Garden Of Poison-Chapter 242: Between the domino

As the temperature dropped even further, exacerbated by the increasing windiness, the gathering began to draw to a close, with the harsh conditions making the location inhospitable. The guests started to make their way towards their carriages. Some opted to spend more time with each other, climbing into the same vehicles, while others left in the same carriages they had arrived in at the Forest of Red.

As Emily walked on the snowy ground with Janelle accompanying her out of the heart of the forest, she pulled her coat closer around her to shield the front of her body from the cold. She glanced left and right when her friend inquired,

"What’s the matter, Lily?"

"I just realised the carriage I came in has left with my mother," Emily replied, and her lips pursed. As her eyes scanned the row of carriages neatly stationed in a line, they caught sight of Raylen. As if wanting to hide, she turned to Janelle and whispered, "Jane, you don’t mind dropping me off at the castle, do you?" freёnovelkiss.com

"I have no issue with it. But..." Janelle began, her voice trailing off as her gaze shifted behind Emily.

"Princess," Raylen’s clear voice tore through the surroundings as he approached the spot where the two young ladies were standing. He offered a polite smile and greeted Emily’s friend, saying, "How are you doing, Lady Janelle? You should come by the castle for a meal with us."

Janelle graciously acknowledged the King’s generous invitation with a bow and replied, "That is very kind of you, King Raylen. I will be more than happy to attend."

Raylen hummed, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and he said, "Once the Hallow is over, I am certain you will have a good reason to come visit in the near future."

Emily noticed that she wasn’t the only one who grasped the underlying meaning of Raylen’s words, as Janelle’s eyes widened and their gazes met, silently conveying, ’Did you hear what he just said?!’ Emily cleared her throat, and the archdemon shifted his attention towards her with a smile.

"My attention hasn’t left you, Princess," Raylen reassured her playfully, and if it were possible, Emily would have combusted on the spot from his mere words.

"I—I will be going with Janelle," Emily informed him, because she didn’t know how their carriage ride back to the castle would be otherwise.

Raylen’s smile didn’t leave his lips as he tilted his head to the side and inquired, "Is that so? If I am not mistaken, Mr. Hurbert was planning to take Lady Janelle to the art museum she expressed her interest in."

He turned to look over his shoulder, and soon, the suitor with whom Janelle had been conversing and building a relationship since the start of the gatherings appeared. The man offered his deepest bow before turning to the woman of his interest and stating,

"Lady Janelle, I have obtained permission to give you a tour of the restricted art museum. I don’t want to cut our time short, and I would be delighted to take you there if you’ll allow me."

Janelle looked excited and responded with a smile, "Of course, I would love to accompany you!" When her eyes shifted to Emily, she noticed her friend blink in surprise.

"I guess I should be going." Janelle offered an awkward smile. While hugging Emily, she whispered, "I don’t think there was even a chance," and then pulled away to depart with Mr. Hurbert.

As Emily watched her friend climb into the carriage with her suitor, she sensed Raylen’s eyes on her. Turning to meet his gaze, she finally looked at him.

"Shall we head back to the castle then, Princess?" Raylen asked her, his voice as gentle as the snowflake she had caught two days ago.

It wasn’t like she had wings to fly, Emily thought to herself, and she gave him a nod in response. At least she had a ride back to the castle. They walked towards their carriage, which stood out brilliantly among the other carriages, all of which looked rather dull in comparison. The dark brown wood had been expertly carved by the hands of the finest craftsmen available, with handles polished in gold, and it was pulled by four majestic black horses against the backdrop of the snowy landscape.

Some guests couldn’t help but look in their direction, marvelling at the picture of perfection they presented—the undeniably handsome king with his dark red hair and striking blue eyes, alongside a princess who appeared delicate, as if she hailed from another realm.

Emily, who was used to being the centre of attention, could sense the curiosity of the onlookers that followed their every move. She was the first to climb into the carriage, and as the door was about to close on her side, she saw Raylen leaning forward to tuck the hem of her dress securely inside. His eyes then looked up to meet hers, and he stated,

"We wouldn’t want to ruin your dress."

Despite Raylen’s seemingly nonchalant demeanour, he closed the door with care before walking around the carriage to his side. He couldn’t help but notice Emily’s sharp intake of breath, causing a crooked smile to tug at his lips.

Raylen had been studying Emily long before he became interested in her. As much as she put up the strong front expected of her, he knew she wanted to run as fast as she could away from him, sensing that she was still figuring out her newfound emotions towards him.

One part of him wanted to take it slow to avoid scaring her away, yet he pondered whether it would come across as arrogance if he declared that the only place for her was by his side. Then there was another part of him that longed to seize her very existence before she had the chance to build a protective barrier around herself, putting the bricks back into place.

So, he had carried out what he had foreseen an hour ago.

’Mr. Hurbert, it’s a shame that we haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time together beyond the usual greetings,’ Raylen remarked as he picked up a glass of blood wine after spotting the man at the table.

’My King! My humblest greetings to you!’ Mr. Hurbert had never actually spoken to the King without an audience present. ’Would you like me to bring you something? I could ask the servants,’ he offered, puzzled by why the King hadn’t already been served, unaware that the King had his own ulterior motives.

Raylen offered a polite smile to the man and replied, ’It appears I have already found something to my liking. But thank you. How is this season’s gathering treating you?’

’Excellent, Your Excellency. I’ve had the pleasure of conversing with Lady Janelle, and she has been a delight to talk to,’ Mr. Hurbert confessed, and Raylen gave him a nod.

