Garden Of Poison-Chapter 265: Perpetrator

Music Recommendation: Poa Alpina - Biosphere

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Unable to bear the relentless onslaught of tragic news coming one after another, Emily’s knees nearly gave way beneath her, but Raylen quickly moved to her side and held her close. Her breathing grew shallow, as if she were struggling to breathe.

"Princess?" Raylen called out to her, noticing her beginning to break. "Take a deep breath... slow, deep breath. You can do it," he cooed gently.

Emily felt a constriction in her chest, and it took a couple of seconds before her breathing returned to normal. She asked, "Why Jane? He didn’t need her, he didn’t..." She shook her head. Was he trying to corrupt her heart? Testing it by inundating it with anguish? Tears spilled from her eyes, and she inquired, "Do you think he killed Layla too?"

Raylen gently rubbed Emily’s back, trying to calm her emotions. He said, "It would be a bit of a stretch to imagine he could go so far as to kill her." He couldn’t help but question if it had anything to do with his father. After all, Nathaniel had allegedly stolen the Potion of Longevity. "It is the consequence of her soulmate’s actions."

Two people she knew had died, and the more she thought about it, the more she recognised that there had been a number of other deaths. Even if Julia appeared to have seemingly resurrected from her grave, her father had passed away, as had her brother Maxwell. Death had been strikingly prevalent this year, showing no signs of stopping.

"This time, it is my fault. It is because of me," Emily whispered, her lips trembling.

When Emily broke into tears over her friend’s death, Raylen embraced her tightly in his arms, allowing her to cry as much as she wanted. He turned to look at Westley, who stepped out of the room to give the couple their privacy.

"You never wished death upon her, Princess. You wanted her to thrive, and you have never harboured ill thoughts about her or anyone," Raylen reassured her as he gently stroked the back of her head. "It’s not your fault. There is only one person to blame, and that is the one who took her life. No one else."

Emily closed her eyes tightly before she opened them, tears glistening on her eyelashes. She asked, "How do we find him? We need to stop him." She had serious doubts that the person behind all this would simply stop on their own.

When she pulled away, her teary eyes met Raylen’s grim gaze. The Archdemon didn’t like anyone making her cry, and it struck a nerve in him. He raised his hands and tenderly wiped the tears from her cheeks before asking,

"Have you tried hearing her?"

Hearing... that was Emily’s Crux. It was an unheard-of power, but it was the gift she had received through the soul bond with Raylen. It was often said that fate bestowed abilities upon soulmates according to their needs and what would prove useful to them one day.

"I tried," Emily answered, shaking her head. "But it didn’t work." She had felt nothing but emptiness when she touched the dead body of her friend.

"Why don’t you give it another try? Sometimes grief can block thoughts or sounds," Raylen suggested, knowing that Emily’s ability was still in its infancy and would develop over time. She gave him a small nod, her face flushed from the tears.

Raylen stepped away from the lifeless body, creating space for Emily to move closer. She found it difficult to look at Janelle, wishing she had received the ability of foresight to have prevented this tragedy.

’Lily, you are going to get married before me,’ she heard Janelle’s voice echo in her mind. ’You are a princess, and princesses are the first to lead the way before us commoners.’

’You are far from a commoner,’ Emily replied to her. ’You are my dear friend, and you don’t know how many men eye you when they walk by.’

’Is that so?’ Janelle laughed. ’We will be each other’s bridesmaids, won’t we?’

Emily’s hands clenched into fists, her vision blurring, before she took a deep breath as she fought back her emotions. She would find the person who did this to her. She wouldn’t let them haunt her and push her into the corner any longer. Placing her hands on Janelle’s cold arm, she closed her eyes and felt an eerie darkness begin to seep from the empty shell into her own, causing her to feel distant. She disliked the sensation but didn’t pull away. As seconds passed, suddenly she heard a piercing shriek that belonged to her friend.

"She’s in pain..." Emily whispered, feeling her muscles contort and constrict.

Though Emily couldn’t see it, she could distinctly feel it—the pain was as intense as what she had experienced on the night of the Hallow Ball. She relayed what she perceived, her voice trembling, "There’s someone with her. Cutting her open while she was still alive... It is him. He knows that the corruption has been stopped." His voice was clear and spine-chilling, especially because it had terrorised her in her nightmares.

’No hard feelings, lady. It is only unfortunate that you are friends with her, and also her closest one, from what I have observed so far.’

’Please, s—stop it. Ple—ease—’

’Can you imagine how it feels to wait for a razzleberry to ripen for years? You water it, make sure it has been growing well, and then just as you are about to pluck the fruit, someone else takes it away!’

’AH!!!’ Janelle screamed, but her voice didn’t linger; as soon as it began to fade, so did the man’s voice.

’She’s been marked by Raylen. It makes it that much...’

Emily retrieved her hands back to her sides, and her eyes opened.

"You don’t have to dig deeper into what happened or how it happened," Raylen advised, seeing how pale Emily looked just from listening to whatever might have occurred.

"Did they... her family, they should be informed about..." Emily murmured.

"You should sit down. Here," Raylen pulled a chair for her. He doubted she would have an appetite to eat.

However, Emily couldn’t remain seated for long, as her emotions were in turmoil. She was devastated by Janelle’s death, but at the same time, an unsettling feeling washed over her when she saw Raylen touching the woman to stitch up her chest. She got up and walked out of the room, though not too far.

Not long after, Janelle’s parents arrived at the castle. Although Emily didn’t join them inside to give them the space they needed, she heard Janelle’s mother crying and sobbing, the sound echoing through the corridors. It made her heart grow heavy because, despite Raylen’s assurance that it wasn’t her fault, Janelle’s death was ultimately a consequence of her connection to her.

By the time evening arrived, Janelle was laid to rest in the cemetery in the presence of her family, friends, and the priest.

Currently, Emily sat in the drawing room with a blanket Lauren had provided. She had been in this position since she returned from the funeral, sitting motionless like a doll, her gaze staring into space. It wasn’t until a cup was brought in front of her that she seemed to return to the present.

Emily’s eyes shifted from the cup to Raylen, who was the one holding it. He offered, "Drink this. You haven’t eaten anything since this morning."

"Have you had anything to drink?" Emily asked, realising that they had both skipped meals.

"How can I eat or drink when my other half hasn’t? I don’t think it would be fair," Raylen replied, gently pushing the cup into her hand. He then sat down beside her on the couch.

"It is milk..." Emily mumbled as she examined the cup, noting its warmth.

"That is correct. Fresh and warm milk from a healthy, well-fed cow," Raylen smiled reassuringly. "Go on."

Emily took a sip and noticed a peculiar taste on the second gulp. Her eyes met Raylen’s, and she gave him a suspicious look.

"I might have added something for flavour and strength. Plain milk is a little boring, isn’t it?" Raylen suggested before watching her obediently finish the entire cup.

"You should get something to eat or drink too," Emily urged, not wanting him to go hungry. As she spoke, she saw him lean towards her and press his lips against hers. The kiss was tender and warm, as if to reassure her that everything would be alright.

As they sat there and conversed, Emily suddenly remembered something and asked, "What type of fruit is a razzleberry?"

Raylen, who was gazing at the fireplace, paused for a moment and then turned to meet Emily’s eyes. He asked her, "Where did you hear that word?"

"When I was listening to Janelle and the man. Why?" Emily asked, observing Raylen narrowing his eyes.

Raylen ran his hand through his red hair and then explained, "Because it’s not a real word but a made-up one. One that my brother, Logan, used to use."