Page 41 of Decoy

Rather than pour the tainted tea into a nearby potted plant which would have been the more sensible option, he took a long sip in an exaggerated show of gallantry. I startled. “What are you doing? Don’tdrinkthat!” I knocked the cup from his hands, staining the rug at our feet in a pool of amber liquid. The spectacle drew the notice of not only a nearby maid but several members of the court.

Luke remained unfazed by the heated attention. “Forgive me for the disturbance caused by my clumsiness.”

The court watched us a moment longer before returning to their shallow gossip. I used the time to study him for any sign of the poison’s effects at work, leaning forward the moment the maid cleared up the last of the broken porcelain and took her leave. “Are you alright?”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “You’re not worried, are you princess?”

“Of course not,” I managed breathlessly.

“You likely care for me more than you want to admit, else you wouldn’t have tried to knock away my poisoned cup.”

“Clearly you yourself aren’t as indifferent as you’d like me to believe, else you wouldn’t have drunk it on my behalf.”

He shrugged. “It’d be a shame to end our partnership so prematurely.” But a deeper emotion filled his eyes, a reflection of the true feelings he heavily guarded behind the barrier protecting his secrets.

Confusion muddled any further explanation on my part, my reluctance to admit just how concerned about him I’d truly been. Inexplicable panic still pounded my heart at the thought of Luke being poisoned.Why would he go to such extreme lengths as to drink tainted tea…other than to show off?

While I mulled over the riddle, Luke took it upon himself to study the poison within the teapot for potential clues. “This particular variant of asphyx is known to grow in barren desert regions, similar to the landscape found in—” His gaze flickered to Prince Castiel of Thorndale, sitting only a few seats away fully within reach of the tainted teapot. “Perhaps as our resident poison expert you’d like to offer your own opinion.”

I accepted the pot to examine the tea myself. Beneath the sweet scent of chamomile I detected a faint, bitter odor common for asphyx. When I dipped the tip of my pinky into the lukewarm liquid, I noticed that the tea also possessed an almost gritty consistency, identifying it as a variation of asphyx that grew in hot and dry climates…such as the kingdom in which the nearby prince resided.

“Prince Castiel seems to have had the best opportunity to plant such a poison,” I observed. “He could have easily slipped it inside under the guise of pouring his own cup.”

That fact alone should have given me reason to suspect him, but instead it had the opposite effect. Though serious and brooding, the prince possessed an air of intelligence that made it unlikely he’d make such an amateurish mistake.

“However, even with this evidence, I’m not inclined to suspect him.”

Luke’s expression grew thoughtful. “Such a solution is too simple. It also seems a bit too coincidental that the assailant conveniently waited for you to be sitting beside someone who could easily detect such a common poison, giving me reason to wonder if this was more than an assassination attempt.”

I understood his veiled meaning—if Prince Castiel wasn’t the culprit, then the real perpetrator wished to cast suspicion on either him or the kingdom of Thorndale as a whole…or they wanted to give me reason to suspect Luke himself, whose proximity and knowledge of poisons would make it easy for him to have attempted to frame the Thorndalian prince. Regardless of which conclusion we settled upon, I’d emerged with a new suspect whom it’d be prudent to at least investigate.

“Would you like me to look into it?” By his earnestness, I knew Luke was asking for more than whether I wanted to accept his help in this matter; he was seeking my trust.

I evenly met his gaze. “Please do.”

He smiled to himself, clearly pleased. “Perhaps I should invite him to examine that war painting in a tucked-away alcove, since that method of extracting information was thoroughly effective the first time.”

I scowled. “It might have worked if your own arrival hadn’t scared him away.”

“Even if I hadn’t interrupted, I doubt he’d have risked killing you in the very place many witnesses likely overheard you telling him about…me included.”

“Spoken by the man who attempted to poison me in front of the entire court,” I retorted sourly.

“Yes, but no one caught me…unlike yourself.”

I rolled my eyes. “In truth, when you arrived at the alcove I initially thought Thorndale had hired you.”

His mouth twisted. “My mission was given to me by someone far more formidable than even that infamous kingdom. But it’s good for you to be suspicious, though you’re too obvious about those suspicions—I’m the last person you should share them with.” Upon noticing my dejected manner, his expression softened. “I’m sure you’ll get better at investigating in time, especially while under my brilliant tutelage. And even if you don’t you still have me.”

“It appears you’re actually enjoying our partnership.”

“Already it’s admittedly been far more interesting than I expected.” His blush seemed to convey more than his words.

“If you’re investigating Thorndale, perhaps I should keep my focus on you, considering there’s still a possibility you planted a poison you possess an immunity to in order to strengthen my trust.”

He nodded, more in approval than in admission. “It’s wise to consider every possibility. Our temporary partnership gives you no reason to lower your guard. I do feel it prudent to remind you that since Iamthe one who warned you about your tainted tea, I unfortunately cannot claim credit for tonight’s poor assassination attempt.”

“You don’t seem humble enough not to desire at least partial credit for tonight’s events, considering you saved me. What did it take for you to develop immunity to such a toxic poison?”

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