Chapter 2

Julian lowered his gaze to me, his expression stern and guarded. "What are you planning this time?"

"What could I possibly be planning?" I laughed. "Aren't I a pain to you? Drink this, and I swear I'll never bother you again."

He said, "I don't believe a single word you say."

"Doesn't matter." I pushed the glass a little closer. "You don't have to believe me. Just drink."

He didn't move.

I deliberately rose onto my toes and leaned closer, my breath brushing against his cheek. "Are you scared? What is it about me that unsettles you?"

His expression hardened instantly as he seized my wrist, his grip firm.

I winced from the pain but flashed him a smile. "See? You do care about me."

As soon as I said that, his face got worse.

I knew I had hit a sore spot again.

However, provoking him was the very reason I had come tonight. I wanted him to remember that on the night of his wedding, I was the one who caused trouble and the one who drank with him in his bedroom.

No one else mattered anyway.

I was going to die anyway. The least I could do was take something for myself, even if it was only this one drink.

After a tense standoff, he finally lifted the glass.

My heart raced so quickly that it made me uneasy. I looked at him and said softly, "Hold me."

He stared at me like I was a hopeless lunatic, but in the end, he still let me lean against him.

The moment we touched, I almost wanted to laugh.

In the end, I did manage to share a drink with him, even if this moment was stolen and meant I would die right after.

I tilted my head back and finished my drink in one go.

The wine was so sweet that it almost choked me up.

He drank as well. I saw it clearly.

Suddenly, I realized this trip was totally worth it.

He threw the glass onto the table with a sharp clink. "Happy now?"

I wiped my lips and smiled at him. "Yes, I am. You may go back to your queen now."

He seemed to have reached the end of his patience. When he spoke, his voice was low and cutting. "Get lost."

"Sure," I replied lightly, as though I had truly let him go.

What he didn't know was that after drinking that poisoned wine, my tongue had begun to go numb.

I took a step back, but suddenly couldn't help feeling a bit reluctant to leave, so I took another look at him. "You look really good tonight."

The ease with which I said it startled me.

I didn't think I'd still be able to say something like that at this point.

Julian frowned, not trying to hide the annoyance in his eyes.

I didn't want to look at him anymore. I picked up the empty wine bottle and walked toward the door.

When I reached the door, I turned back and gave him a playful wink. "Julian, happy wedding."

Then I left.

I walked the entire way steadily. At least, I appeared steady. It was not until I stepped out of the chamber and the cold air struck me that the bitter sweetness surged up in my throat.

Daisy hurried over to support me.

I waved her off, telling her to calm down.

There was no need. She couldn't speak anyway.

Her eyes were already red, and her hands trembled as though she might break into tears at any moment.

"Don't look at me like that," I said, leaning against her with a low laugh. "I made quite an impression tonight, didn't I?"

That only made her feel worse. Her hands were shaking more.

I stopped joking with her because the poison was already kicking in. The pain spread slowly from my throat to my chest, then through my entire body, sharp and relentless, as if something were cutting into me from within.

Only then did I realize that no matter how much honey had been added, death would never taste sweet.

*****

By the time I got back, it was already dark.

Fireworks were still going off in the distance. Everything was lively out there.

As soon as I got inside, I couldn't hold it anymore and coughed up blood onto the floor.

Daisy rushed to support me, but my eyes remained fixed on the blood.

For some reason, the color of it struck me as strangely beautiful, fitting the night all too well.

When she finally got me onto the bed, the dizziness had already taken hold.

She panicked and turned to go call for help, but I grabbed her wrist before she could move.

She looked back at me, and tears welled up in her eyes.

I was going to tell her to forget it. There was nothing left for me anyway, but when I spoke, I said something else. "Go get him."

Daisy froze.

I was also caught off guard, like I hadn't expected that I'd still want to see him at the end.

How undignified of me.

I closed my eyes briefly, forcing that weakness down and masking it with composure. "Tell him I will not cause trouble again. Ask him to come see me one last time."

Daisy bit down hard on her lips, nodded, and ran out.

The door shut again. The room fell into silence, leaving only the lonely glow of the lamp and my increasingly uneven breathing.

I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and suddenly felt very tired.

I always felt like I had a lot to say to him. I liked arguing with him, pushing his buttons, making him uncomfortable, but now that I was about to die, I didn't feel like saying anything at all.

All I wanted was to see him once more. I wanted to know whether he would come. I wanted to know if everything I had done could earn the smallest trace of his attention.

Time slipped by slowly as the poison tore through my body.

I clenched my teeth and endured for as long as I could, but in the end, the pain forced me to curl in on myself. I gripped the sheets tightly, my breathing trembling with each strained breath.

I suddenly felt a little sad.

This was all my decision. I planned everything tonight, and I drank that glass on my own, but I still couldn't stop hoping he'd come. A single nice word from him would have been enough to ease me into death.

I waited for what felt like a lifetime, and still, the door remained closed.

I stared at the door and suddenly laughed.

Of course. He should be with the queen now.

What was I, after all? Nothing more than a disturbance on his wedding night.

At that realization, the pain seemed to lessen.

It was not that the pain had faded. It was simply that I felt numb inside.

I slowly loosened my grip and stared up at the ceiling, letting out a faint breath. "Liar."

I didn't know if I was talking about him or myself.

The light flickered, and my vision blurred with it. Then everything slowly went dark.

Right before I blacked out, I had one ridiculous thought left.

Julian probably still thought I was acting out again tonight.