Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 290: Beware Drusilla II

Chapter 290: Beware Drusilla II

Daphne wanted nothing more than to slam it back on the table, but then she caught Drusilla watching her from the corner of her eyes, as though she was waiting for something.

That conniving witch of a half-sister! Drusilla must have been the one to lace her drink. She had been loitering around the dining table as she watched Daphne dance with the duke.

Daphne thought she was looking for inappropriate behavior, but it turned out that Drusilla’s plans were more insidious than mere rumor-mongering.

Turns out, she was watching Daphne so she could spike her drink with a potent aphrodisiac while her back was turned. If Daphne were to refuse to drink, Drusilla would probably attempt to corner her by making a scene. If Daphne continued to object, she would know that her scheme failed― and then Daphne would have to look out for yet another attempt.

It was easier to let Drusilla believe she had the upper hand.

Daphne held her breath and pretended to take a sip. Drusilla finally turned away, not before Daphne caught the pleased smile on her face.

Disgusting.

"Sister Daphne, are you alright?" Drusilla asked innocently over her own glass of wine. "You seemed a little... flushed."

Of course Daphne would be; she was inhaling the fumes of one of the most potent aphrodisiacs she knew. The last time this happened, she had been affected by it with just a whiff without even ingesting it.

Thankfully, her past experiences have taught her enough that she managed to dodge this scheme. She would never give Drusilla the opportunity to make her finish her glass.

She needed both of them to leave her alone.

"I’m feeling a bit heated, all thanks to Duke Lanperouge’s exceptional skills on the dance floor." Daphne nodded at Duke Lanperouge and he beamed at her praise. "Duke Lanperouge, would you honor my sister with a dance while I take a breather?"

"Of course, Your Highness. I could think of nothing better." Duke Lanperouge’s eyes gleamed and he offered a hand to Drusilla, who placed her glass on the table and took his hand without hesitation.

But before Drusilla stepped on the dance floor, she turned around and gave Daphne a sweet smile.

"If you are feeling warm, maybe you should finish your glass! After all, Xahan whiskey is known to quench thirst," Drusilla said. "It wouldn’t do for you to overheat before King Atticus comes back, wouldn’t it, Sister?"

Daphne smiled sardonically in response.

The orchestra started a new tune, and her sister pranced off, arm in arm with the duke. Daphne immediately whirled back, eyeing Drusilla’s own wine glass in distaste. Before Daphne could rest, she desperately wanted to pay Drusilla back in her own coin. Part of her was also curious to find out what Drusilla had planned for her.

Simply swapping out Drusilla’s glass with her own was too rudimentary. Drusilla wasn’t a fool― while the glasses looked identical, Daphne and Drusilla wore different lip color shades that marked their respective glasses.

The wise thing to do would be to simply swap the contents of the glass without anyone knowing. Daphne looked around cautiously, pretending to look overheated. Thankfully, her sweet sister was still happily dancing with the duke.

Daphne turned around, the aquamarines in her wedding ring glowing a bright blue. Contents of both glasses floated up in delicate spheres, and Daphne focused on making sure Drusilla’s glass received every bit of her own drugged whiskey.

If she spilled a bit of Drusilla’s own drink in hers... well, no harm done. Daphne was supposed to pretend she drank a lot of it. To give a stronger impression of being overheated, Daphne then channeled her fire magic to internally warm herself up, until she could feel a flush forming on her cheeks.

She patted her cheeks discreetly, feeling their warmth. Then, she drained the last of Drusilla’s non-drugged whiskey in a single gulp, nearly choking at the taste, just in time for Drusilla to catch her in the act.

Perfect. Just as Daphne predicted, Drusilla made a beeline for her after thanking the duke for the dance. Her hands fluttered over Daphne, her face the very expression of worry and concern.

"Sister Daphne! Are you feeling better? You are looking a little too red. Do you want to rest?" Drusilla asked.

Daphne could see the wicked glint in her eye, but if Drusilla wanted to act, Daphne would gladly accompany her in this farce.

"I’m perfectly fine," Daphne insisted, making sure to slur slightly to make it seem that she was inebriated. "You look red too, do you want to finish your drink?"

"I will," Drusilla said, her grin growing wider as she saw her beloved older sister stumble over her words, her face redder than a cherry. This was working better than she expected! The aphrodisiac she had received from Hazelle was truly incredible in its potency.

Now all she needed to do was to lead Daphne to the empty room the duke had so kindly reserved for her and let him in so he could appreciate the womanly charms of her darling sister. When King Atticus returned, he would be so horrified and heartbroken by Daphne’s betrayal that it would be no trouble for Drusilla to swoop in and comfort him.

Of course, with that betrayal, Daphne would no longer have King Atticus as a backing, which meant Jean Nott could then have his fill of her. Daphne would no longer be some chaste maiden or virtuous wife, but a whore to be taken advantage of over and over by opportunistic men!

"Alright, finish your drink then," Daphne said, blinking sleepily. "I’ll find somewhere to rest first. I find myself feeling dizzy..."

"Let me help you, Sister! I don’t want you to fall somewhere," Drusilla said immediately, quickly swallowing her drink in a few quick gulps. She wasn’t going to let Daphne wander away from her grasp, not when she was so close to falling into their trap.

Drusilla was so excited by the progress in her plan, that she failed to notice the pungent scent in her glass. Daphne watched patiently, like a snake in the grass waiting for the right time to strike, as her beloved sister drank her own poison without knowing.

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