Atropa Belladonna

~~~二~~~

"Thank you, Your Majesty, I wish for the same," the male replied with a smile as he and the others, except for the Crown Prince with his extremely low tolerance for alcohol, did the same before drinking it all at once.

"Your Majesty," he started with a grin,"I have long heard that the Mogolla Empire was a lavish place with a kind emperor and I can see now that those rumors are indeed true."

The man gave a warm laugh in response to the compliment before he began his meal, allowing the others to start eating as well.

"Diān-er," called the empress, earning the attention of the young woman from her spot to the right of the emperor, "I see that my son has safely delivered the Imperial Crest to you."

"Yes, Your Majesty, though I do have to ask why it was granted to me before my marriage to His Highness," she replied,"I do not belive I am worthy of wearing it just yet since I was not even born into a noble family."

"Nonsense," the older female chuckled as one of the maids refilled her chalice, "Your clan saved us during a time of crisis and you've accomplished many things yourself, how could you say that you aren't worthy of it?"

"Though, I do notice that you've made an addition to the pendant," she continued, causing the Second Prince to inwardly smirk, "Would you mind if I had a closer look?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Diān Qié replied before taking off her necklace and handing it over to the maid the empress had sent over to her.

"This is..." the royal mother started, eyes narrowing a fraction as her red painted nails ran over the purple crystal, "Spirit Jade from Tashya."

All eyes turned to the group of foreigners before their prince let out a chuckle and said, "Young Lady Bai saved me when we first arrived in Dulaman so I gave the Spirit Jade to her in order to repay my debt."

"I hope this doesn't cause any misunderstandings for her," he continued, ignoring the glare sent his way from the young man sitting across the room.

"When explained that way, of course it wouldn't cause any harm to her," the empress replied as she handed the necklace back to the maid to be brought back to the nineteen-year-old, "But Spirit Jade is a treasure of the royal family in Tashya."

"I am curious as to why you would give it away, Your Highness," she continued as the male downed another cup of the wine.

"Your Majesty, in Tashya we believe that the larger the deed deserves a larger reward, so with that in mind I gave the jade to Young Lady Bai," he explained.

The woman could only smile in silence as the noiret sold the lie flawlessly, though she could tell that the mother and son were not completely convinced.

In that moment, she decided that she would tell Zhang the truth if he decided to ask, but it would be a different story if she were approached by the empress.

The older woman had always been trying to win the young assassin's favor since she was a little girl and while while she seemed kind in their interactions, Diān Qié couldn't find it in her to completely trust Long Zhū.

The Imperial Harem was always a battle for power after all, and a noble woman's greatest weapon was her ability to snake her way up the ranks by subtly eliminating those who stood in her way while earning the favor of the public.

It was just one of the many reasons that the ravenette wasn't fully on board with her engagement to the Crown Prince.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to the male she had known since childhood, but she had no clue if he was remotely interested in her if for the sake of the Imperial Decree or at all and she didn't like the thought of it.