'Nerium flower…'
As Raven observed lily's action, she went over the memories of the original owner to see if she could find any information of this poisonous flower. Fortunately, the memories did not disappoint her this around. Perhaps it was because the original owner had been forced many times to ingest poison. The latter had probably been educated on many types of poisons, like the Nerium flower.
A flower with entrancing purple petals. Unlike its deadly usage, the flower has a rose-like captivating appearance capable of tempting one to touch it. However.…that fleeting touch could be responsible for the person's death.
The natural poison of the petals is that lethal, and Raven guessed that a plant as fatal as the Nerium flower could never be grown anywhere in the open.
'I wonder if this world has something like a black market….' Raven supposedly thought that something as dangerous as the Nerium could only be gotten from a hidden and illegal place like that.
''The poison is ready, young lady.'' Lily called to Raven's attention.
''Thank you, Lily.'' Raven lifted the glass cup from the dressing table. Her lips touched the glass rims, and she emptied the content into her mouth. Not a single drop remained in the glass cup.
'Very bland…' Raven tasted nothing from the Nerium flower. She was expecting a bitter taste since the poison was from a plant.
'Nothing has happened yet…' Raven noted that her body was still functioning alright. Again, she expected something to happen immediately, but nothing has begun yet.
'Perhaps the after math is later….' With that thought, Raven was about to place the glass cup back on the tray, but it seemed her thought about the aftermath was too early.
*CLANK!*
Before Raven could comprehend, the glass cup in her grip suddenly dropped and shattered into pieces on the ground.
''Is young lady injured?'' Lily did not blink at the broken glass cup near her feet. Even if there were tiny trails of blood on both of her legs, she paid no heed to them.
''...''
In the moment of concern from lily, Raven blankly stared at her shaky hands that gradually turned numb until she felt no sensation, and this feeling slowly inched to every part of her body.
Was this the effect from the poison?
Her entire body turning numb to the point that she couldn't feel a thing….Raven thought that couldn't be all for such a deadly poison.
''Young lady will feel pain from the Nerium flower, but the fragments of other poisons in young lady's body will be of help in easing the pain.''
As soon as lily spoke, an erupting pain suddenly attacked Raven's entire body, especially her chest area. The numbing feel that had slowly taken over her body disappeared the second she was bombarded with an excruciating pain.
'Easing…you say…' If Raven could guess, the Nerium flower and the other poisons in her body were not compatible. There was nothing called helping in this situation. The sixth madam might have believed to be helping the original owner in ingesting weak fragments of poison to prepare for this one, a real poison with lethal properties.
But….
This was the same as preparing for suicide. Firstly, the components of these poisons were entirely different from each other. If they were compatible, then there must be one of the same components in each poison connecting them to each other. If not, one has to be prepared for death.
Like herself right now.
However, death wasn't in her options. If she died this easily and pathetically in this world, then her name wouldn't have been Chaos in her former world.
'this is just like that time…' Raven couldn't help but remember the time she had ingested poison as a child. The pain now and then seemed almost the same. The only difference was that she reacted to the poison then. Now…Raven forced herself not to.
Ingesting poison and reacting to it was part of the training she set for herself in this world. If she wanted to survive in this family, she must prepare herself like she was preparing to face death.
Besides, this body wasn't her old body, where poison was practically like her blood. If she wanted to recover her old body in this body, then she would have to train more than she had done in her former world….even if she would remember some unwanted memories connected to the training.
The pain stabbing every inch of her body was much for a child like herself to endure without willingly succumbing to death.
The sixth madam was really a brutal person for ordering her to ingest such poison. If the original owner was to be alive, Raven was sure the latter would have died from this excruciating pain.
Poison intake wasn't only to prepare the physical side, but the mental side as well. When one experiences pain, how would one endure without reacting?
This was the type of training Raven wanted for herself.
She wanted to be one with pain, just like she had been in her former world.
Raven could feel the slow gathering of the metallic taste in her mouth. She thought of forcing herself to swallow the blood back, but her lips didn't share the same thoughts as herself.
