her surroundings, Emily’s shoulder accidentally collided with a passerby walking in the opposite direction, jolting her out of her thoughts.

"Pardon me," she said to the man while picking up a distinct scent from him as she heard his apology.

"Sorry," he replied hastily, walking past her as though in a hurry.

Emily couldn’t help but turn to look behind her, her gaze tracking the man who continued to walk without stopping, and Westley, noticing her interest, followed after him.

"What a rude man, not looking where he was going," Lady Sophia softly harrumphed in annoyance at the person who had collided with her daughter. "Anyway, what were we talking about? Yes, Mr. Ardolf. Just this once, I shall make an exception if he makes you happy." Knowing that Emily’s heart was corrupting, she tried not to worsen the situation.

Emily felt the need to clarify to her mother that it wasn’t like that, that it wasn’t as serious as she seemed to think, and that she was still only talking to the man. She began, "Mother, about that, it isn’t what—"

"Princess Emily. Lady Sophia." Julius arrived at an untimely moment by coming to stand before them. He offered them a deep bow while removing his hat from his head for a second before putting it back on. "Pardon me for my tardiness. I hope I didn’t make you wait."

"We just picked up our dresses from the tailor’s shop," Lady Sophia let him know, her already arched eyebrows raising as she spoke.

"That puts me at ease," Julius replied with a smile, adding, "I found the perfect place with some great gift ideas. It’s just down the next street."

"Excellent," Lady Sophia responded before they started to walk. Julius fell behind, as Emily had begun to follow a second later.

"Good morning, Princess Emily. Did your dress fitting go well?" Julius inquired.

Emily gave him a brief nod and replied, "Yes, it went well."

"My clothes are still in the process of being tailored, and hopefully, they will be ready in time for the Hallow Ball," Julius continued, mentioning, "They are making a red shirt for me."

Emily could feel her throat tighten and asked, "Red?"

"Your mother mentioned it was the colour of your dress, and I hope it will complement it," Julius said with apparent eagerness in his voice. "I thought it would look nice when we walk next to each other."

Emily felt her heart quickening its pace once again at the situation unfolding in ways she hadn’t prepared herself for. Until now, Julius seemed to have moved slowly, but suddenly, he was making leaps that were scaring her. She couldn’t recall agreeing to attend the ball together; they had never done so before.

Between Raylen’s words and Julius’s actions, Emily felt her mind becoming burdened.

"What about your favourite colour?" Emily subtly inquired, wondering why he didn’t choose what he wanted to wear instead of trying to match with her.

"Yellow? I am not sure it would look good." Julius smiled, then asked, "What about yours, milady?"

"I wanted to wear something different for a change." Emily smiled at the end. Changing the subject, she asked, "Which shop are you planning to visit now?"

"They have a selection of jewellery in there, along with cufflinks and silk pocket squares, which could be of valuable use," Julius responded.

Shortly after, they arrived at the shop, and like many other shops in the town, it had an elegant appearance. After perusing some of the cufflinks, Julius stated,

"I don’t think I am impressed by the ones in here. I should probably explore another shop."

"There do seem to be a lot more elegant choices in here," Lady Sophia hummed. "Although it’s a shame the King isn’t a Queen; there are some beautiful jewellery pieces here, aren’t there? What do you think, Emily? I think these earrings will look pretty with your dress," she said, prepared to make the purchase as money wasn’t an issue.

Emily leaned forward to take a closer look and said, "They are lovely."

"Kind sir, please show us the ones the ladies are interested in," Julius requested of the shop owner, who promptly came over. Upon noticing the princess’s interest in the earrings, he said, "Why don’t you go ahead and pack them? It will be my gift."

Emily turned alarmed. Firstly, the earrings appeared to be more expensive than what she believed Julius could afford to spend in one go. Secondly, she wasn’t comfortable accepting something so expensive. She quickly said,

"They are lovely, but I don’t think I would wear them. I already have enough earrings."

"But you liked them," Julius pointed out, having seen her nod in agreement and smile at her mother’s praise.

"I don’t believe it’s necessary to buy something just because you like it. A lot of things are good to admire, but nothing more than that," Emily replied politely.

