Garden Of Poison

Upon the arrival of the much-anticipated Hallow’s Day, the castle had been meticulously prepared down to the finest details, including the placement of flowers in the vases and the positioning of candles placed within the chandeliers, which were to be ignited later in the evening when the celebration commenced. Distinguished guests from far-away places had already begun to make their entrance in their fancy carriages.

Emily stood in front of one of the castle’s windows, watching as people arrived.

"Only three in the afternoon, and the guests are quickly filling in," Lady Sophia stated as she stood by the other window in the corridor. "It looks like many prominent families will be in attendance. Where is King Raylen?"

"How would I know?" Emily murmured.

"Yes, how would you know?" Lady Sophia responded. Earlier, when they had arrived in the dining room that morning, Lauren had informed them that Raylen wouldn’t be joining them as he had left early for some work.

Emily noticed her mother craning her neck as she attempted to catch a glimpse of the guests. Curious, Emily inquired, "What are you looking at?"

Lady Sophia murmured, "I thought I saw a decent-looking gentleman."

Emily looked surprised and asked, "Did someone catch your fancy, Mother?" To think that the Storm Kingdom’s atmosphere would change her mother’s mindset, she pondered silently.

"Not for me." Lady Sophia grimaced. "It is for you. Considering you have broken things off with Mr. Ardolf, even though there wasn’t anything to break. Nevertheless, I thought it would be wise to seek out a suitable suitor for you. Imagine having to spend the evening alone?"

Emily stared at her mother, because wasn’t that what she was going to do this evening?

"I’ll go and greet the acquaintances I know," her mother said, exiting the corridor.