Page 50 of Emperor of Havoc

It was the note that pushed me from merely fantasizing about it to sneaking down here and actually doing it.

Still mine.

It justgratedon me.

For a second, as I watch him, I remember the numbness and that sense of fear that tingled through me after he fed me the pufferfish—the piece he’d cut himself and purposefully left a tiny bit of skin on, so that I’d feel the effects of the toxin.

The priest pronounces us man and wife. I just stand there, holding back my smug smirk, wondering if Takeshi’s tongue is going numb yet from the pufferfish venom I laced the last cup with.

But then suddenly—he moves.

Before I can react, Takeshi grabs me, his hand firm around my wrist as he pulls me close. His other hand tangles possessively in the back of my hair, grabbing it in a fist as he yanks me to him.

His mouth crashes against mine, hard and unyielding. I’m too stunned to resist, my thoughts spinning as his hand winds through my hair.

And then I taste it.

Sake.

My eyes widen in horror as I realize he’s pushed the poisoned sake into my mouth, forcing me to swallow it before I can pull away. When he finally releases me, I’m gasping for breath, my heart pounding in my chest.

Takeshi’s eyes lock on mine as he leans close, pressing his forehead to mine.“I hope you know your doses, princess,” he growls quietly, his voice dangerous.

Panic floods my veins as I feel the beginnings of a faint tingling on my tongue. Takeshi’s grip on my wrist tightens briefly before he lets go, his expression almost amused as he watches me. Then, slowly, he begins to sway.

“Takeshi…” I try to sign, but my hands feel numb and leaden.

His knees buckle and he drops, the lacquered cup clattering to the ground beside him. The room erupts into a chaotic blur.

The last thing I see before everything goes black is Takeshi’s face, his lips curled into the smallest hint of a savage, dark grin.

14

KATARINA

The voices are muffled:distorted, distant, like I’m underwater. My body feels leaden, as though I’ve been bound in chains, but it runs deeper than that—like there’s something inside me that's keeping me in this melty, dark state.

I try to move my hand to signal that I’m awake, but nothing happens. My body refuses even the smallest twitch of a finger. Panic claws at the edges of my mind, threatening to swallow me whole.

“She’s awake,” a familiar voice says.

Papa. His voice carries its usual weight, but there’s an edge of relief in it. Or maybe anger.

“Katarina.” Nina’s voice, soft and steady. “Can you hear us?”

I want to screamyes,to let them know that I’m listening. But my eyelids only flutter weakly, and even that miniscule acknowledgment feels like a monumental effort.

“Good,” Papa says, his tone getting sharper. “The venom will wear off soon. Just rest.”

Venom. The word pierces through the haze, dragging the events of the ceremony back to the front of my mind. The San-san-kudo. The cups. Takeshi's kiss.

My pulse quickens as I piece it together, the memory of it all crashing over me like a wave.

“Those bastards are going to fucking bleed for this,” Papa snarls from close by in the darkness, his voice colder now. “Sergey Vorobev is a dead man.”

No.

They have it all wrong. But I can’t correct them, can’t tell them it wasmewho laced that last cup, wanting to give Takeshi a taste of his own medicine. And now…

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