Chapter 93
Iris
I headed straight to the kitchen the moment I stepped into the pack house with the maids scurrying around to find out what they could help me with.
At least, they weren’t gossiping thoughtlessly when I met them, but I couldn’t care less.
I put up an unsmiling facade and stopped at the counter. “Maria, get me the passionflower herb and Kiwi fruit I need to make juice with it,” I ordered.
She stared at me like I’d developed two heads but when she saw that I wasn’t going to repeat myself twice, she bowed and did as I ordered.
As I was returning to the pack house while pondering on how to get the antidote across to Gradel without raising any suspicion, a strange idea dropped in my mind.
My only wish was to execute my plan perfectly.
Some minutes later, two bottles of the fruit drink were prepared and I took them to my room. Hazel was seated on the bed, her eyes trained on the book before her.
“Hi, friend,” I greeted, excited to see her in a better position. “When did you wake up?”
She dropped the book and flashed a smile at me. “Not too long ago and I feel so strong. The aches have disappeared and it seemed like nothing happened,” She explained.
“Oh, that’s good news,” I dropped the bottles on the table and crashed onto the bed in exhaustion.
Today was more stressful than I’d have imagined. From meeting with Silas to fighting for survival, I needed a breather, but I couldn’t offload all that depressing news on her so I opted for the safer option.
“I have something to tell you,” I sighed.
Her eyes lit up with anticipation. “Spill the tea, please. I’m all ears,” She pressed, impatiently.
I rolled my eyes, secretly happy that my friend had returned to her normal self. The both of us couldn’t be going through a dark phase at the same time.
“I found Hegar and he wants to see you,” I informed her.
Her lips parted slightly and she jumped on me. “He wants to see me? Where? When? Tell me, what should I wear to see him?” She beamed.
Sadly, I’d have to water down her excitement.
“The both of you will see each other but not now. We’re being watched and if anyone knows that Hegar is alive, he won’t be safe anymore. Elda wants him dead because he refused to defect to his camp,”
The light was snuffed out of her eyes and her shoulders slumped in resignation. “Well, I understand. I can’t risk his safety because of my selfish desires…”
“No. Don’t say that. Your wishes are valid and he wants to be with you as much as you want to be with him. What I need from you right now is patience and your support because it won’t be easy from henceforth. Also, avoid Elda at all costs,” I got up from the bed and strode to the bathroom.
Her eyes darted around in confusion. “I should avoid Elda? Why?”
I turned the doorknob and shrugged. “Just do as I say, please.”
********
Darkness had fallen completely and it was just the perfect time for me to spring into action. After ascertaining that Hazel was fast asleep, I tossed on a red lingerie which Gradel liked to see me on and covered up with a black robe-long and furry.
Taking a stroll in the night wasn’t strange as the guards were used to me having sleepless nights and disturbing them with my endless pacing, but tonight was different. I’d be doing more than just taking an ordinary stroll in the garden.
After tucking away the bottles firmly within my robe, I covered my head with a veil and tip-toed to the door. Fortunately, I was able to leave the room without making any noise.
Standing before the guard who kept gazing at me with a questioning look, I almost lost my poise.
“Hi, how are you doing?” I asked softly, ensuring that my voice remained low.
“Good evening, Luna. What brings you here at such an ungodly hour? You should be resting right now,” He tried to sound polite, still he couldn’t mask the distrustful look in his eyes.
I fiddled with the seam of my veil and batted my lashes. “Can’t the Luna take a stroll anymore? I couldn’t sleep, you know, and then I remembered that you’ve been working so hard to keep this wicked man from escaping and you’re probably lonely so I brought us something to drink,” I said coyly.
I stretched the bottle to him and he furrowed his brows, hesitant to take it from me.
“It will hurt me if you don’t accept this gift. Do you know how hard it was for me to prepare this after going through so much stress today?”
He let out a sigh and reluctantly collected the bottle. “Thank you for this,”
My lips curled into a small smirk and I uncapped my bottle and brought it to my lips to eliminate every doubt he had. “Mmmm, this is delicious,”
Seeing that I’d taken a swig from the bottle, he had no choice but to do the same. He nodded in satisfaction and the tension slowly seeped off him.
“This tastes really good. Thank you for bringing this to me,”
Gotcha! He had fallen into my trap without even realizing it.
“I told you so,” I giggled, watching him sink onto his chair.
While he focused on the drink, my eyes darted to Gradel, who was sleeping on the floor, his back pointing towards me. My anxiety had spiked as I was unsure of how he’d react to my presence but I had to take the bull by the horn.
A few minutes later, a loud snore disrupted my thoughts and my gaze fluttered to the guard who was knocked off, his eyes shut and a drool sliding down his chin.
I tapped him but he didn’t react. He was already fast asleep and that was my chance. So I snatched the key to the entrance from his hand, unlocked it and entered the cell.