Chapter 3 Visiting turns into Poisoning

As Celine was helped by Derrick off the carriage she noticed something was off. She looked at Camila who's averted gaze and her father's nervous glance caused her to suspect something. Suddenly, Derrick cleared his throat and approached Duke Ferdinand.

"Is my dear fiancee's, items are packed and prepared?" Derrick looks at the Duke who was still in a cold sweat. Camila shifted her stance to a defense one when she heared the word "Fiancee" She wanted that title to be hers, as she gripped her dress.

"W-Why of course your highness...The servants will load everything into the carriages. In the meanwhile why don't we have tea...My young daughter Camila will prepare the tea and bring the desserts..." as the Duke led Derrick and Celine to the garden outside the mansion.

As Celine and Derrick sit down the Duke leaves to the kitchen with Camila. As the Duke whispers in Camila's ear and hands her a packet, Derrick notices. Derrick leans close to Celine he noticed her eyes were fixated on the pair.

"They are up to something." said Celine as her face scrunched up into a look of disdain.

Derrick looked at Celine with admiration, not even Queen Lilith was this observant or intelligent. He felt that Celine was a better at these things or it's how her survival instincts in the Duke's mansion caused her to be this observant.

A little while later, Camila comes back with the tray of tea and pastries.

"Oh, your highness, you should try my lovely tea cakes." said Camila as she smiling as she put the cakes in front of Derrick. Derrick frowned and picked up a tea cake.

"Sister, I never knew you can bake usually you would love to make only your favorite things...reluctantly I showed you how to make Tea cakes..." Said Celine as she examined the cookies closely.

"Your recipe is usually the best sister!" said Camila as she laughed nervously and sit next to Derrick who in return scoot over to Celine.

Camila notices that Celine and Derrick were not eating and so she added a little more powder to the tea pot. Celine notices then smirked.

"Oh sister, let me pour you some tea, I will pour myself a cup, too!" said Celine as she took the initative.

"N-No, I'm good sister, father made me prepare this for you!" said Camila with a nervous smile.

"Nonsense, besides if you don't drink you'll be accused of trying to poison royalty...Even if we are family...off with your head if you harm me or his highness..." said Celine holding the cup up to her lips briefly with a smirk.

The color drained from Camila but she kept her cool. "No, sister of course I didn't add poison. I knew I'll be beheaded, if I did." Camila said as she smiled up at Derrick who was too busy admiring Celine.

Camila grit her teeth as she was being failed to be acknowledged. Her nervousesness was overcome by rage and envy. Camila watch Celine drink but Derrick stared intensely at the drink.

Suddenly, Celine was feeling a little warm a bit warmer then usually, actually. Celine eyes widened as she recalled the maid that was being feed the bowl of sedatives. Camila was using the same sedatives and enhancements in the tea and cakes.

Celine suddenly stands up and Derrick slowly gets up and catches her before she faints for a second. "Quick, summon the royal doctor!" as he turned to Melina and Merina who both nodded.

Celine realized if Derrick leaves her alone, she'll be in trouble so she clutches to him.

"L-Lets...go home!" Exclaimed Celine as she looked up at Derrick. Her face was flushed and her lips pursed for air.

Derrick noticed and quickly carried Celine inside the Manor then he noticed black veins spreading on her neck to her chest as she gasp for air. "Summon the Duke and everyone in the mansion!" yelled Derrick.

"...!" Camila never thought the King will worry about Celine like he did about his other concubines. What made Celine so special?

The Duke come in false shock and walked over to Celine.

"Oh, my dearest daughter who did this?!" stated the Duke as he reached for Celine's hand as Derrick smacked it away.

"Your youngest daughter, poisoned my fiancee!" said Derrick as he is brought the teapot from outside. "The royal physician is on his way here, start confessing and I'll show mercy!"

Camila trembled as she was about to fall to the floor a maid takes the blame. "Your highness it was me who put the poison in the water while the tea was boiling, young madame doesn't know about this!"

Derrick stared at the father and daughter pair knowing he can see through their evil plan. Camila steps in and put up an act.

"You bold servant you almost poisoned the King and my dear sister! Reveal the antidote!" claimed Camila as she slapped the maid.

