The pain and burning pierced through Dannep's skin as she struggled not to scream for help or to play the game Ilyss wanted her to play.
"No, if I call someone she'll use her magic and kill me before I can be heard, come on Dannep give her what she wants," she thought, ready to speak.
But she was stopped by a feeling of fear. Cythian was not there, yet she was worried that if she spoke, the princess would beat her or lock her in the dungeon.
The blood began to fall a little faster while Dannep could barely see; Ilyss's infernal smile irritated her beyond measure.
"Oh… You have 4 minutes left, are you keeping a secret? Is that why you prefer to die?" the queen asked, staring directly into Dannep's eyes.
"I… I met Princess Cythian in… in a river," Dannep finally replied.
"She is not here, Dannep. Now your mistress is this woman in front of you, not Cythian," she thought before continuing.
"I was an orphan and was raised in a Church of Summer Bloom. My sister Layla and I were left alone. Everything was fine, but Layla fell ill and I was forced to look for work," she continued. Even though the burning was horrible, she kept speaking without pauses.
"I went from job to job, searching for something that would pay for her medicine, but she kept getting worse."
"And you're telling me that you magically found Princess Cythian and she gave you a job? It is known that only certain special maids could serve House Viremont."
Ilyss asked, looking at Dannep with a face that showed she did not trust what she was saying.
"I don't know, my lady, she…" The pain had increased drastically and Dannep's words were cut off. She had to hurry.
"One day I was bathing in a river near the church, I ran into Princess Cythian by chance and saw no other alternative but to beg her to give me work."
"You're not lying to me, are you?" the demon queen asked. The pupils of her eyes turned golden while a kind of wild eye formed.
Dannep felt a kind of pressure forcing her to keep speaking, ignoring all the pain.
"She accepted. She said she would give it to me, because she loved seeing me kneel before her. After that I became her personal maid. Although Cythian began using me as her personal outlet doll, mistreating me, she paid for my sister Layla's treatments for two years. Two years that will be completed next month."
Dannep struggled to remain conscious, but her head fell onto the table. She was dying, she knew it.
But when she thought she could not endure any longer, she felt relief in her mouth that then spread throughout her entire body. It was soft, cold, sweet.
When she opened her eyes fully, she saw Ilyss giving her the antidote—but to do so she was kissing her, or rather, giving her the antidote from her own mouth.
Dannep wanted to push her away, but she knew it would be counterproductive, so she waited for Ilyss to pull away on her own.
"Good, that was what I wanted to hear today. Come, let me clean your face." With a genuine smile, Ilyss took one of her cloths and began to clean Dannep.
It was as if the terrifying woman from seconds ago had disappeared, and in her place was the same woman she had dined with. Dannep wanted to leave, but her body was still numb, aftereffects of the poison.
"I'm sorry, sometimes I get carried away. I must admit I was jealous of Cythian and that's why I did this. You won't be upset with me, will you?" Ilyss said with an expression of concern.
"Wait? Did she really do all this out of jealousy? Does she really like me? I thought she just wanted to use me, but she has been kind to me." The thoughts bombarded Dannep's mind, and she simply smiled gently.
"I didn't know, my lady. Forgive me for making you jealous. I promise I won't do it again."
"Yes, Dannep, she's just like Cythian. They only care about what they feel. You are no one in this world, remember your place," she reminded herself, expecting an arrogant response from Ilyss.
"No, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have hurt you. I'll take you to your room, come."
Without waiting for confirmation, Ilyss took Dannep into her arms and carried her straight to her room. The latter chose not to refuse.
It was strange, incredibly strange. Ilyss had apologized. Cythian had never done that in a genuine way. Could it be that Ilyss's feelings were genuine?
Those were some of the doubts Dannep had as she was laid on her bed by the latter.
"Sleep well, until tomorrow," the queen said goodbye as she left the room.
Clack!
"My God, she's an idiot, it's so easy to play with her haha. Princess Cythian finally did something useful—she's left me the perfect toy."
Ilyss said with a sinister smile after leaving Dannep's room, keeping her hand over her mouth so she would not be fully heard.
"I thought she was going to die from the poison. That stupidity about it being only 5 minutes was a lie. That poison would kill anyone in just 20 seconds. I have no doubt, she is that damned man's daughter."
Ilyss went down to the back of the castle. The moon illuminated the scales of her dragon, which was sleeping.
"Show yourself!" the queen shouted into the air.
"I am here, my lady," a voice responded from a tree.
It was a hooded man. He had several daggers at his waist and bore a dragonian symbol on his shoulder.
Luxios, Ilyss's royal assassin.
"I want you to investigate a church and someone in particular," Ilyss said in a cold tone.
"Tell me who, my lady, and I will take care of it," the man replied in the same tone as the queen.
"Dannep, if I want to destroy you, I must make myself the most important thing in your life. I need you to trust me so I can later break you from the inside. Make you lose the will to live and watch you suffer until I am satisfied. This is what you deserve for being that man's daughter."
Ilyss thought to herself before responding.
"Church of Summer Bloom, investigate everything about the sister named Layla."