The Eternal Queen

Chapter 21: Ardele

The sun is sun is setting, casting an orange glow into the room. For some reason, the crown prince has decided to do his work in the laboratory next to me. He did so just to spite me, I am sure. Still trying to tame the fire of anger inside, I look through the medicine, mixing many components together. 

For now, I will try to help the king rest as much as possible and as peacefully as possible, using normal medicine techniques until I make my antidote. The king desperately needs sleep if I want to use the antidote on him, because his body needs to be strong for the siren tears to diverge in his system.

The sound of a royal carriage pulls my attention off the medicine before me, and I hear Coralie's voice echoing with annoyance outside. The laboratory windows are open this evening as I am trying to get air circulation in the room, so that it does not smell like odd chemicals and cleaning products every day. Coralie starts to angrily mutter at Nikolai, and I inwardly smile to myself. I am glad she is back. I greatly need some decent company.

The table is a mess, and I move to start cleaning up. I wipe down the countertop, and organize the medicine line up, so that it looks more presentable. Putting my sleeping remedy in a beautiful glass vial, I tightly shut it closed. The medicine textbook is still on the edge of the table, and I put it back onto the huge dusty shelves. 

The crown prince is still lazily leaning on the wall, watching me. Disregarding his gaze, I quickly finish cleaning up. An hour or so has past, and I glance up at him. His eyes are closed now, and he looks peaceful. I can tell he is sleeping by his even breaths. My mouth curves a bit. Too bad I am going to ruin it.

Quietly walking over to him, I bring my hands to him. I want to test if I can absorb some of his mana. Every being has magic in their bodies, but only witches have the ability to wield them. I have never fought against a vampire before. I wonder if sucking his life force up will be the same as other creatures. My fingers start to tingle when I lightly lay them flat on his chest.

"If you wanted to grope me, all you had to do was ask."

Electric shocking both him and I; a loud crack echoes through the room. My mind was frazzled, resulting in an electricity energy. I jolt back, shaking out my hands, and blood rushes to my cheeks in embarrassment. I thought he was asleep! I heard that vampires are deep sleepers. At least, Nora is. Now my hands sting like mad.

He swiftly gathers his things and heads out the laboratory doors. Before fully exiting, he calls over his shoulder.

"Meet me by the castle gates in an hour."

I do not bother replying as I already know I have no choice. He closes the door, and the sound rings through the laboratory. I tuck the sleeping medicine under my arm, along with some books, before heading out myself to my room. But first, I need to make a stop to the king and the queen.

Nikolai untrustingly looks at me when I cross into the royal wing unaccompanied. The maids regard me curiously, light questions fluttering around them. The vials are tucked safely to my chest, and I ignore their subtle glances.

An ominous feeling settles on me when I tell the guards outside to knock on the golden doors. Their spears come crashing down into a cross. They are an intimidating group, strength and justice practically pouring out of them.

The guards closest nods at my presence. "Who are you?"

"I am Miss Ardele. The witch. I am here to give the king some medicine."

The doors open and I silently step inside. The king is still in bedridden, and the queen is sitting at her vanity brushing her hair. Lifting my hand, she nods in acknowledgement, before coming over to me. I hand her all the vials before stepping back and bowing.

"I have medicine that will make him have deeper sleep. There are also some nutrient pills that you can crush into his meals to help nourish him a bit more. I thought it would be best for him to be fully rested and as strong as possible before giving him the antidote with potent ingredients."

The queen places the vials on her vanity.

"Thank you, darling. For your time and your kindness."

I nod. "It is nothing. I have to get going, your majesty. Have a goodnight."

"Yes, yes. Thank you, Miss Ardele."

With a wave, I exit the room quietly. The heavy doors close behind me, and I breeze past the guards. I glance down at the watch on my wrist, and I have some time to grab my cloak before meeting the crown prince by the gates.

Running up the stairs to the east wing, I past Coralie carrying a tray of tea and other goodies. She watches in amusement as I whirl around her, taking a violet grape from a plate and plopping it into my mouth.

"Where are you going?" she calls out after me.

"I will be back soon," I reply, hearing her snicker.