Page 24 of Decoy

I stiffened as he lifted my hand to examine the fingertips, self-conscious of the attention it’d bring; the gesture would only increase the whispers already circulating the room that we were a budding couple. My first instinct was to pull away, but I was too startled by my sudden involuntary shudder at the contact to protest.

“As an extra precaution, I put an invisible substance on the doorknob that left a trace on your skin. Notice the slight discoloration near the nail?”

I yanked my hand back to examine them. It was as he said. Blast it all. “One would presume that if I supposedly used a key, of course I touched the doorknob.”

“As for other evidence,” he continued in an exaggerated conversational manner, as if he hadn’t heard me. “Not only did you fail to lock the window after you’d used it, but I saw your skirt whip out of sight just as I came in. You were wearing blue this afternoon, were you not? It appears you possess quite interesting hobbies, Princess.” His grin was triumphant, like an investigator who’d just revealed the final clue to capture his cornered suspect.

It appeared I’d been caught in a trap of my own making. But if he’d seen me, why hadn’t he come after me? He’d undoubtedly found great amusement in knowing I’d wasted much of my afternoon hiding on the roof.

My resulting humiliation aside, he now possessed confirmation that I was suspicious of him and had acted on these misgivings to spy on him, all at the cost of not having anything to show for my efforts. He’d likely remain more on his guard from this point forward, keeping his secrets so close as to be nearly impossible to uncover.

Mere days into my investigation and already I was failing, just as I’d failed my previous mission. Though deep down I knew I had no one but myself to blame for my carelessness, I still felt inclined to lay it at his feet.

He eyed my glare with a knowing look. “You should have known I wouldn’t keep your dagger in so obvious a location as my bedroom; that would only serve as an invitation for you to search it…as if you didn’t already extend one yourself.”

His admission served as an official confession for my sure suspicions that he was the masked man I’d twice encountered prowling the night. He undoubtedly only revealed as much because he was confident he’d already won our game. I could possess all the evidence against him, and with his confidence, it likely wouldn’t make much of a difference.

He chuckled. “Oops, I may have said too much, but I trust you won’t tell.” He pressed his forefinger to his lips. “It appears I caused you considerable stress with my little interrogation. Forgive me, I only meant to have some fun, but I should have kept my suspicions to myself. Perhaps a token in penance?”

He took the nearest teapot, poured us both a cup, and held mine out in silent offering. I watched the curls of steam twisting upwards into the air but, as before, I made no motion to accept it. He waited a polite moment before sighing.

“You’re going to refuse again, aren’t you? You must really not trust me.” He took a sip from his own cup, proof that like all the other refreshments he’d offered, this one too was safe.

“Only your confidence gives you any reason to believe you’re even deserving of it.”

He tilted his head, as if pondering how to approach the puzzle I presented. After a moment he smiled, as if an idea had just occurred to him. “It’s a shame it’s come to this after how close our families have been throughout the generations. Rather than continuing to waste time attempting to earn your good graces, my father and I should instead focus our attention on Their Majesties in hopes of rebuilding the trust we’ve appeared to have lost considering your current suspicions likely came from them.”

Trepidation seized my pounding heart. That would only tip Their Majesties off that my poor investigation had generated suspicion in one of their suspects, which threatened to jeopardize the entire mission…and put me in a most vulnerable position.

I looked back and forth between the cup and him, lingering on the challenge glistening in his eyes, a silent dare for me to accept. With a wavering breath I slowly took it with shaking hands. To my surprise he made no motion to watch me drink, as if it was a perfectly normal cup of tea.

Instead he stood with a bow. “It’s been a pleasure but I must now take my leave. Good day, Princess.”

Tension strained his smile, an apprehension that tainted his usual confidence. He paused in the parlor doorway and turned slightly, as if he meant to glance back…before he hastily left.

I stared after him, startled by the suddenness of his departure, before turning my attention to my cup, warm between my hands, its scented steam pleasant as it tickled my nose. I sniffed it cautiously but detected no unusual scents, simply the tea’s sweet rose and raspberry aroma.

I cycled through several different poisons and compared their symptoms to the auburn liquid, but it appeared to be an entirely ordinary cup of tea. I sighed inwardly, suddenly exhausted from the burden brought by my constant suspicions, no easier to bear now then when I’d first begun carrying them upon my family’s downfall several years ago.

I lifted the cup to my lips and almost took a sip…only to pause upon noticing something. Raising the cup allowed me to better study the rich color of the brew, one slightly more dull than the previous cup I’d poured myself.

Apprehension squeezed my heart as I hastily turned towards Princess Collette as she took Luke’s empty seat. Her eyes widened at my obvious alarm. “Whatever is the matter, Princess Evelyn?”

“I need to see your tea cup,” I urged breathlessly. “Please.”

She obediently handed it to me and I compared them side by side. Sure enough, the color of her tea was richer, the difference subtle but discernible. I carefully went over every poison from my studies again before settling on one listed on a more obscure shelf of knowledge. I dusted off the cobwebs of forgetfulness in order to more closely examine it.

Noxroot, a rare but deadly poison that though odorless and tasteless, could be discerned through a subtle change in the color and consistency of every substance it came into contact with. With liquids, it also often left a slight film behind.

I tilted the cup, just enough to shift the liquid slightly. My heart seized at the faint, rosy film, so faint it barely changed the color of the porcelain but evident enough to identify what tainted my tea.

Noxroot.

For a long moment I could only gape in disbelief. It was one thing to suspect someone and quite another to discover the evidence that those suspicions hadn’t been in vain. The familiar haunting memory from my sojourn within the dungeon returned, the sense of death approaching and only narrowly missing me as it miraculously had the day of my initial appointment with the gallows.

It appeared the scoundrel had tried to poison me after all. Questions whirled on thehowwhen I’d witnessed him drinking from the very same tea. Had he laced my cup with a subtle sleight of hand? My escalating horror shifted to searing fury before a serene sense of calm settled over me, as still as the tea within the cup.

The man had tried to poison me only to fail, a mistake which had tipped his hand that he wasn’t merely toying with me but was out for blood. Whether or not he wastheenemy remained to be determined, but it was clear he was definitely an enemy of some sort.

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