At the start of the day, Polla wore a wide smile, as she had for the past four years. Every morning, she visited a florist who also sold tea. At the entrance of the shop, she accidentally bumped into a man.
"Sorry," Polla said.
"It's no big deal," the man replied, walking away.
Polla turned to watch him go. What a handsome man, especially with that black hair—it suits him so well… Polla, focus! You're here to buy tea, she thought to herself.
She entered the shop and greeted the manager, but stopped short.
"You're not the manager. Who are you?" she asked.
What kind of way is that to talk? Aconé, the young man behind the counter, thought to himself.
"He's not here, but he told me a regular would come by for her daily tea. That's you, I assume?" Aconé said.
"Yes, yes, the ginseng tea," Polla confirmed.
Noticing her radiant smile, Aconé asked, "Why are you so cheerful?"
"Oh… because I'm rich now! That wretched family that tried to turn me into a sex slave? They're my puppets now. I sell them to the highest bidder," Polla said with a hint of triumph.
"Sounds like you hate them," Aconé observed.
"How could I not? They raped me, killed my mother, and sold me as a prostitute for a year. I have every reason to despise them!"
Seemingly unfazed by her story, Aconé replied, "Here's your tea. Have a good day."
Then he disappeared into the back room to resume his training, as if nothing had happened.
"Not very sociable, that one," Polla muttered as she left the shop.
A few minutes later, Polla stood at the entrance of a bar in the city center.
Come on, I just need to convince the princess, and everything will be fine. I'll finally get to see Kelvin and the others again, she told herself.
Upon entering, she was greeted by a bald Black man with a striking physique. Usually, bald men turn me off, but him… he's gorgeous with those dark eyes, she thought.
"Hello, you must be Polla," the man said.
"Yes," she replied.
"I'm Aude, Princess Verna's personal guard. She's waiting for you upstairs. I'll join you after preparing the tea."
Polla handed him the tea bag and climbed the stairs.
Upstairs, she saw a woman with light red hair and red eyes, her face breathtakingly beautiful. So this is Princess Verna, Polla thought.
Sitting across from Verna, Polla was met with a cold, emotionless stare that sent her stress levels soaring.
"Speak. What do you want?" Verna said sharply.
Despite her nerves, Polla replied confidently, "Well, Princess, as you know, for the past four years, I've been running the Detra family from the shadows. I've built their wealth and reputation. Per your request, I provided you with the names of Princess Shia's supporters. I've tried to win them over to your side—some agreed, others politely declined."
"And your point is?" Verna cut in, her tone icy.
"I'm asking you, Princess, to officially hand over control of the Detra family to me. I don't want to be the leader in the shadows anymore—I want to lead in the open."
Verna studied her for a moment before responding, "It's true, put that way, you've done a lot for me. You've even killed to achieve your goals… to live in wealth with those children in the northern part of the city."
Polla flinched, startled. "How do you know that?" she stammered.
Ignoring her question, Verna continued, "Some would have forgotten their ideals, blinded by money, but not you. You didn't forget. However… you took too long."
"What do you mean, Princess?" Polla asked, her voice trembling.
"Last night, in the northern district, a child close to you died. His body exploded in front of his friends. A few hours later, they all fell ill."
Polla's expression crumbled, her face a mask of confusion. Suddenly, Aude appeared behind her at lightning speed and slammed her head onto the table.
Verna turned to him. "What's going on?"
"She poisoned the tea!" Aude shouted. "The poison was so strong it corroded the cup!"
"Search her," Verna ordered.
Aude searched Polla, who was still reeling from what she'd heard. He found a letter in her pocket with explicit instructions to assassinate Verna.
Verna nodded to Aude, who roughly grabbed Polla's head and lifted her to face the princess.
Snapped back to reality by the pain, Polla stammered, "What are you talking about? How could I dare try such a thing?"
"The letter in your pocket orders my assassination, and the tea is laced with poison strong enough to eat through a cup. The evidence is overwhelming, little girl," Verna said coldly.
"Wait… wait! I've been drinking that tea for four years—how could it be poisoned? And that letter… I…" Polla suddenly remembered the man she'd bumped into. "At the shop's entrance, a man ran into me. There was plenty of space, but he crashed into me on purpose!"
"A man, you say? Did he have white hair?" Verna asked.
"No, his hair was black. And anyway, how could I have poisoned the tea? I bought it straight from the flower shop!" Polla cried.
"Which one?" Verna demanded.
"The one in the center, not far from here," Polla replied.
"I can confirm, Princess, the bag was sealed, the poison undetectable—no trace, no smell," Aude added.
"So the poison was added during the tea's preparation," Verna concluded, standing up. "Aude, we're going to pay a visit to that little flower shop."
"And her?" Aude asked, gesturing to Polla.
"Kill her," Verna ordered.
"Wait, Princess, I had nothing to do with this!" Polla screamed.
Suddenly, she clutched her throat, unable to breathe. Aude wasn't strangling her, but he seemed to be manipulating the air to block her breathing.
After a few seconds of struggle, Polla's vision blurred. The future she'd dreamed of—living happily with Kelvin and the other children—faded away.
She was dead.