Chapter 245: PLEASE, SPARE ME
’Don’t eat it. It’s poisoned.’ Millie’s voice rang in Aristia’s ears.
The hand holding the candy she was just about to eat froze and her eyes snapped to Lauren.
The candy was now in front of Lauren’s mouth.
Aristia’s eyes widened. She held Lauren’s hand quickly and grabbed the candy from her. Then she also took the rest of them away a little bit too roughly.
"Don’t eat it!"
"What...?" Everyone froze in surprise, the servant included.
They wondered what happened just now.
"Tia, what’s wrong?" Beatrix asked with a small frown, guessing that there was something wrong from Aristia’s reaction.
Aristia paused, looking at Lauren who was staring at her with wide, confused eyes.
[Aish, I’m sorry my baby.] Aristia apologized in her mind.
"Why don’t you want her to eat it?" Serina asked, looking between the two of them.
Aristia huffed in response and crossed her arms.
"Since she already asked me to take two, why didn’t she ask me to take all of them? I’m not satisfied with just two!"
"..."
Everyone was speechless looking at her. Their gazes trailed to the two she held in her hand. She hadn’t even eaten the two she was holding and she wanted all of them?
"Princess Tia, but you can shar—" Alicia started but was cut off.
"No but! I want it means I want it. And I said I want them all. I don’t want to share! I won’t share!!" She yelled.
[Gosh, where is everyone? The maids, servants, stable hands, guests, anyone? With all the yelling I’m doing, why aren’t they coming to check what’s happening?] Aristia thought with a bit of frustration.
Aristia’s loud noise did attract attention and a few servants approached while others rushed to the hall to inform them of what was happening.
On the other hand, the children’s eyes were wide with confusion, wondering what was going on. It was like this wasn’t the Aristia they knew. Like she had reverted back to the brat from before, except that even then, she didn’t usually yell then. She never raised her voice even when she was being mean.
However, to the servant, that was just her real face. He had heard about how she had become better, but he didn’t believe a word of it.
He felt that it was all just pretense, but that underneath, she really was still that same brat. It was just because there wasn’t anyone around that she revealed her true self.
Because of this, he wasn’t suspicious of her sudden act, unlike her friends.
"Your Highness—"
Still he felt that it wouldn’t do him good to just keep silent, so he opened his mouth to pretend to convince her, only to be ruthlessly interrupted.
"Shut up! How dare you speak when this princess speaks? Who are you? Who do you think you are? You’re just a servant! Do you dare to disrespect me? I will have you beheaded!" Aristia’s voice rose higher with each word.
With each word, the servant’s face darkened.
In the banquet hall.
Aristia now had a good reputation among the royal servants so they didn’t make it obvious that something was wrong. Instead, they leaned to Catherine and discreetly told her. The other servants also informed the mothers of the children involved.
Catherine’s eyes narrowed a bit and she nodded, then got up without showing there was any problem.
However, even though nothing was announced, the nobles’ keen eyes that were eager for gossip still detected that something was wrong, and they hurriedly left the banquet hall before they could be stopped.
Everyone came out only to hear Aristia yelling at the servant.
Whispers began as everyone watched.
"What’s this now? What’s going on?"
"What are they doing outside?"
"Look at the way she’s yelling. So uncouth."
"I knew it was just an act. She’s still the same."
"There’s not a single change."
"You’re mistaken. There is a change. She’s yelling. She’s become worse than before."
Aristia saw this from the corner of her eyes and heard their words, but she still continued.
"You’ve disrespected me. Do you secretly wish to eat my sweets?" She asked.
The servant’s face twitched. How did this third princess come to such a conclusion. How was disrespect related to sweets? And how did he even disrespect her?
But before he could speak, Aristia spat.
"Yes, that’s what you want. Have it! Eat it now! A peasant like you wanting it has made it dirty." She said with a look of disgust splattered on her face.
The servant froze.
"What?"
"I said, eat it now!"
"Tia."
A single word instantly voice shut Aristia up.
She looked to the side where Catherine was walking towards her with a straight expression.
A look of guilt crossed her face that Catherine quickly caught.
She stopped beside Aristia and asked.
"What is it?"
Aristia discreetly let out a sigh of relief before huffing. "This servant dares disrespect me. Now he’s coveting my sweets. He’s dirtied it. I want him to eat it!"
Everyone, "...!"
What ridiculous words!
However, Catherine looked away from Aristia and to the servant.
"Very well, then. You heard the third princess. Eat the sweets."
The crowd watched silently.
The servant’s face turned ashen.
"W-what? Y-your highness..."
Catherine glared at him coldly.
"Eat it."
But it wasn’t Catherine who spoke.
Rowaine came forward and stood in front of the servant. Her voice was filled with the authority of a queen.
The servant trembled even more. "Y-your majesty."
Rowaine glanced at her right at the servants that had informed them of what was happening.
The servants understood the command.
Two male servants stepped forward and held the servant on both sides.
"Your majesty, no no no. Please spare me!" The servant yelled.
The nobles’ began to catch on that something was wrong, exchanging glances with each other.
"Spare him? Isn’t it just eating sweets? Why’s he talking like he’s about to be executed?"
The children involved also glanced at each other, wondering how it had gone from Aristia demanding to be given all the sweets, to the servant being forced to eat it.
The servants forced the servant to eat all the candies before letting him go.
The servant fell to the floor under everyone’s watchful gazes.
By now, the men having a meeting with the king had gotten wind of what was happening and rushed to the scene just in time to see the servant fall.
He began twitching and making choking sounds, scratching at his neck desperately.
He coughed nonstop and his eyes rolled back before he finally fell, a trail of blood leaving his lips and trickling down his chin before dripping on the snowy ground, dying it red.