The Beautiful Queen's Poison Apple

Three days later, Lotus had been on her way to prepare some healthier snacks she recalled having tried when she was younger.

"According to Epel, apple crisps is just potato chips but made from thin apple slices." Lotus muttered quietly to herself, "According to Raaji, I can change it up with banana slices instead of apples and Gabriel said that there's nothing healthier than a glass of water. Warm water was a luxury in my time, but those guys will have it difficult if they have hot water and cold water at this time will only make them more likely to get sick during their return to the dorm. Guess, there's really nothing I can do to get those two of drink their water... Hm?"

Lotus noticed a strangely small figure and raised a brow only to be curious upon the sight of that small child, that she had taught a lesson a few days prior, sitting in the courtyard looking rather downcast.

"Epel." Lotus called out to him as she approached him.

"Eh? Ah! L-Lotus..." Epel responded with a look of surprise and hesitation as he instantly recalled having not seen her for three days or nights in the dorm lounge prior, "W-What brings you here?"

"I was about to ask you the same." Lotus stood before him in her scarf and mitts in confusion, "Aren't you supposed to be going to your next class? I already saw Jack heading to the next class. That apple... It's a poison apple, right? I see that's what Mister Crewel will be teaching us today."

"Yeah..." Epel muttered hesitantly, "This poison apple I made at my potions class…

It's a deep blue-green color. If it's like this, you can tell it's a poison apple with one look…

The beautiful queen is able to reverse the color of the poison apple back to its original color… To a vivid, beautiful red. The kind of color that makes it look appetizing to anyone. The queen is amazing after all."

"So these things makes you uncomfortable..." Lotus thought for a bit and sighed having recalled the scene of the scheming queen creating a poison apple in her ugly woman form, "There are many other ugly things in life instead of just a poison apple. To create an apple so deceiving only proves that she was not just a pretty flower, but one with her own thorns and will not allow herself to be plucked. Her knowledge and beauty as her strength and weapon. It was no wonder she was able to maintain her position as Queen. Did you know that she had a stepdaughter who also held a beauty that was calm and serene as well? They say it was a pity that she was unable to inherit her step-mother's knowledge for poison and politics could not be compared to after her passing and she ended up requiring a marriage to help stabilize her position."

"Really?" Epel looked up to her in surprise when he heard this.

"Of course." Lotus nodded with a heavy sigh, "When your mother is so talented, it's only natural for others to begin making comparisons even when it could influence the young in the wrong way. Because the Queen was so talented and displayed unrelenting efforts, those who were smart knew who to side for the stability of their country, but, at the same time, they would be hoping that a child of hers would inherit her talent. In the end, the only thing that could be passed down was her efforts. A ruler can not rule a place by themselves. They need to entrust their works onto others and organize these roles to be entrusted upon others. However, like your apple not becoming red, there is always a flaw in life. No matter if you are human or not. As long as your alive, there are always a flaw or that is not being alive. The Queen's flaw was so well-hidden because she had already embraced that flaw the way she saw fit."

"Even the queen would have a flaw?" Epel looked to the apple in surprise.

"To be alive is to make a mistake. However, the only mistake that one can never make possible is to be alive for that is a blessing. Not a flaw or a curse. Such thoughts could only be influenced by those around us." Lotus explained and sighed as she stood up and placed a vial in his hands, "The antidote to the poison apple... If the queen was so perfect, then she must also have known of this flaw and created back up. To know poison, you also need to know medicine. People who create poisons, must also create an antidote in the case that a mistake were to occur. However, everything must have a starting place. I wonder what motivated the Queen to want to learn to create poisons in her life to become to talented? Come over to the Science lab tonight and I might treat you to a sight."

With that, Lotus left the courtyard and made her way to the next courtyard leaving a very baffled looking Epel behind looking from her retreating back down to the antidote of his apple.

From afar, Rook hummed in deep thoughts with a smile after having repeated what she had said.

Vil heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head in dismay, "To be alive is to make a mistake... However, the only mistake that can never be made is to be alive because that is a blessing. Isn't that a little too dramatic?"

"Perhaps. However, what he said is not wrong. He put it in a very philosophical way too." Rook said with a wide smile, "It's only a wonder what it is that he wants to show Monsieur Crabapple..."

"What do you think of him, Rook?" Vil said with a frown, "It is the first that someone else would be unintimidated by me..."

"Lotus Xue..." Rook hummed curiously, "How should I put this... He is like a little fox. He does not enjoy the feeling of warmth and prefers the cold even when it does harm him. However, he can not help it when he is surrounded by the warm of others ambitions and grow soft. But if he so wished he can choose not to be found even in plain sight, like a little fox hiding in the snow. However, he has much experience in life."

"Huh." Vil frowned, "Sounds like he has already left an impact on you. If I had known he was so talented, I would've asked him to manage their ballet training at most."

"So, you're not that upset with him?" Rook looked to him in confusion.

"Huh! I only said I dislike his attitude." Vil responded bluntly, "But, I will not look down upon any of great talents towards beauty. I only trust him because he is loyal to the supervisor. Hmph, in his eyes, we are only the side characters to his main actor. I want you to keep an eye on him."

"Oui, as you wish!" He replied with a wide smile.

.....

That evening, after the practice, Rook was preparing to go to the science lab when he noticed Rook by the door, "You're going out too, Rook?"

"Oui." Rook nodded with a wide smile, "Today, Trey and I would assess the candidates of our dorm. We will need to pick a new president after we leave the dorm by our fourth year."

"Tonight?" Epel looked to him in surprise, "Lotus told me to go to the science lab tonight..."

"Oh, so he invited you?" Rook looked to him in surprise, "Come and I'll bring you over to see."

"Okay!"

By the time they reached the science lab, Epel could see a large number of people surrounding the chemistry tables as Rook raised a brow in confusion at the sight of Crewel who was the supervisor for their club, "What in the world is going on?"

"Rook!" Trey rushed over in his lab coat, "You came here at a good time!"

"Trey?" Rook looked to him in surprise, "Did something unusual happened?"

"You could say that..." Trey sighed and shook his head quietly in confusion, "Just take a look at this."

Taking the piece of paper from his hands, Rook raised a brow in confusion as he looked through it, "These are the list of people for the trial... Poison apple?"

"That's right." Trey nodded and said with a frown, "We thought that someone was going to make one just for nostalgia, but Mister Crewel showed up and told me something else."

"Mister Crewel?" Rook raised a brow, "He usually leaves the club activities to us. What makes it so different this time? ...Non!"

He furrowed his brow in bewilderment and turned to them, "He can't mean-"

Trey nodded, "Lotus is going to recreate the poison apple that the Beautiful Queen was able to create."

"WHAT?!"

They looked to her shocked upon hearing this.