Chapter 45: Poison....?
Halting at her steps, Samantha’s trembling fingers nervously gripped the edges of her baggy breeches, and the panicked woman failed to make up her mind on whether to stay put or just take the risk and run for her dear life. Her mind was presently a strewed piece, and in the end, she couldn’t move a single step, whilst she remained rooted to her spot like a tree.
With the Courtier coming to stand in front of her, Samantha’s heart palpitated in fear. The Courtier’s stern expression as he looked at her from head to toe made Samantha gulp softly, and she was reminded that she looked nothing like a woman in this disguise, and that included she played her part well to avoid being caught. Lowering her head, she bowed at the Courtier who’s penetrating gaze continued to pierce through the walls of her skin.
"What are you doing here?!" He asked with a tinge of alarm and anger raised in his voice, the harshness of his tone sent multiples of shivers down Samantha’s spine, but she tried her best to stay impossibly still. It was quite normal for him to get suspicious and wary when someone had caught him handing gold coins to a royal subordinate who clearly wasn’t worth all that gold coins, he was probably making sure she didn’t listen to their conversation.
"Can’t you speak!"
He raised his voice that sounded like thunder clapping in her ears, and Samantha immediately made a zip motion to her lips, not daring to make eye contact with him. As frightened as she was by the hostility that emitted from this man, Samantha refused to reveal her fears since Vampires have a special sense for noticing things like that, and her fears could easily reveal what he needed to know.
"What are you doing?" When he raised an enquiring eyebrow in slight confusion at her gesticulation, Samantha came up with an idea and wisely motioned with her hands, claiming to have the inability to speak.
"You..... cannot speak?" The Courtier asked, stunned, and Samantha nodded her head, whilst trying not to sell out her expression. The man’s unbelievable gaze lingered on her for a few minutes, as if silently trying to make up his mind on something, and when he came to a conclusion, he said, but more firmly this time around.
"Everyone else has gone to make preparations for the feast. I have never seen you before, so I must warn, rather than lingering in places you are not meant to be, I suggest you carry on and pretend you’re blind as well. Am I making sense?" The silent warning in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed.
Samantha immediately nodded her head. Noticing the tremor in the subordinates’ body language, the Courtier straightened up his shoulders and cleared his throat.