Chapter 49

“You seem particularly proud to show me that you can come in and out of this place, even though you say you can’t,” Hazel scoffed, a hint of mockery in her voice. “At least I didn’t beg you to come along, right?”

“Miss Hazel!” Elena exclaimed, exasperation lacing her voice.

“Come on, Cura,” Hazel prodded, her amusement evident.

Cura hesitated, her body trembling with barely suppressed nervousness. Elena scanned the area, spotting the leather gloves Serin used for his work lying on a nearby bench.

“Cura, wait!” Elena called out, rushing towards them. She snatched the gloves before Cura could touch anything.

“What are you doing?” Hazel questioned, a frown creasing her brow.

“Those gloves are essential,” Elena explained. “The poison here spreads on contact, and Cura has no immunity. It could be fatal.”

“Do we really need those cumbersome things just to test the danger?” Hazel scoffed, her amusement replaced by irritation.

“It’s a matter of life and death,” Elena retorted, her voice laced with anger. Tension crackled in the air, her veins throbbed with barely contained rage.

“How dare you raise your voice at me?” Hazel roared.

“Cura’s life is at stake! If she’s harmed, His Grace will not take it lightly,” Elena countered.

Hazel’s jaw clenched tight as she spat out the next words, “Are you threatening me?”

“It’s simply a fact,” Elena explained. “Cura is Sir Serin’s younger sister.”

Hazel scoffed. “A fact? Who cares if something so insignificant dies? I’m the House Blade’s beloved, the Duke’s handpicked fiancée chosen by the Emperor himself. You can’t touch me.”

Elena started to retort, but Hazel cut her off with a dismissive wave. “Ugh, this is dull!” She pivoted towards Carmen.

Without warning, Carmen, who had been silent, reached for Cura’s arm.

“Ack! Let go! Miss Elena!” Cura screamed, her terrified eyes meeting Elena’s. The usual sparkle in them had vanished, replaced by pure fear.

“Quiet! Why are you so slow, Carmen?” Hazel snapped, annoyance growing as Cura resisted.

Impatient, Hazel strode towards them and shoved Cura backwards with a ruthless shove.

Everything unfolded in slow motion. The scene before Elena burned into her memory with unnerving clarity: Cura and Carmen losing their balance, both tumbling towards Vanaichi.

A pained cry escaped Cura’s lips. Carmen, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief, whipped around to face Hazel. How could the woman she devoted herself to just push her into the poison?

Elena’s body reacted before her mind could catch up. One moment she was frozen, the next she was moving.

“Cura!” Elena screamed, shoving Hazel aside with surprising force. She lunged for Cura, grabbing her arm and pulling her back with a desperate yank. Their bodies collided, sending them sprawling backward in a cloud of dust.

Elena landed with a painful thud, the impact radiating from her shoulders to her back. She forced a groan out of her clenched teeth.

“Are you alright?” she gasped, peering down at Cura’s tear-streaked face.

Cura could only manage a shaky nod. Elena gripped her shoulders, helping her up and brushing her frantically. Relief washed over Elena as she saw no signs of the poison spreading – at least not yet.

But that moment was shattered by a new scream. It ripped through the air, sending a jolt of terror through Elena.

She whirled around, her gaze landing on Hazel. The woman stood frozen, her face drained of color yet strangely contemplative. Her eyes were fixed on something beyond them.

Following Hazel’s gaze, Elena’s blood ran cold. Carmen lay crumpled beneath the Vanaichi tree, her body unmoving. But it was the blossoming panic on Carmen’s face that truly sent a spike of dread through Elena.

Carmen screamed, a desperate, choked sound. She clawed at the ground, struggling to rise, but her efforts were in vain.

A horrifying sight met Elena’s eyes. Patches of dark red marred Carmen’s skin – cheeks, ears, neck, hands – a terrifying display of the poison’s rapid spread. Vanaichi flowers, dislodged by Carmen’s fall, lay scattered around her like fallen petals.

“What… what do we do?” Cura stammered, her voice cracking with fear. Tears streamed down her face, mirroring Elena’s own welling panic.

Elena felt a tremor run through her own body. Never had she witnessed the Vanaichi poison spread with such horrifying speed. The sheer virulence chilled her to the bone.

Only now did Elena understand the raw fear that had contorted Serin, Cura, and Kennard’s faces when she had reached for the Vanaichi flowers with her bare hands.

Carmen’s screams tore through the tense silence. “Help me! Save me!”