Lady Sophia picked up on Emily’s tone, as did Julius. The man said, "I thought it would be a lovely gift for you, Princess."

"Flowers are perfectly fine. You don’t have to buy me jewellery, Julius, especially since we are still in the courting phase. Moreover, our main purpose here is to find a gift for the King, so I think it would be best for us to concentrate on that." Emily’s words became curt towards the end. She didn’t want Julius to get ahead of himself and make unnecessary gestures... "There’s a quill shop that offers engravings. I think he might like that," she offered.

Julius’ shoulders slumped, and his expression turned slightly forlorn after hearing her words. He had suggested the shop not because he intended to buy a gift for the King, but because he wanted to buy something for the princess, to show her that he could afford to give her a gift and to see her wear something he had chosen for her.

But Emily had grown smarter, and she offered a polite bow before exiting the shop so that she wouldn’t be guilt-tripped by his dejection.

While Julius took a moment to compose himself by engaging in a conversation with the shop owner, Lady Sophia stepped out onto the street, noticing her daughter standing to the side. She approached her and questioned,

"What was that, Emily?"

Emily asked, "What was what?"

"Back in there," Lady Sophia said with a deepening frown. "He was merely selecting a gift for you, which is not unusual during courting. And you two—"

"We’re not a couple, Mother. We are still in the courting phase," Emily clarified with a pleasant smile as Julius exited the shop.

"He said that there will be some more cufflinks added to the collection in two days," Julius informed them, while Lady Sophia was still trying to recover her fallen expression. However, his eyes were focused on the delicate princess, who only nodded in acknowledgment. He suggested, "I know of a place with excellent food. Perhaps something warm to ward off this cold weather?"

"Yes, I believe Mother would like it very much," Emily responded with a smile, aiming to dispel any awkwardness.

As they crossed the street, Emily realised that Westley had not returned, and she found it very unlike him not to follow right behind them. She began to wonder where he might have gone. Looking ahead, she spotted a shop with a few well-dressed individuals of high status conversing outside before they entered.

"This looks like a reputable establishment," Lady Sophia remarked, taking a glance inside through the window. "Although I am not certain if I am hungry, considering we had breakfast not too long ago," she added. Not to mention, her appetite was greatly diminished after the exchange of words in the previous shop.

"Something smells delicious," Emily murmured, a comment that was enough to instantly perk Julius up. He said,

"There is a very popular dish called the ’Warm Fire of the Baked’. It includes fried potatoes, and alongside them—"

Julius was still speaking when someone suddenly darted past them, roughly grabbing Emily’s purse and sprinting in the opposite direction.

"HEY!" Emily shouted, realising her purse contained money and other items she considered valuable in her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she took off after the thief.

"Emily!" Lady Sophia cried out, watching her daughter sprint away.

"Let me catch the thief, Lady Sophia," Julius said, quickly running after the princess.

Emily continued to run as fast as her feet could carry her, startling onlookers and passersby along the way. She scolded the thief, "Get back here, you lowlife! That belongs to me!"

"Princess Emily!" Julius shouted her name, drawing even more attention to them than before.

However, neither the thief nor Emily paused at anyone’s call. The princess could only run so far before her lungs started to give out, and she huffed and puffed, slowing down enough for Julius to catch up to her.

"You shouldn’t go there, Princess!" Julius warned her, not wanting her to encounter dangerous individuals on the other side of town.

But regardless of Julius’s words of caution, Emily went right in, and she saw the thief getting away. Her jaw clenched in frustration, and she impulsively pulled off one of her shoes, hurling it at the thief. And though her shoe did hit the thief, it wasn’t enough to stop the person’s escape with her purse.

"Princess Emily, are you alright?" Julius asked with genuine concern.

"No, I am not alright. Someone stole my purse, and I couldn’t get it back," Emily replied as she wheezed, still catching her breath.

"Allow me to get it back for you. But first, I should see to it that you return safely to the other side. Your safety is of greater importance," Julius said, and Emily finally took a moment to survey the shabby side of town they were in. Some of the people wore ragged clothes and idly smoked pot while watching them with vacant expressions.

"By the time you see to that, the thief would have gotten far away," Emily stated.

