“Your Highness…” Elise quickly lowered her gaze and took a step back.
“You want to tell me what, Lady Elise?” Elijah stood next to Fiona.
“I—” Elise frowned, hesitating. “I—”
“She wanted to say that I faked the poison to gain sympathy…” Fiona said. Almost immediately, Elise lifted her gaze. Fiona was smiling, not at her but toward the Prince. “Do you believe her?” Fiona asked before she batted her eyelid like a fucking dog! Almost immediately, Elise wanted to explode.
Patience, she thought as she looked at the Prince. “Your Highness… I believe Fiona faked being poisoned. I—”
“Do you believe her?” Fiona interrupted Elise. She tilted her head, the smile on her face never wavered.
Seeing how calm Fiona was, Elise frowned. Was Fiona just confident that the Prince would never believe her?
“Who would do something so vile to themselves?” Elijah’s face turned ugly. He held Fiona’s waist and pulled her closer, as if trying to protect her from Elise. “Only you, Lady Elise, would have all the time in the world to be this creative and make stories in your head. Basides, even the palace healers, checked Fiona’s condition and was able to prove that she was indeed poisoned.”
“I—” Elise’s face reddened. What was the Prince implying? Was this the reason Fiona was so confident? Because she knew the Prince would always defend her? “But, Your Highness—”
“Lady Elise…” Elijah said, smiling. “Since you have so much time to think about things like this, why not think about… the envoys instead? Wouldn’t it be good to establish some sort of connection with them? After all, the five great families were called great for a reason.”
Elise’s finger trembled as she pointed at Fiona. “Your Highness,” she said, turning her gaze to Elijah. “Our bodies are designed to resist and heal from any poison. This is the blessing of the goddess. Fiona didn’t need Father’s help to heal herself. She could have done it on her own. She was lying. She faked everything from the start! She must be working with the rogues!”
Fiona snorted, crossing her arms as she leaned slightly against Elijah. “Elise,” Fiona said, “how long have you been studying your ability? Humor me.”
Elise hesitated, thrown off by the sudden question. She frowned as she thought about it. “More than five years,” she said firmly. “Since the day I awakened my ability.”
“More than five years,” Fiona repeated. “Five years of practice and study. And me? What is it, six months? Maybe less since I awakened my ability?” Fiona tilted her head, smiling faintly. “And yet, here we are, having this conversation.”
Elise’s fists tightened at her sides. “That doesn’t matter. If I can heal any poison, so can you. That’s how our blessing works.”
“Can you really heal all poison?” Fiona asked, her expression calm but her gaze piercing. “Are you certain?”
Elise’s chin lifted, her confidence unwavering. “Yes. I can heal any poison. And that means you should be able to as well.”
Fiona smirked. “You’re so naive,” she said. “So sheltered. You truly think that all poisons are the same, that because you’ve healed a handful of them, you’ve mastered them all?”
Elise bristled at the remark. “What are you trying to say?”
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