"Your highness, I didn't! I swear on my life I never placed anything in the lady's drink or meal. I don't like her but I most certainly would not do anything to harm a noble such as her, who is also the prince's fiancee!"

Leon cried and defended himself, denying anything Casimir was accusing him of.

"But your highness! Should you really be believing whatever the Lady Adira tells you? Aren't you even doubtful of her? How can she blame it all on me? Just because I kept her company in your absence!

Do you even know what she does to other nobles? She hurts them your highness! Lady Latifolia's injury is proof of that!"

Leon felt very cheated and aggrieved. He really believed that the prince was a more objective person, a prince who doesn't allow his emotions to sway his decisions. But he just proved him wrong.

While Casimir felt rage surging deep inside him as he listened to Leon's baseless accusations that most probably all came from one person.

The instigator who kept ruining Adira's reputation in the nobles' eyes and most probably even those ordinary citizens.

"Adira never blamed you, Leon. Also, about that Latifolia's injury, I can assure you that it wasn't Adira who harmed her.

We've been together since we last saw that woman perfectly fine and spotless. So be careful who you accuse, Leon." Casimir answered, planning to keep his words brief and concise but no.

It seems he needs to spell it out for Leon who has been ensnared by some kind of serpent's whispers.

Cause, how dare he doubt Adira and even slander her right under his nose?

You dare court death?

"That night, I had concluded three possible scenarios. One was, someone, a noble among the guests, was carrying the drug. But after searching through everyone, the knights found nothing.

Two, I thought if no one carried the drug, how else was it possible to smuggle the substance inside the palace without alerting the guards? It could only be if it was already grounded to powder form and coated in the lips.

Third, since no one showed a reaction, it could be coated on the one place it could be easily transmitted to the intended target—the hands."

Casimir explained his thoughts that night when he looked for the culprit and prematurely ended the party right then and there.

Leon's mouth was open and his eyes as wide as saucers, wanting to retort when everything clicked in place. Someone had used him!

The real person behind this chaos actually dared use him! And he foolishly followed along the mastermind's plan!

It all made sense now! When he went and greeted Adira, he held her hands to kiss it. Then the Lady Adira saw the prince and the Lady Latifolia dancing and thinking that she was upset, he gave her some sweets to distract her.

Because even if he didn't like her, he didn't necessarily hate her then and wanted to somehow distract her a bit.

And then, the lady had a chocolate stain on the corner of her lips and he kindly pointed it out for her. She wiped it off and licked her finger, which was possibly already coated with the aphrodisiac's powder!

Leon suddenly felt all strength leave his body as his knees buckled and he fell on all fours, already realizing what happened.

You idiot! How much of a fool can you be?! To allow yourself to be used like that?! Damn!

Problem now was, he couldn't remember where he got the powder from!

"Looking at your reaction, I guess you really didn't mean to harm me, huh? It's all good then." He heard Adira speak lightly and sighed in relief, as if she wasn't the one who was drugged or at the center of all this mess.

Casimir and Leon both shot her a look—pure bewilderment. Albeit Leon's had a smidge of doubt and Casimir's upset.

"What? As long as I know Lord Raiona didn't mean to harm me then it's fine." Adira answered and shrugged her shoulders.

She had been too nervous thinking how she got on his bad side unknowingly when she's supposed to be gathering their loyalty for when she takes the throne with Casimir.

"Isn't it a happy thing that the person you trusted in the end didn't really betray you? That's what's important for me."

Casimir couldn't say anything anymore if the person involved herself could forgive him this easily. He also couldn't refuse that brilliance in her ash-grey eyes so he could only sigh.

He gestured towards Leon to stand up straight and the latter followed immediately. He still couldn't believe he was pardoned as easily as that without any kind of punishment so he was very edgy.

Casimir stood up after Leon did and approached him.

"Thanks for the treat. I wanted to tell you that once I caught you." Casimir whispered, careful that Adira wouldn't hear him before he drew his arms back and swung it so hard Leon flew all the way back to the wall.

"That was for drugging her. Stand up, Raiona."

And Leon did as he was commanded. He can't even dare disobey him when he's icily raging like that.

As soon as he wobbly got up to his feet again, another strong punch was driven to his abdomen and made him buckle followed by a severe coughing fit.

