Chapter 103: Chapter-103

Elara didn’t reach for it. “What is it?”

“Antidote. Universal poison neutralizer. If anyone tries to poison you at the dinner tomorrow, this will counteract most common toxins.” Fifth Princess set it on the desk. “I’m serious about working together, Fourth Sister. You’ve proven you can build power independently. That’s more than most of us can say.”

Elara looked at the vial. Small, clear glass, filled with pale blue liquid.

It could be exactly what Fifth Princess claimed—a genuine antidote offered in good faith.

Or it could be poison disguised as protection.

“Thank you,” Elara said, not touching it. “I’ll consider your offer.”

“Fourth Sister, I’m serious. Tomorrow is dangerous. Eleana has—”

The window exploded inward.

Glass shattered across the room. The fox knight moved instantly, throwing himself between Elara and the window, sword already drawn.

A figure in black dropped through the broken window—masked, armed with twin daggers, moving with professional speed.

Assassin.

Elara rolled backward out of her chair as the first dagger slashed where her throat had been a second before.

The fox knight engaged immediately, sword meeting dagger with a sharp clang.

Fifth Princess screamed and ran for the door.

The assassin kicked the fox knight hard in the chest, sending him stumbling back, then turned toward Elara.

She was already moving. Grabbed the heavy book from her desk and threw it at the assassin’s head. It connected—solid impact—buying her two seconds.

Two seconds to reach the hidden blade she kept in her desk drawer.

The assassin recovered and lunged. Elara sidestepped—barely—the dagger slicing through her jacket sleeve, drawing blood along her forearm.

Pain registered distantly. Not important. Focus on survival.

The fox knight was back up, coming from the assassin’s blind side. His sword caught the assassin across the shoulder—not deep enough to disable, but enough to make them falter.

The assassin spun, both daggers moving in a blur. The fox knight blocked one but the second scored across his ribs, drawing blood through his armor.

Elara used the distraction. Lunged forward with her hidden blade—a short knife, designed for close quarters—and drove it into the assassin’s side, between the ribs.

The assassin grunted. Tried to pivot. The fox knight’s sword took them through the chest.

The assassin collapsed. Blood spreading across the floor.

Dead in seconds.

Elara stood over the body, breathing hard, her arm bleeding, adrenaline making her hands shake slightly.

The fox knight was also bleeding but still standing. “Your Highness—are you—”

“Fine. You?”

“Minor wound. I’ll live.” He kicked the assassin’s body once to confirm death, then looked at Elara. “This was professional. Very professional.”

“Yes.” Elara knelt beside the body and pulled off the mask.

Young face. Maybe mid-twenties. No identifying features.

She searched the body quickly. Found a small pouch containing gold coins—very new, very clean—and a folded paper.

She opened it.

TARGET: Fourth Princess Elara Blackwood

PAYMENT: 3,000 gold

TIMING: Before succession dinner

METHOD: Direct attack. Make it look like household accident.

Three thousand gold. Not the ten thousand from the Emperor’s contract. This was someone else.

One of her sisters getting impatient, probably.

Elara looked toward the door where Fifth Princess had fled. “Find her. Now.”

The fox knight ran out. Returned thirty seconds later dragging Fifth Princess by the arm. She was crying, makeup running, pink gown torn from running.

“I didn’t know!” she sobbed. “I swear I didn’t know—I came here to warn you, not—”

“The assassin came through the window sixty seconds after you arrived,” Elara said. Her voice was cold, clinical. “Either you were bait to confirm I was in this room, or you’re the unluckiest person in the palace. Which is it?”

“I swear I didn’t know! Eleana sent me—she said to warn you about the dinner, to give you the antidote, to make you trust me—but she didn’t say anything about an assassin! I thought she was just trying to manipulate you!”

Elara picked up the vial Fifth Princess had brought. Held it up. “What’s really in this?”

“I don’t know! She gave it to me, said it was antidote—I didn’t test it—I’m not a poisoner, I just do what Eleana tells me—”

“Because you’re afraid of her.”

“Everyone’s afraid of her!” Fifth Princess collapsed to her knees, still crying. “You don’t know what it’s like here. She controls everything. If you don’t obey, you disappear. Second Princess refused her once, and two months later she was dead. Everyone knows Eleana did it, but no one can prove it, and the Emperor doesn’t care—”

She stopped herself, eyes widening.

Elara’s expression didn’t change. “The Emperor doesn’t care because he’s running his own tests. I know.”

Fifth Princess stared at her. “You… you know?”

“About the Emperor’s assassination contracts? Yes. I have good intelligence sources.” Elara turned to the fox knight. “Take Fifth Princess to the

secure room. Keep her under guard. Don’t let her communicate with anyone.”

“Your Highness, please—” Fifth Princess reached out desperately. “I didn’t know about the assassin, I swear—”

“I believe you,” Elara said flatly. “But you’re still complicit. First Princess Eleana sent you here as bait—knowing I was in this room, knowing the timing. You might not have known about the assassin, but she used you to set up the attack.”

“But I warned you! I tried to help—”

“You followed Eleana’s orders. Whether those orders included assassination or just manipulation doesn’t change that you participated.” Elara gestured to the fox knight. “Secure her. We’ll decide what to do with her after the succession dinner.”

The fox knight hauled Fifth Princess to her feet and dragged her out, still sobbing protests.

Elara stood alone in her study, looking at the dead assassin on her floor, the shattered window, the blood—hers and the fox knight’s—scattered across the stone.

Her arm throbbed where the dagger had cut her. She pressed her hand against the wound, applying pressure. Not deep. Wouldn’t need stitches. Just painful.

She walked to her desk and picked up the vial Fifth Princess had brought.

Universal antidote. Or poison disguised as medicine.

Only one way to know for sure.

Elara called for another knight. “Bring me a test animal. Something small. And fetch the palace physician—I need this analyzed.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

While she waited, Elara examined the assassination contract again. Three thousand gold. Timing: before succession dinner. Make it look like a household accident.

Someone wanted her dead before tomorrow. Before Duke Romian could give his answer. Before the Emperor’s final test at the dinner.

Eliminate her now, while she was still vulnerable.

The physician arrived—an older man with nervous hands. He examined the vial carefully, ran several tests with magical detection tools, then injected a small amount into a rat.

They watched.

Thirty seconds. The rat started convulsing.

Sixty seconds. Blood poured from its nose and eyes.

Ninety seconds. The rat was dead.

The physician looked up at Elara with wide eyes. “Your Highness… this is nightshade derivative mixed with something else. Extremely toxic. Fast-acting. If you’d consumed even a small amount, you’d be dead within two minutes.”

Elara nodded slowly. “Fifth Princess brought it. Said it was antidote.”

“It’s the opposite of antidote. This is one of the most lethal poisons I’ve seen.” The physician carefully sealed the vial. “Who prepared this?”

“Unknown. First Princess Eleana gave it to Fifth Princess, who gave it to me.” Elara looked at the dead rat. “Fifth Princess probably didn’t know what it really was. She was just following orders.”

“What will you do with her?”

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