"If I don’t retrieve it, I will have the magistrate look into it so that it can be recovered later," Julius assured her. "Please, let us return to the safer side for now."

Emily felt the urge to run after the thief, but she didn’t miss the growing attention they were attracting, with some individuals who were previously seated now standing up and observing them closely.

As they turned around, they found themselves facing a man whose gaze was fixed on Emily. Julius spoke up, saying,

"If you could please step aside so that we can leave without any trouble."

"I couldn’t care less about you. You can leave," the man replied, his eyes scanning Emily up and down. "My business is with this woman."

"What concerns her concerns me," Julius firmly asserted. "And you have no business with her. Let’s leave," he said, directing his last words at Emily.

Emily didn’t know why, but she felt as though she had seen this man before. She saw a smile appear on the stranger’s face, and for a moment, her stomach sank at the thought that he might be the man who had kidnapped her. However, upon second thought, she dismissed the idea. It couldn’t possibly be him.

The man said, "You hit me quite hard that night at the inn, and by the time I woke up, you were gone. We should settle the account."

That night? Emily asked herself as she attempted to recall what the man was alluding to.

"You have the wrong person. The lady here has never crossed paths with you—"

"She was at the pub, throwing knives," the man continued, rubbing his jaw as if the pain still lingered from the punch. However, he mistakenly believed it was Emily who had struck him, when it was Raylen. "Remember the night you bet on the darts?"

Emily’s face paled, and she was glad her mother hadn’t run after her. "I didn’t hit you," she said.

This time, Julius became stunned by the revelation that she had stepped into a place like this, which was not suitable for her.

"You did, and I require you to pay me for the damage. Either in gold coins or by serving me," said the man with a sly grin.

"Choose your words carefully before you speak ill of her," Julius cautioned, displeased by the man’s insinuation.

"What are you going to do? Put me behind bars?" the man jeered and took a step forward, swinging his fist at Julius, who punched the man’s face in response. "Fucking hell!" the man cried out as he stumbled back, feeling the sharp pain shoot through his jaw.

"Princess Emily," Julius urged, ushering her out of there before others could join in and try to bring them harm.

They walked through the alley, and just before they could reach the end, he turned to her and said, "Despite my warnings, you went there. You saw what happened, and this could have gone much worse because you weren’t careful. That man would have caused you serious harm if I hadn’t been there. I’m not even sure if I want to know what you were doing there in an inn, as he said..."

"It was before you started courting me," Emily replied.

Julius found himself at a loss for words because, right now, he was unsure whether he truly knew the princess well enough, as he had hoped he did after all the time they spent together. He said,

"Going there was reckless and irresponsible. There are so many other inns to choose from, so why go there? You are a woman of high status, and that place isn’t suitable for someone like you. You should have allowed me to chase after the thief."

"I didn’t stop you," Emily whispered.

"I don’t even know how you expect me to respond to that." Julius frowned. He continued, "I did not want to resort to violence back there. I am only looking after you—"

"I can look after myself, Julius. I am a grown woman," Emily responded. "I had important belongings in that purse and didn’t want to let it out of my sight."

"I told you I would retrieve it and report the incident." Julius sighed, looking exhausted. He had never seen the princess so defiant, and she didn’t seem like the gentle princess she had been until now.

For a moment, he even felt a bit frustrated and disappointed with her for not heeding his concern. He said, "Lady Sophia must be worried about you. We should head back." With those words, he began walking away, his feet quickening their pace, while Emily walked behind him with one shoe missing.

When they arrived, Lady Sophia’s face was marred with worry, and standing next to her was Westley, wearing the same expression he always did.

"Where did you run off to, Emily?!" her mother questioned, her eyes scanning her daughter to make sure she was alright. "Thank you, Mr. Ardolf, for bringing her back safely," she expressed her gratitude to the man.

Julius smiled. "It was the least I could do." As his eyes shifted to Emily, he noticed that she was looking back in the direction they had come from.

"Well, now that she’s back, we should probably cut short our day as I am feeling a little too cold. We will see you at the gathering." Lady Sophia smiled, using the opportunity to dismiss the man as she wanted to speak to her daughter about her behaviour in private.

