Chapter 208: Chapter 208: The Gray Mammoth Tusk (1)
"Then, we will excuse ourselves, Mdy," Maya said. They were about to turn around when Long Xiurong suddenly stopped them.
"Wait, you two—"
"Yes, Mdy?"
"Bring this breakfast with you."
Maya and Myra looked at each other again, and then shifted their gaze at Lady Long in confusion, "Do you not like the food served by Alice, Mdy?"
"It seems to be a simr breakfast that Princess Swan usually has. Does it not suit your pte?"
"I... I''m sure that Princess Swan will tell you the real reasonter. Bring it to Princess Swan''s room, but warn her that none of these breakfast foods are meant to be consumed. I want to make sure the breakfast isn''t tampered with before brunch," Long Xiurong instructed.
Again, the cat maids were confused by her request, but they agreed and carried the breakfast tray out of Long Xiurong''s room.
If the cat maids did their job right, they would put the food in Princess Swan''s room. That way, Long Xiurong would be able to demonstrate the special effect of the gray mammoth tusk given by Rock Silverfang a week ago.
"I have to make sure that everything went well," Long Xiurong mumbled as she clutched the mammoth tusk in her pocket.
Alice anxiously waited outside of Long Xiurong''s room. She was waiting for the cat maids to leave, so she could return to the room and persuade that bitch Long Xiurong to finally eat or drink something.
Alice had put more poison than usual in the food. If Long Xiurong kept refusing any food she served, the poison given by Lady Jade would run out fast without her making any meaningful progress in her mission.
Alice shivered as she was reminded of how harsh the punishment from Lady Jade could be, but then she remembered what Princess Aria said, and her fear of Lady Jade''s wrath turned into a mockery, ''Ah, that''s right. As long as I follow Princess Aria''s instructions, there is nothing to worry about. I am not going to be a scapegoat here!''
The door was opened from the inside, and the cat maids finally left Lady Long''s room. However, Alice''s smile vanished instantly when she saw them carrying the tray full of breakfast intended for Long Xiurong.
"W-wait, why are you taking it out? It''s breakfast for Lady Long!" Alice eximed as she stood in the cat maids'' way.
"Lady Long told us to bring it to Princess Swan''s room," Maya said.
"We don''t know what it is for, but she told us it''s not for consumption," Myra added. "Now step aside, Alice. Why are you acting so strange? Did something happen?"
Alice tried to mask the rage she felt in her heart. She forced a smile and shook her head, "I''m just a little hurt that Lady Long won''t eat anything I make."
"Don''t fret about it. Lady Longes from the east. Their food is vastly different from ours, so it''s natural if she doesn''t like many things served in this castle," Mayaforted before leaving Alice alone.
Alice gritted her teeth as she red at the cat maids, and then at the door.
''There is no mistaking it. Long Xiurong must''ve already known about the poison. I don''t know how she found out about it, but I guess I''ll have to go with Princess Aria''s n,'' Alice thought. ''I''m sorry, Lady Jade, but you are not more important than Princess Aria. She is a beautiful Saintess. She''s His Majesty''s fated mate, so I must follow her instructions.''
Thus, with Aria''s idea in mind, Alice finally stopped caring and turned around to leave. All she needed to do was make sure that she could be convincing enough to be spared by Princess Swan and also possibly His Majesty, the Beast King.
*
Swan frowned as she stared at the tray full of breakfast carried by the cat maids into her room.
The cat maids said that Lady Long wanted her to see this breakfast tray, but warned her not to eat anything.
Swan wasn''t an idiot who didn''t know the meaning behind it. It was obvious the food must''ve been dangerous since Lady Long specifically warned her not to touch it, let alone eat it.
"Is the food poisoned? If it is, then how did she find out about it? Does she have some unknown ability to detect poison?" Swan wondered as she carefully inspected the breakfast tray. The food had gone cold by now, and as expected, she couldn''t find anything strange, atleast not from the look or smell.
Thus, she decided to wait until Long Xiurong knocked on the door, and the cat maids opened the door for her.
"G-good morning, Princess," Long Xiurong greeted nervously, and Swan replied with a smile;
"Good morning. I''ve prepared everything for our tea time, but before we start—" Swan pointed at the breakfast tray. "—Mind telling me what is this all about? Why do you ask the cat maids to bring it to my room?"
Long Xiurong darted her eyes at the tray and was relieved that everything seemed untouched. Swan noticed the relief in her eyes, and guessed, "So it is poisoned, isn''t it?"
Long Xiurong looked over her shoulder to check if the door was firmly shut. Once she felt that she was in a safe space, Long Xiurong finally nodded weakly.
Swan''s expression turned serious instantly. She might not have a familial feeling for Long Xiurong, and she definitely didn''t see her as a close friend. They could be called friends at best, but even Swan realized there was an invisible wall between them.
But Swan still felt responsible for protecting Long Xiurong, as she was still officially Gale''s second wife, on top of being a good person.
Swan deeply inhaled and probed, "How do you know it has been poisoned? Do you have any skill to distinguish poison? I''ve checked it before, and can''t seem to find anything suspicious-not from their color, or smell."
Long Xiurong had been waiting for a whole week for this moment. She also took a deep breath to prepare herself and pulled out the keepsake from that handsome young wolf.
"This is a gray mammoth tusk, a
very rare find from the north continent, It can detect any poison just by dipping the tip of the tusk
into any food, and it will ne
color once it detects any poison," Long Xiurong paused for a moment before continuing, "This keepsake is given by Rock Silverfang, your knight, Princess."