And her name is…

After Ricard leaves, Noryth kicks the door shut and looks at me and then Wulfric, who I feel behind me as he wraps his arms around my stomach. I push his arms off and stand to the side. His casual behaviour around me is weird, but he doesn’t seem like he poses any threat so it’s low on my priority list right now.

“What was that?” Noryth asks us.

I can’t help but smirk. “Which part? Because I was barely paying attention and I’m honestly confused myself.”

Apparently I’m back to playing stupid because I’m pretty sure I know more of what’s going on than any of them and I can’t wait for someone to slip up at supper.

“I’m with Theo. What are you talking about?” Wulfric questions, moving to my side to pull the shirt away.

“I’ll wash the shirt and sweater,” I offer, taking the shirt from his hands but he looks at me suspiciously.

“It’s not your fault you were stabbed.”

I nod. “I know, but this is a lot of my blood to give anyone.”

“What does that matter?” Noryth retorts, smelling the shirt in my hands like that will answer his question.

“Noryth, have you ever been to one of Kheliq’s parties?” I ask, and he shakes his head. “Have you ever tasted my blood?” Again he shakes his head, but I don’t believe him so I turn to Wulfric.

“Have you?” Wulfric asks again and his brother gawks at him.

“You think if I was lying before I’ll change my answer now?” He returns.

I chuckle. “He has a point, but there’s a way to know for sure.” He raises his brows in alarm and I smirk. “People who have my blood for the first time immediately want more. It can become addictive. Honestly, I wonder often how Kheliq and those closest to him are handling my absence,” I add with a smile.

“Not well,” Wulfric admits and I’m surprised this is the first he’s mentioned it. “Irritable, jumpy, and I think he had a cold for a solid week for no reason. His wife isn’t much better, but she’s rarely seen regularly.” I look at him, my questioning look saying all I need to. “He’s been trying to have an heir for a long time now but they’ve had trouble conceiving. He keeps her in their private wing, afraid she’ll get sick or be harmed. No one outside her personal servants and doctors have seen her in .. as long as I’ve known her. When she has been around she wears a veil and he doesn’t let her touch anyone.”

“Interesting… and how long has he been trying?” I turn away from them to hide my grin and pretend I’m just opening my shirt privately to see the wound.

“What.. Over a year at least. I’m not sure, longer than I’ve been alive. That’s why I ended up there. After there was a miscarriage, I was offered as a surrogate son to maintain the alliance.” Wulfric doesn’t even seem bothered by this fact, and as I watch his face for emotions in any direction he doesn’t even seem to hold any resentment.

I start chewing on my lip in thought. “I’m surprised he’s still with her, even for Sioga that’s a long time to be trying with one partner. .. Has it only been the one woman?”

He shrugs. “He’s obsessed with the bloodline.”

I nearly start laughing, as he’s only answered part of my question,but the clock tolls in the room. We’re all immediately aware that it’s dinner time. I look down at the front of Wulfric’s sweater and see the hole surrounded by blood. It isn’t exactly the image I want to put forward for the conversation I’m going to have with Helion.

“I’m going to go change, don’t start anything without me,” I chirp and head off to my room.

Wulfric is behind me telling me I should go to dinner like that, but that’s not the vibe I wanted to start the meal with. He follows dutifully behind me into my room. I don’t have time for a full shower so I leave the bloody clothes on the counter and wipe the blood from my skin with a wet cloth before getting redressed. I‘m so excited for a little chaos at dinner that I’m nearly skipping down the halls to the dining room with Wulfric laughing as he tries to keep up. Even still we’re the last to arrive and I enter the room looking far too happy and panting slightly.

Others have already started eating and I move to take my seat as I look over the others at the table. Tiago and Nyx have waited for me, but everyone else has a few bites missing except Ealdian. The food looks great as always, and is actually one of my favourites which has me wondering who is trying to suck up to me. A quick look to Ricard and his returning glare says that it’s not him, but Helion looks distant as well. There is no way that them making my favourite tonight is a coincidence but I’m not quite sure what the point is.