"I don't know! " Exclaimed the Maid as she spat up blood from the hit.

"How dare you." Derrick's voice ranged softly as Camila stopped slapping the maid and tensed up.

"How dare you, pass your act that you failed to conceal, on a maid! A random maid who you want to take the fall! Quick men! Imprison Camila Reyn Ferdinand and torment her if she doesn't provide the cure!" Derrick words stabbed at Camila as she was carried away she starts panicking as she screamed out the cure.

"Glass Lotus! Your highness, it's the Glass Lotus!"

"Glass Lotus!"

Camila voice faded as she is dragged away and the Duke quickly kneeled for Camila's sake.

"Your highness please reconsider my youngest daughter punishment, Camila is young and stupid!" said the Duke as he dare not look Derrick in the eyes.

"She clearly knew what she was doing." with clenched teeth as he watched Celine's reaction. Merina ran towards his majesty side and kneel for a report.

"Your highness the Royal physician is attending to Fantasia's headaches and soon have to cure the former Queen's convulsions."

Merina kneeled as she told every detailed. Derrick picked up Celine and walked away from the father and daughter pair, kneeling before them. Celine face was visibly flushed and her mouth agape of her labor breathing.

"When we get to the palace, with draw the Physician when he is done giving the former Queen her medication and diagnosis.

Derrick climbed into the carriage and placed Celine on the bench across from where she was sitting earlier, the carriage bench was big enough for her to sleep on.

As the carriage drove off Derrick kept wiping the sweat from Celine's forehead.

"Damn it woman! You're not allowed to die on my watch!" Derrick thought to himself as he watched Celine go into a cold sweat then her gasp for air slowly. As soon as the carriage stopped the king frantically made a dash to his bedroom. Celine's gasp for air sound like moans and groans.

"Where is the Royal Physician?!" Derrick yelled as the Physician ran in frantically.

"I heard the Queen-to-be has been poisoned...Let me check her throughly!" said the Physician as he bring out tools one by one. After a through check out the Physician blushed and clear his throat.

"Queen-to-be Celine has been given a sexual enhancement drug and it's just clouding her judgement. The only way to temporarily treat it....-"

The royal physician trails off as Derrick face was red as a tomato.

"Is to have sex..." said Derrick as he looked at Celine slowly.

"If you don't Queen-to-be Celine will die..."

said the Physician as he watched the young king flush as he sat next to Celine.

"What are you waiting for?! Get out!" Exclaimed Derrick as his head raced as all the servants were kicked out.

-In the Isolation Palace-

The former queen Lilith throws a bowl on the floor. As the servants move away from her wrath.

"His majesty really did replaced me...!" said Lilith as she shift her eyes to the hand mirror on her dresser that the young king gave her.

"What does that new bitch, Celine Ferdinand have that I don't?! Sabrina!"

A servant with a green ballerina bun and plain clothes with purple eyes walk up to her highness.

"Sabrina, reporting for duty! Yes, your highness! That bitch, Celine Ferdinand has gain the majesty's favor. She's not pregnant yet, with a royal heir! You still have a chance, have you told him yet?" said Sabrina as she smirked as she bring Lilith her next cup of medication.

"Right, he doesn't. I'll surely give them a surprise soon!" Lilith smirk grows wider then fades when she remembers another rivals presence. "That bitch Fantasia tried to get rid of me. We must keep this child hidden from her or she won't give me a break. If I didn't convulsed I would be dead yesterday morning."

"We must keep faking it until we make it, the King of Fortem, my brother, is coming. We must make him see how pitiful we are. Try to use him to drive either Bitchy Fantasia or Little Miss bitch Celine."

Lilith tucked the mirror away clutching her stomach.

"Besides I have King Derrick's brother as a backer, how do you think I got this pregnancy to go through. Derrick never touched any concubines and never remembers killing them. He usually kills them on their nights of spending time with him. His own mother was killed by him first after a night in the army camps. Why didn't you think they never get their way. But that one, Celine, something is keeping him from killing her. She's too powerful, she needs to go."

Said Lilith as she drink the medicine slowly as she looked up to Sabrina with a smirk of superiority.

"My Brother, will have a new toy to snatch away. Maybe two new toys to snatch."

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