Are You Being Treated Well?

The next day

—----～⁠♡～--------

"Is Lord Finnian missing out on his morning training today?" Vivienne asked when the noble lad walked into the room, and he handed her his training gears with a straight face. His humorless eyes always made her sweat, and she had to remind herself for the umpteenth time that the youngest lord only shows affection for his older sister and no one else.

"Is my sister alright?" He asked, in regards to what happened last night. Vivienne said nothing and simply showed him his sister who was sitting at her work table. The lady was currently pouring her brewed poison into a pinky-sized vial, her concentration admirable. When she was done, she covered it up and sighed with a sense of accomplishment.

"Is that the poison?" Finnian's head popped from behind her, his blue eyes glazed with curiosity. Vivienne appeared on the other side, equally fascinated with her lady's work. Esme's proud smile grew, and her weariness from last night's ordeal was momentarily forgotten. Although there were situations and unexpected turns of events, she had managed to complete the poison, a small but significant triumph on her part.

It had taken her all night and some extra hours, but she had finally done it. It was things like this that didn't make her feel worthless as the way Dahmer portrayed her to be.

Vivienne's brows furrowed as she inquired. "Does it work, Milady?" Her index finger rested thoughtfully on her cheek, "We can't test it on someone within the household…. Can we?" Her words trailed off, as if she was hesitant to consider the implications.

"We can test it on brother Dahmer when he isn't looking." Finnian didn't hesitate to use his older brother as the scapegoat, his gaze lingering on the vial containing clear liquid. He wondered how his sister was able to turn all that into water, or liquid poison if he were to be more specifically clear with what he was implying.

Not surprisingly, Vivienne was the only one to panic, and her disagreement concerning his choice was palpable. He raised an annoyed eyebrow as she kept rattling on about what would happen if his brother found out, but before he could say anything to silence his sister's talkative maid, he gasped when he saw Esme do the unthinkable.

While they were arguing, Esme wasn't the least bothered and proceeded to add a single drop of the poison into a glass of juice that Vivienne kindly brought for her earlier today. The sight of Esme downing the juice in one swift motion made their faces pale apprehensively, and Vivienne screamed.

"AHHHH!!! MILADY WHAT ARE YOU DOING??" Vivienne's voice reached a new octave. Finnian was equally panicking, but Esme was strangely ecstatic. She had willingly drank her own poison and was practically smiling.

"MILADY WANTS TO COMMIT SUICIDE!"

"I'm fetching the healer."

"I'm alright." Esme immediately tried to reassure both her distressed brother and maid. "It was just a small pinch, I need to see the reaction, that's all. I won't die from it. I know exactly what I'm doing. I have the remedy prepared in case the signs start showing, so calm down you two." she gave Finnian a habitual pat on his head before rising to her feet, and she stretched her limbs.

"I'm soooo tired." Esme's exhaustion was palpable as she flopped onto her bed, a massive yawn contorting her face. After pulling an all-nighter just to make her first ever poison, catching a few sleeps would be necessary to recover her lost energy. However, her two companions exchanged disbelieving glances, baffled by her nonchalant attitude towards the poison she willingly took.

If this wasn't suicide attempt, then what was it?

A knock on the door broke the silence in the room, and Esme opened an eye when the voice of a guard followed next. "Lady Esme, the king requests your presence in the garden." He informed, causing Esme's eyes to widen. She immediately sat up and looked down at her dress, only to see she looked unprepared to meet the king.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

After giving her response, the guard left to deliver it to the king. Finnian also left the room to give his sister some privacy, and he headed for his morning practice with his instructor. Vivienne assisted Esme in getting ready, and when she was all dressed up, she escorted Esme out of her room and towards the garden.

As expected, King Lennox was sitting in the gazebo. One long leg was languidly crossed over the other, and his beta was handing him a parchment which he looked into. He was dressed casually in a quality tunic and pants, his curled golden locks swaying with the gentle breeze, and the warm sunlight danced across his features, highlighting the strong lines of his handsome face.

When his amber eyes shifted to Esmeray's approaching figure, he handed the papers to his beta, whose 'why am I even here?' expression gave away his thoughts. Esme and Vivienne executed a respectful bow, offering their greetings to the king. Lennox simply waved his hand dismissively at his beta.

"Let's go for a walk."

While the two of them took a stroll around, Vivienne and the king's beta, also known as the king's special advisor, waited behind at the gazebo. She casted a fleeting glance at the young man, who had an unreadable expression on his rather handsome face, but his upright stance made her feel quite uncomfortable.

His jet-black hair was neatly styled and groomed, and his eyes were gray in color. His skin was a neutral shade, and he had a tall, lean, athletic build that only added to his undeniable allure, making him a striking young man who seemed almost too handsome to be taken seriously as a trusted advisor. Vivienne couldn't help but estimate his age as a few years younger than her, probably the same age as her lady, yet his aura belied his apparent youth.

When his gray orbs slid to the end of his eyelids to look at Vivienne, she hastily averted her gaze and sought refuge in her surroundings, all the while praying he hadn't noticed her fleeting admiration.

Meanwhile, Esme and the king had taken a leisure stroll around the lush garden. The two of them remained silent during the walk, but Esme wondered if she could start a conversation with him. Even if she chooses to break the silence between them, what topic would she broach that would be worthy of the king's attention?

"Esmeray."

"Hm?" Her eyes immediately darted towards the king when he uttered her name. The gentleness in his voice was what always caught her off-guard, because how can one's voice sound so naturally calm and soothing?

"Do you still remember those visits to the palace with your father?" He asked, and Esme shook her head in return. He didn't seem surprised at the thought that she doesn't remember, until he continued. "It's unlikely for you to recall, you were still little back then. Whenever you visited with your father, you'd slip away to my chambers, and you'd spend the rest of the day playing with my toys. Back then, I always wondered why you never wanted to play outside, it is a wolf thing to be connected with nature and our surroundings, but you were different, interestingly so." A rich, deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, and Esme's cheeks flushed as he kept telling her about her odd behaviors back then.

"I recall the time you refused to leave the palace, and you even worked up the courage to plead to your father. Your tears were quite convincing, I must admit." His amusement was palpable, and Esme's gaze faltered, her eyes drifting downward as she failed to meet his playful stare.

"Forgive me, your Majesty, but I… I don't recall my childhood very much." Esme was glad she didn't remember it. It'd be more embarrassing for her if she did something out of character. Judging from the king's expression, it relieved her to know that he found their childhood together rather charming.

Since she didn't have a wolf companion, it made her a social outcast amongst her peers. Those who attempted did so out of the desire to curry favors from her father, but after his passing, they saw no use of her and she was deserted. As a result, she had grown accustomed to her own company and lacked communication skills, except with those she felt at ease with, like Finnian, Vivienne and her own father. It was possible, she mused, that her relative comfort around the king was due to their childhood connection, even if she doesn't remember it.

"Esmeray." King Lennox stopped walking, and he turned to Esmeray with a worried frown. "I want you to tell me the truth, and be honest with me about it. Are you fine? Is anything the matter?" he inquired softly, "is there something I should know that's happening and you're not telling me? Why did you look so uncomfortable yesterday, and you accepted my proposal in a rush."

"Well I…"

"Are you being treated well here?" He kept asking, and Esme was too baffled to give a suitable response.