Red String (Series #1) \\ Ateez ✔

xi. retrouvailles

"My Lady," An old servant greeted me, her grey hair curtained her face as she lowered her head in courtesy.

"Are you the Second Prince's Nurse?" I beamed at her and she gently nodded her head. Starting there, I questioned her about the name of the poison and how he got this. But to my avail, she is oblivious about it too. I accepted the tea she offered me and dismissed her before I entered his room again.

My hands reached to open his chambers, yet I was too engrossed in my thoughts that knocking did not even occupy my mind.

And what welcomed me inside, surely bewildered me.

The Second Prince was facing away from me, topless as he sat on his bed. For a split second, I surveyed the inclinations of his toned back and broad shoulders, enticing me before I snapped back to my senses.

The instant he sensed someone has entered his space he perked up and grabbed the hilt of his sword, yet briefly stopped when he caught a glimpse of me.

"You have knuckles, knock." His jaw visibly moved side by side. His body is now standing up and facing me, the outline and silhouette of his body was beckoning to my very eyes. But that's not my current business- I am his doctor.

"I apologize your highness," I slowly walked toward his desk and placed the tea. Shifting my body to face him, I paused when I caught a glimpse of a poison marking on his muscled biceps.

Immersed, I didn't know I was already a step away from him when I was about to touch it.

He grabbed my wrist, almost flinching when he probably sensed how cold my wrist was. His gaze glowered at me with a raised brow, questioning my gesture.

"It was a venomous scorpion that stung you." I pointed out, unmoved by his vexation. "Right?"

This time an emotion cracked on his blank face, surprise tainting his features. He gradually released his hand on my wrist and looked at me with furrowed brows.

"How did you know that?"

"Im a poison expert." I stated the obvious.

"I met hundreds of poison experts," He coldly stated, his ominous eyes shifted on being bereft of emotion. "They never figured out it was a scorpion."

I shrugged at that, what am I supposed to do about that? My knowledge of poisons is vast and I had no choice but to figure out everything myself. Word-for-word he will not say anything unless you solve the puzzle yourself.

"Can you sit down?" I spoke, and he arrogantly faced me with his back, clothe himself, and sat down on his desk.

"The venom of a four-tailed scorpion can stay with you for a lifetime, if not treated." I was back to my professional stance as I defined. He was staring into a space ahead, silent. But I know he is listening.

"It can cause severe fevers every once in a while, so I assume every month?"

"Three months," He clarified.

"The remedies may help you survive the fevers throughout these fifteen years but they cannot completely remove the poison from your system." I explained further before I finally took out a small notebook in my pouch. My gaze tilted up and met his ominous eyes, my lips forming into one, mischievous smirk.