"That's for slandering her. Stand up."

Leon once again, his coughing barely stopping, stood up shakily and another huge and fast swing came from the other side and hit him squarely on his face, making him fly off from the left over momentum—each punch faster and stronger than the last as he crashed against furnitures and other decorations.

Casimir stalked intimidatingly towards him. His cold and nipping aura oppressing with each step before he was pulled up by his collar.

"And that's for doubting your future queen that's led you to personally having a hand in harming her. Regardless of whether you were used—consciously or unconsciously.

I actually wanted you dead. You should be thankful she didn't want that. Else, you wouldn't even live as far as today. Don't you ever touch her again."

Death was dancing in Casimir's platinum eyes as he whispered his words to Leon as softly as he could to avoid Adira from overhearing them. If anything, he'd like to spare her from his cruel world.

Leon groaned and painfully tried to move his jaw and his limbs—checking for any unknown injuries, besides those which he can see, because that was one hell of a beating!

In just three moves, this cruel prince might've shaved a few years off his meager life span and reminded him why no one dares to cross him.

And mind you, he had a lot of experience with beatings.

Adira, who watched Casimir pummel Leon almost senseless, felt it was uncalled for but didn't argue nor try to stop him anyway. She figured that she needed to give it to him. He did suffer because of her, after all.

Completely off track, she didn't know how he was able to withstand all of her seductions—unconsciously or consciously done—but she felt defeated.

Hmm.. should I upgrade my seducing skills as well?

"Leave." Casimir icily snapped and turned to sit beside Adira again.

Leon, who was still trying to assess his overall status, mumbled a, "Yes, your highness. Excuse me." before limply leaving them alone.

Casimir, as soon as he sat down beside Adira, looked at her as she stood up almost immediately and sat further away from him—at the opposite couch to be exact.

"Now, it's your turn, your highness." She started and a fiery rage burned in her smiling ashen eyes. This was the reason she refused William. So she could interrogate Casimir as well.

Although Casimir was confused with her sudden hostility, he weirdly liked this look as well. She looked like she was roasting him a thousand times with that fervent rage.

"Now, explain."

"Explain?"

"Yes. That night, you danced with Iris Latifolia instead of me. Pray tell why?"

Adira asked and even though she wore a smile, her atmosphere didn't seem light and gentle at all! It was scorching hot! As if his little ball of sunshine literally turned into the sun!

"The Baron Latifolia was informed of his daughter's rumors and was afraid that it might affect the Lady's marriage prospects. He asked me to help fix her daughter's rumors of antagonizing both you and me.

I wanted to call you but you were still talking with father and she had already led me to the center. I didn't want to embarrass her, as much as I wanted to leave, as my actions might also implicate you.

I don't want people to think further that you are a stuck up and jealous fiancee who bullies nobles lower than your rank. I have an inkling as to who started that rumor and I will eventually capture that person.

The thing I am most concerned about now is your reputation. I want people to love and accept you as their future queen because by God I swear, I won't take another woman, who isn't you, as my queen. There can only be you. There is only you, Adira."

Damn! I shouldn't have asked him to explain. Did he not feel breathless from talking that much? Did he not feel sick or nauseous at all? Wow. Isn't that the longest ever?!

Adira breathed a sigh and smiled helplessly. She couldn't help but forgive him when he lays out his heart like that. She couldn't help but mellow out when she sees how much he's been thinking about her and her future with him.

She's never been loved as much as this from her past life. So she didn't know what to do or how to respond properly. She was barely winging it.

She was receiving too much that she feared that maybe it was all just a dream. That 7-minute thing before dying stretched too long to show her the life she's always wanted.

"There's nothing you can do about that, Casey. People will always hate what they hate. They will hate me for occupying the most envied position in the empire.

From now on, more plots—whether as crude as this or something more—will be dished against me. However, as long as you trust me no matter what happens,

I swear I won't allow them to snatch this away from me. There is only me who can stand here—the spot next to you."

In the end, aren't I barrelling towards my destruction end like this? Ah. I hope you know what you're doing Adira.

Notes:
Thank you so much for the love and support! Those and your words are what fuels me to write more! And your comments are a hell lot of fun to read!
Thank you!