''It appears the poison has started attacking the young lady's body.'' Lily commented, eyeing the lone trail of blood on the corner of Raven's lips. Though her face was stoic as always, lily's heart was filled with a little bewilderment.
'She did not cry….' This was her thought. The weak young lady did not cry or throw a tantrum.
'Is the poison not effective?' Lily couldn't help but wonder. She expected the young lady to react to the pain, but nothing has happened yet.
If it weren't for the glistening sweat on her forehead, lily would have believed that the Nerium flower she had purchased was a fake.
'I have to inform my lady about this.' While lily was in thoughts, Raven, on the other hand, was suffering from the Nerium flower. At this moment, she suddenly remembered about her training with her new training tutor.
It seemed she would be a little late on her first day.
****
'You must survive. No matter what life throws at you, you must survive. Don't be like your pathetic dying mother, my son.'
There have been many moments when his mother's voice whispered to his ear. Because of those words, he had restrained himself from fighting other slaves who tormented him. His mother wanted him to survive, and he had been doing that since the moment she left him in this world….until now.
'Forgive me mother, this son has failed you.' On the quiet battle ground, an elite slave could be seen with one knee on the ground and lowered head. He was the same elite slave that won the short battle against the strongest elite slave.
'They are here.' His ears concentrated on the footsteps heading towards his way. True to his thoughts, they were people walking in his direction.
Raven and lily.
''Leave us, lily.'' That was the next words uttered after the footsteps came to a stop. Underneath his gaze were small training boots, obviously belonging to a child.
A child that was the last child of the famed Grand duke Langston, his new master.
''....As young lady wishes.'' The young boy noticed the slight pause before the reply came. It was evident that the other person with his new master was reluctant to leave. Even he wondered why his new master would want to be alone with him.
Just from the yesterday's battle, his new master should have known that he was stronger than her, yet she wanted to be alone with him.
Wasn't she afraid that he could kill her?
Even if his hands and feet were bound with chains, the elite slave was confident that killing a small child like her was very easy.
The young boy was in thoughts until his chin was forced up by one boot underneath his gaze. His grey eyes came in contact with eyes like blood filled interest, curiosity and amusement.
Eyes that definitely did not belong to that of an innocent child.
''I need your eyes on me, slave.'' His new master said with a smile. ''My new training tutor should not be someone with eyes on the ground, but on myself.''
''Forgive this slave, master.''
When his chin was free from the boot, the elite slave quickly apologized, hoping his actions did not offend his new master. He also did not want to be punished on the first day.
His new master's brows twitched, the light in her eyes dimming with disgust apparent in them. ''Who taught you to say that?''
''…..?'' Wasn't he supposed to?
The elite slave was confused for a moment. This was how he had been taught to speak and serve his new master.
''No...forget about that. Ignore what I said.'' She quickly dismissed her words with a trouble sigh.
''Now…'' All of a sudden, his new master leaned to him, her face inching closer and closer, until he could feel her breath fanning against his face. The tip of their noses almost touched. The smile on her lips never dropped but widened more, and the light in her eyes returned brighter than ever.
''How did you kill that elite slave yesterday?''
''...''
'...She noticed…' The elite slave wasn't surprised. If his new master was smart to know that he had been hiding his strength, then she would have surely noticed something in the battle.
'Rumors are really rumors...' The same as in the battle, the elite slave thought about rumors of the fourth young lady of the Langston family. Perhaps she was weak in physique since she was the youngest, but her eyes opposed to his fleeting guesses.
''Your eyes are beautiful.'' The elite slave flinched, not expecting those words.
Beautiful?
''Very clear…Translucent like glass, almost like a mirror.'' She added with her never-ending smile. ''There must be special about them.''
''...''
''These beautiful eyes of yours must be the reason you killed that elite slave so easily in that battle.'' As his new master spoke, her fingers suddenly appeared near his cheek and grabbed them without much strength. Unlike his cold skin, her fingers were opposite, releasing warm ticklish touches trailing down his skin.
''....''
''Am I right or wrong, slave?''