I taste the food, spit it out, and then push it away while everyone else is digging in. It’s Nyx who looks at me first, and then she smells her own food and looks back to me. I curiously look around the table to see who is looking at me and their reactions. Ricard is the most confident that his food is fine and continues to eat, despite seeing me, like he’s been working out all day. After a moment of him being fine Noryth starts to eat his again.

I look at Tiago and jut my nose towards his plate in a silent question and he slides it to me. I take a sniff, and then taste the smallest piece of chicken before spitting it into my hand quickly and dropping it on my plate. Now everyone stops and I flick my hand towards the door, closing it with my magic and making them jump.

I look over their plates again. Helion kept eating, along with Ignacio. Ealdian always cuts all his food before eating if he’s brought a book and tonight he has, but I wonder if it was planned. Everyone else is missing a few bites since I sat down, except me… and Wulfric, who is watching me with a pinch between his brows. Before I would have thought it was because he was used to watching me in the cells, or that he doesn’t trust me now that I have so much free-reign, but since our time together my opinion of him is changing.

“What is it?” He asks softly.

“It’s not right.” I return just as softly.

Ricard doesn’t speak softly.

“You’re paranoid,” he returns. “It’s fine. And you lot are just feeding into it. Look-“ he openly pops another large bite into his mouth and swallows it in a way that looks painful. “-it’s fine. It tastes like it always does. She’s trying to cause problems with Noryth and Wulfric here and her shit with Helion.”

“If you’re so sure, take my plate,” I tell him, pushing it further down the table.

He looks at it, revolted. “After you’ve just spit a bite on it? No thanks.”

“Then take mine,” Tiago offers with a smirk.

“Why? I have the exact same thing,” he mumbles around another bite. “She’s a fucking liar. She hid her true self from us and who know what else.”

I push my chair back and stand. “You don’t have to believe me, but I won’t be called a liar. With the shit that I’ve been through you’d be surprised how many lies I’ve actually told. I’ve agreed to more lies for Helion’s court than I have told even you Ricard.”

I turn to leave and I hear another chair scrape behind me as I reach the door.

“Let her go. You don’t taste anything off right? She doesn’t need to eat our free food if she doesn’t want to, the ungrateful wench.” I hear Ricard mutter the words but I barely register them through my need to go.

I can’t very well prove that the nearly tasteless pollen from a very specific purple flower has been dusted over the chicken. Baking it would have eliminated most of the smell, but my sense of smell is much stronger than theirs with my strength returning. Wulfric may be able to smell it, but unless he knows what he’s looking for he wouldn’t notice either.

I hear a loud bang against the table and when I turn I see Ricard’s face in his plate. My laughter is immediate and sudden. I walk back over to the table and stare at the end, with a cheek splitting grin across my face. Unfortunately Vera looks dizzy and I look over to her sympathetically but she’s not looking at me.

“And I’m the liar? So my plate, Tiago’s plate, Ricard’s, and Vera’s… who else isn’t feeling great?” I look around the table and make eye contact with everyone.

“Have I been poisoned?” Vera gasps, giving me a big eyed stare.

“You’ll sleep it off and be fine tomorrow Vera, I’m sorry I didn’t come to dinner sooner but I’m glad you’re not a part of it,” I return, watching her fade as her eyes get heavier and heavier until she’s laying on the table.

A quick look across the table and I see Helion is halfway through his meal with no noticeable affect. Ealdian tosses me a piece of chicken at me and from the smell alone I know it’s been tampered with. Nyx only had a few bites but they must have been the perfectly wrong bites because she slumps onto the table next, pushing her plate ahead as she does. The room is uncomfortably quiet for everyone, but I’m trying to contain my anger as I realize that Noryth and Ignacio also look fine.

Wulfric cuts a bit of his chicken and stands up from the table, coming over to me and holding his fork in front of my face. I smell it, but then I smell it again because I can’t believe it. I go to shove away from him but he wraps an arm around my waist and holds me to him. I feel the tug of his facial hair on the top of my head as he lowers his mouth to my ear.

“What is it?”

“Yours is clean,” I return, the accusation obvious and his arm tightens around me.