Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165: The Poison Tea Party

The silence in the Throne Room was heavy enough to crush a submarine.

Primrose swallowed the tea.

It didn’t taste like chamomile. It tasted like battery acid mixed with ghost peppers and deep-sea pressure.

For a second, she felt nothing.

Then, her veins turned black.

"Primrose!" Caspian shouted, lunging forward, but Rajah held him back.

"Wait," Rajah growled, his eyes locked on the Fox. "Look at the tail."

Primrose gripped the edge of the table. Her vision blurred. She felt the venom rushing toward her heart, designed to shut down her organs one by one.

But before it could kill her, a cold sensation washed over her spine.

Her new Violet Tail—the Shadow Tail—whipped around and wrapped itself around her waist. It pulsed with a dark, hungry light.

The blackness in Primrose’s veins stopped spreading. It reversed. The venom was being sucked out of her blood and pulled into the tail.

The Violet Tail absorbed the purple glow. It fluffed up, looking shinier and healthier than it had all day.

Primrose blinked. Her vision cleared. She exhaled a small puff of purple steam.

"Spicy," Primrose wheezed, slamming the empty cup down. "Notes of arsenic and... is that lavender?"

Queen Dowager Morana raised an eyebrow. Her expression didn’t change, but her tail flicked with interest.

"Abyssal Nightshade," Morana corrected. "Impressive. Most land-walkers dissolve after the first sip. Your liver must be made of granite."

"I used to drink instant coffee in college," Primrose said, wiping her mouth. "This is nothing. Pour the next one."

"She is biologically defying the laws of toxicology," Cassian whispered, furiously scribbling notes in his waterproof journal. "The Shadow Tail is metabolizing the void-poison as fuel. She is literally eating death."

"Can I try?" Rurik asked, eyeing the teapot. "It looks like grape juice."

"No," Lucien said, grabbing Rurik’s collar. "You will die. And I am not carrying your corpse back to the surface."

"I have a cast-iron stomach!" Rurik argued. "I ate a rock once!"

"And we spent three days at the vet," Leonora reminded him. "Be quiet. She’s drinking round two."

Morana poured the second cup. This time, the liquid wasn’t purple. It was pitch black and swirling with tiny, screaming faces.

"Essence of the Kraken’s Bile," Morana announced. "It induces hallucinations, paralysis, and permanent madness."

"Fun," Primrose deadpanned.

She picked it up. Her hand trembled slightly, but she didn’t hesitate. She chugged it like a shot of bad tequila.

Gulp.

Primrose froze.

Her eyes rolled back in her head. She saw things. She saw the Void. She saw the Boss dancing the Macarena. She saw Caspian wearing a clown nose.

"Prim?" Caspian whispered, terrified.

Primrose shook her head violently, shaking off the hallucination. Her Gold Tail (the Light Tail) flared up, sending a pulse of warm mana through her brain, burning away the madness.

She slammed the cup down.

"That one was sour," Primrose croaked. "Do you have any sugar?"

Morana’s eyes widened slightly. She leaned forward.

"You have the Light of the Sun in your blood," Morana hissed. "And the Shadow of the Void. You are a contradiction, Fox."

"I’m a woman of many talents," Primrose grinned weakly. "Now, hit me with the big one. I want to see my fiancée again before I pass out."

Morana picked up the teapot. She poured the last cup.

It was clear. Completely clear, like water. But it didn’t ripple. It sat in the cup like solid glass.

"The Tear of the First Widow," Morana said softly. "This is not poison. It is pure, concentrated Sorrow. It breaks the will. It shatters the spirit. If you have any doubt in your heart... any fear... this tea will consume you."

Caspian stepped forward. "Mother, stop! That isn’t a test of strength. That is psychological torture!"

"Sit down, Caspian!" Morana snapped, the water around her boiling. "If she is to open the Tomb, she must face the sorrow of the past! She carries Ophelia’s blood! She must carry Ophelia’s regret!"

Primrose looked at the clear liquid.

Sorrow.

She had plenty of that. She missed Earth. She missed her old life. She was terrified she wasn’t good enough to be a mom to these kids.

She picked up the cup.

"Bottoms up," Primrose whispered.

She drank.

Cold.

It was colder than the poison. It felt like sinking to the bottom of the ocean alone.

Primrose felt a wave of crushing sadness. You are failing them. You are just a gamer. You aren’t a hero. You are going to get them all killed.

Tears pricked her eyes. She wanted to curl up and die.

Then, she heard a sound.

Crunch.

She opened her eyes.

Vali was standing next to her. He had snuck past the guards. He was holding a half-eaten granola bar.

"Are you okay, Prim?" Vali asked, offering her the soggy, crumb-covered bar. "You look sad. Chocolate helps."

Primrose looked at the wolf cub. She looked at Caspian, who was ready to fight an entire army for her. She looked at the dads, Silas, Arjun, Jasper, Clover, and Orion.

The sadness didn’t vanish. It just... got crowded out.

There was too much love in her life for the sorrow to take root.

Primrose smiled, tears streaming down her face. She took the granola bar.

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