’How wonderful,’ Raylen hummed. ’Make sure you treasure her and win her over completely so that you leave her no reason to change her mind. Because there have been some pitiful cases like that,’ he clicked his tongue in disapproval while shaking his head.

’Oh...’ Mr. Hurbert responded, and he said, ’I will hold your valuable advice close to my heart, My King. I plan to take the lady to the art museum once I receive permission from the magistrate, as the lower floor is closed to the public.’

A twinkle appeared in Raylen’s eyes as his hand slipped into his inner coat pocket, and then he handed a coin to the man. ’Take this and tell them you have my permission. This will grant you free access,’ he said with a generous smile.

Mr. Hurbert offered a deep bow to the King, keeping his head lowered as he expressed his gratitude, ’Thank you! You are most generous and have been a great help to me. I feel truly blessed.’

Raylen smiled and responded, ’I think it is important that the lady understands how important she is to you when you take her to the museum today. And rest assured, there will be no disturbances.’

Grateful for the King’s assistance and advice, Mr. Hurbert purposed not to be one of the unfortunate individuals facing rejection and decided to escort his chosen lady to the museum without delay!

The coachman opened the door on the other side of the carriage, and shortly after, Raylen climbed in before the vehicle began to move away from the Forest of Red. Inside, Emily sat with her hands folded in her lap, and although her head was turned towards her window, her attention and thoughts were on the man seated beside her.

"You know, you can relax. It’s not like I am going to do anything to you," Raylen chuckled, observing how tense her shoulders appeared, as if she was ready to jump out of the window.

"This is how I relax," Emily muttered before leaning back against the seat.

Emily found herself at a loss for words as Raylen fell silent. She had never been so acutely aware of a man’s presence as she was of his, not even with her former soulmate. Her hands involuntarily crumpled the fabric of her skirt before she released it.

When she turned to gaze at Raylen, she found him staring at her, his temple supported by the palm of his hand and his legs crossed, one over the other.

"You know, you have a window next to you," Emily pointed out while attempting to keep a straight face.

"Thanks for reminding me of that. I thought it was a white wall," Raylen replied cheekily, observing how she looked away from him, yet at the same time, remaining conscious of him.

"Raylen," Emily said his name, and when he didn’t respond and continued to gaze at her, she turned to meet his blue eyes.

"I am listening. I always do. What is it?" Raylen asked her, his voice patient and calm.

"Stop staring..." Emily murmured, feeling her cheeks growing warm.

"Why?"

What did he mean ’why’? Emily turned flustered, and despite wanting to offer a retort, she was aware that the archdemon was more than capable of countering with an equally effective response to silence her.

"If you aren’t feeling anything for me, you shouldn’t be burning, Princess. Red," Raylen teased, his words carrying an underlying truth.

Instinctively, Emily touched her cheeks and replied, "It’s just the weather. Don’t misunderstand it," her voice turning into a whisper. Idiot, she scolded him silently, still unable to believe he had jumped into the lake earlier. Idiot, she repeated the word in her mind, this time directing it at herself, and she leaned her head to the side.

The archdemon had lived in the living realm for aeons, so Emily couldn’t help but question why he had begun to pay attention to her above all others. She sneakily glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, and she heard him say,

"I won’t charge you for the privilege of looking at me. Feel free." A mischievous grin cracked on his lips.

Emily gently rolled her eyes and said, "I should be the one charging you, not the other way around."

"I don’t believe all the wealth in the universe would be enough," Raylen remarked, causing Emily to subtly turn and press her forehead against the carriage wall in an attempt to conceal her flushed cheeks. "Are you blushing?" he inquired with a hint of amusement.

"I’ll kill you." Emily’s threat was weak, and she soon heard him chuckling beside her.

Once they reached the castle, they disembarked from the carriage, and before Emily could hasten her steps, she caught sight of the apprehensive expression on Lauren’s face as she stood at the entrance. Even Raylen picked up on the change in mood and questioned,

"What’s the matter, Lauren?"

Lauren offered a deep bow, her expression tinged with regret, and she informed him, "Celeste has escaped from the cell." And just as the words left her lips, Raylen’s eyes narrowed, and his earlier playfulness vanished. She continued, "We don’t know how it happened. Someone left water nearby, and Lady Sophia was there too. Forgive us, Master. We didn’t anticipate her going there."

Oh, Mother, Emily whispered in her mind.

Anger began to gradually seep into Raylen’s once calm blue eyes as Lauren continued, "Westley searched for her, but she’s untraceable—"

"She must have already returned to Hell." Raylen clicked his tongue in annoyance and inquired, "Where is Lady Sophia?"

"Resting in her room. Celeste used her soul power to make the transition..." Lauren explained, causing Emily to become concerned about her mother. She realised she should have returned with her mother instead of letting her leave alone.

When Emily turned to look at Raylen, she noticed the look of disappointment on his face, and even though she wasn’t the one at the receiving end of it, she could still feel its sting.

Lauren then looked at Emily before her eyes shifted back to Raylen, and she conveyed, "There’s also something else you need to see..."

As they entered the castle and reached one of the corridors, Emily was greeted with a gruesome sight—the floor was smeared with blood. Her legs trembled, and her eyes were drawn to one of the walls, which was splattered with blood.

When Emily’s gaze landed on the person covered in blood, lying motionless on the floor, her stomach sank in dread.

"We didn’t notice until Westley went looking for Celeste," Lauren explained, her expression marked by a deep frown. She continued, "She must have encountered the intruder who helped to free the demoness," her eyes fixated on the lifeless body of the princess’s maid, Julia.