"Of course, milady," Julius responded, and he escorted them to their carriage.

Lady Sophia was the first one to climb in, followed by Emily. As Emily placed her foot inside, the former’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth only to close it again until the carriage door was shut and it began to move.

"Where is your shoe?!" Lady Sophia asked with a baffled expression.

"Somewhere on the ground. I forgot it," Emily replied, her foot numb and her stocking wet from walking on the snow. She suddenly felt a sharp pang in her chest, and her face twisted slightly in pain, which her mother noticed.

"Emily, I thought you liked Mr. Ardolf. What’s with this sudden change in your behaviour? Your heart is corrupting, and there isn’t much time before things spiral out of control. Do you understand the severity of the situation?" her mother questioned with concern.

"I know... but I have a feeling that we might not get along in the end," Emily confessed.

Lady Sophia’s mouth fell open, and she said, "He has been a perfect gentleman with you. What is going on? Unless you want me to find someone else for—"

"I don’t need you to do that." Emily sighed.

"What am I going to do with you, child?" her mother asked in exasperation.

"I will be fine, Mother. Grandmother survived, so I will too," Emily replied, her hands clenching in her lap as she tried to endure the pain.

"Your grandmother is a different case. Her husband wasn’t dead until much later, and she’s always had a hardened heart..." Her mother’s voice faded into the background as Emily stopped paying attention to it on the way back to the castle.

Upon their arrival at the castle, Emily was the first to walk through the entrance, and as she crossed the halls and began to ascend the stairs, Raylen caught sight of her, and his blue eyes fell on the back hem of her dress.

"Why does it look like she’s limping?" Raylen hummed. Once he saw her disappear from view, he turned to the other side, where Westley walked towards him.

Two hours passed, and Emily, who had placed her frozen and numb foot in a bucket of warm water, finally pulled it out as the water had chilled. Julia was busy wiping her wet foot as she sat on the edge of the bed when they heard a knock on the door.

It was Raylen, whose eyes fell on her bare foot, which was covered by her dress when the princess noticed him. He dismissed the maid, saying,

"You can leave."

Julia bowed, dropping the towel to the side, and exited the room. Raylen then said, "I heard that you were robbed in broad daylight and that you visited Deathfall. It seems like a place you are drawn to."

Emily watched as Raylen walked closer before he came to stand before her. She responded, "I wonder if you already knew about it."

Raylen tilted his head and remarked, "I do oversee various matters, but stealing isn’t one of them. I wouldn’t resort to having someone steal from you when I am perfectly capable of it myself," raising his eyebrows as he spoke.

"Westley was nowhere to be found when it happened, and he only returned after I did." Emily’s eyes narrowed, and a chuckle escaped from the archdemon’s lips. "He looked unaffected," she added.

"Westley does tend to look like that. He had detected the scent of sulphur from someone and went to investigate it, Princess," Raylen replied, his blue eyes looking alive. "I hear that your outing was abruptly cut short and that there was unpleasant friction. Trouble in paradise already?"

"What are you doing here?" Emily inquired, her hazel brown eyes staring at him.

"I thought I would come check on the wounded cat." Raylen smiled at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"I didn’t injure myself," Emily replied. When his eyes fell on the bucket of water beside her, she added, "It’s a cold kingdom."

"I didn’t ask." Raylen’s lips twisted in amusement.

"I simply thought you would like to know," Emily replied, and then added, "About your kingdom."

Raylen nodded and said, "Delighted to know." They stared at each other in silence before he continued, "There are certain things that you might think will fit at first glance, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they do. Because sometimes, it’s only when you give it a try that you truly discover whether they will or won’t."

"What?" Emily asked, puzzled.

"Your shoe," Raylen replied, presenting the shoe she had left behind in Deathfall.

Emily regarded him with suspicion. "You are still going to insist that you had nothing to do with the thief?" she asked.

Raylen knelt before her and solemnly stated, "I swear on my father. I went to look for this a while ago." Emily’s eyes narrowed even further as she remained unsure whether he had or hadn’t had a hand in the theft. His hand reached out, gently lifting her foot and sliding it into the shoe. He remarked, "Well, what do you know? It is a perfect fit."