Without hesitation, Elena scrambled to her feet and grabbed Carmen’s arm. But Carmen was limp, unresponsive to Elena’s touch.

No other option presented itself. Elena carefully wrapped her arms around Carmen’s torso, lowering her gently from the Vanaichi tree. In the process, Elena’s own bare skin brushed and scraped against the poisonous flowers and stems. A searing pain erupted across her exposed flesh, but Elena held on, ignoring the agony.

Dragging the limp, struggling Carmen towards the fountain, Elena frantically brushed away the Vanaichi flowers clinging to her clothes. Gasping for breath, she stole a glance at Carmen’s face. It had already taken on a horrifying shade of crimson. A violent cough racked Carmen’s body, blood staining her lips as her eyelids fluttered closed.

Panic threatened to consume Elena. “We need the knights!” she rasped, her mind a whirlwind of terror.

Almost instinctively, her hand flew to the flute secured around her wrist. 

If only…

Just as Elena raised the flute to her lips, Hazel lunged. Her hand clamped around Elena’s throat, a silent scream escaping Elena’s lips.

Before she could even struggle, Hazel lost her footing. Her calf collided with the fountain’s railing, sending her tumbling into the icy water.

A choked gasp escaped Elena as she hit the water, scrambling to find purchase on the slippery floor. The grip on her throat released momentarily as Hazel stumbled, but the reprieve was short-lived. Hazel, now submerged in the water with Elena, surged back, slamming Elena against the fountain’s wall. Hazel’s grip returned, cold and unforgiving, forcing Elena’s face underwater.

Elena clawed at Hazel’s hands, desperation fueling her strength, but Hazel held firm. The frigid water seeped into Elena’s bones, her lungs burning for air as she choked on the water relentlessly filling her mouth. Her vision blurred, the only things discernible amidst the distorted reflections in the water: the sunlight filtering through the greenhouse and Hazel’s relentless hands constricting her airway.

A strangled cry, “Elena!” pierced the chaos. Through the haze of panic, Elena faintly registered Cura’s desperate scream.

The pressure around her throat abruptly eased. Elena erupted in a series of hacking coughs, her body convulsing as she struggled for air. Reaching blindly, she grasped the cold railing of the fountain, hauling herself upright. The water wasn’t deep, barely reaching her chest as she slumped down, coughing uncontrollably. The frigid water seeped into her bones, threatening to steal her consciousness. Her hair plastered itself to her face and shoulders, but she lacked the strength to brush it away.

Shivering violently, Elena lifted her gaze. There, behind a thrashing Hazel, stood Cura. Her face was pale, her grip on Hazel’s body a desperate struggle for control. The icy water splashed with each of Hazel’s frantic attempts to break free.

“Elena, are you alright?” Cura’s voice, laced with worry, cut through the chaos. Elena managed a weak nod in response.

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been exposed too! How are you fine?” Hazel shrieked, her voice ragged. Gone was her usual composure, replaced by a frantic desperation. Soaked from head to toe, the water clinging to her like a second skin only accentuated the chilling madness burning in her blue eyes. “Answer me! Why are you the only one unaffected?”

Despite the gravity of the situation, the sight of Hazel, consumed by blame and fury, still wanting to blame her, made Elena want to laugh. What could have caused her to be like this? Is it because of me? What did I do?

Elena tore her gaze from Hazel and met the horrifying sight of Carmen. The young woman lay writhing on the ground, her limbs contorting in a violent seizure. Panic clawed at Elena’s throat. Her gaze darted to her wrist where the flute lay, the strap leaving a raised, red welt against her skin.

With trembling hands, she lifted the flute to her lips and blew with all her might. The trilling notes echoed unevenly through the water-filled greenhouse. After what felt like an eternity, Elena slumped against the railing, utterly drained. Disbelief gnawed at her. How had everything spiraled so out of control in a matter of moments?

A flicker of hope ignited within her. The knights would hear the flute, they had to. And then, a deep tremor shook the ground, carrying the unmistakable vibration of countless paw steps approaching at breakneck speed. Even faster than the approaching knights, a wave of pheromones slammed into her, powerful and familiar. Someone she knew all too well, someone she desperately needed right now.

“Please, come quickly,” Elena whispered.

Before she could finish her plea, a deafening crash shattered the tranquil silence. The greenhouse roof exploded inwards, a shower of glittering shards raining down like a macabre jewelry display. Amidst the carnage, a hulking figure emerged – Kennad, transformed into a colossal black wolf.