In the wine bottle, it had been carefully added through a hole in the cork. The cork had then been repaired with no visible difference. The taste of the wine would not be greatly affected, as it had been made so recently.

Judia was confident that she could have slowly seduced him and made him hers without it, but if she had delayed any longer, Herod might have succeeded with the Estian queen. Judia hated to lose to him.

She set the bottle of wine on the table.

“I need a glass…”

Just as she was about to say that she would go and find a cup, Ishakan overturned the deep platter of dates. The fruits scattered across the table, and Ishakan extended the plate across the table to her.

“Serve it,” he ordered.

Judia offered a saccharine smile. His gruff demeanor only made him more attractive. She would love it if he were the same way in bed.

Judia leaned forward to pour the wine, bending so Ishakan could better appreciate the curves of her body. When the deep platter was filled with wine, Ishakan drank it without hesitation, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. Soon, the platter was empty.

Judia bit her lip. It was hard to contain her laughter when she thought that soon this arrogant Kurkan would be on his knees, begging for her love.

She looked at him expectantly. Soon, the potion would take effect.

“……”

But it was strange. Even after quite some time passed, there was no reaction. Those golden eyes were still calm. The storm of passion that Judia had been braced for did not arrive.

Why? She had used this potion many times in the past. She had never had to wait so long for it to take effect. Something was wrong.

As her nervousness increased, a large tanned hand reached to lightly shake the wine bottle. Ishakan’s lips curved as he looked at the liquid remaining in the bottle.

“It’s poisoned.”

Distracted by his golden eyes, Judia was a second late in answering.

“…What?”

Ishakan slowly tipped the bottle over, pouring the wine onto the floor. The sweet smell of the wine filled the air.

“Oh, how did you know–no, it’s obviously the right bottle, it can’t be…”

Ishakan picked up one of the dates lying on the table.

“Does it look like I’m in love?”

“……”

There was nothing she could say. Judia retreated, watching him, and then started as a voice suddenly spoke behind her.

“The Balkat King is going to give this to Leah, too?”

Two Kurkans had appeared behind them. The Kurkan woman’s face was grim.

“I think this is worse than attempting to assassinate her.”

Ishakan laughed.

“Oh, yes,” he agreed. “It is a very serious crime.”

One by one, the Kurkans emerged from the shadows, and the empty inn quickly filled.

Judia’s vision went black at the uncontrollable terror that gripped her. A loud ringing echoed in her ears, and the watching Kurkans chuckled as she trembled.

“Queen of Balkat.” A Kurkan man leaned closer to Judia to ask. “Have you heard what happened to the ones that tried to assassinate our Queen?”

Judia could not answer. Her eyes shifted from side to side, searching for some way to escape. The man frowned.

“You don’t know, right?” He said, regretful. There was a strange sympathy in his voice. “Then you’ll find out soon.”

A piercing scream shook the inn. A second red liquid joined the wine on the floor.

***