Lucifer was on his feet, and Thron crossed the room with fantastic speed, only for Kathrine Ann to drop the act and cross her arms. Anger burned in his eyes once he realized she had faked poisoning.

"Not fucking funny, Kathrine Ann!" He growled.

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" She retorted, sipping her wine again as Lucifer glared at her, "I'm not a child Lucifer. I'm your wife, and if someone is trying to kill me, I want to know about it, not be lied to and treated like some weak little creature that needs constant protection."

"You do need protection, Kathrine Ann." He snapped back, "You don't understand how dangerous you just being here is! You are one-hundred percent living mortal. You don't belong here." He huffed, and her heart fell into her stomach. She had been trying. Genuinely trying to make this place her new home, and in one sentence, it felt like all her hard work was worthless, "Stop that!" He ordered, forcing Kathrine Ann's focus back to the table, where she realized her cheeks were wet with a couple of escaped tears. Lucifer took a deep breath and let out a long sigh as he leaned across the table and gingerly wiped the tears off her cheek. "That's not what I meant. I'm just trying to make you understand that Hell is dangerous for someone like you. You were not created for this world, Baby Girl, and some people don't believe you should be here."

"Like you?" She asked in a whisper.

"Yes, I think you're way too good for this world, but my Grandpapa sent you here for a reason, so I have to trust in his plan, which means I have to keep you alive."

"But you don't have to hide things from me," She snapped, "Actually, it's kinda stupid not to tell me." His brows knitted together at the insult, "Telling me someone is trying to poison me is going to make me a lot more cautious about what I eat or drink."

"I didn't want you to worry." He grumbled, snatching up his drink and taking an aggressive sip, "I can keep you safe."

"I know you can, but it's still better that I know, Luce." She smiled, but Lucifer continued to pout a bit. "So the man you interrogated, is it him who tried to poison me?"

"No, he is an apothecary who decided to use his skills to concoct the poison, and I'll give him credit. It is a very difficult poison to render." Lucifer explained as the door opened, and in walked their server carrying a tray with two bowls on it. Thron took the bowls and began examining them. Kathrine Ann pulled her attention back to Lucifer,

"How do you know the target is me?" She asked.

"I don't know for sure, but there are just too many coincidences for my liking." He admitted taking another sip from his drink, "My father and I cannot be killed by any poison of this world or any other that we know. Some may make us annoyingly sick, but it's pointless and a waste of a considerable amount of money to try and kill us in such a manner. Maybe the demon who did this is an idiot and doesn't know that, but this attempt happened shortly after our marriage. Nobody had tried poisoning my father or me for centuries. Suddenly, we're married, and of the deadliest poisons in Hell appear in my home?" He paused and sighed, "Both the demon who brought the poison into the castle and the man who created it gave a similar description of the culprit. This man had asked the apothecary if the poison worked on humans."

"And this poison would kill me?" She asked, trying to keep her shock and fear under control.

"A large enough dose, yes, and it doesn't take much. Slipped into a glass of wine, for example, one small sip or two, and you'd be so sick you might think you were dying, but a full glass? It wouldn't be pleasant. When the poison created from the Kashiea blossom enters the bloodstream, it slowly contaminates the organs and eventually causes them to fail. All this takes place within a few days, and very few survive." He explained, "The tricky thing about Kashiea is the taste. The petals are so sweet that ground up and added raw would be obvious, but if you cook it it loses its sweetness but over cooking causes it lose its potency. It takes a skilled apothecary to render the poison correctly, so you have an almost tasteless, very potent poison."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Before she could reply, their server walked up with Thron right behind,

"This first delicacy is inspired by a flavored broth from Earth called tertimella." The young girl smiled as Thron stepped forward and placed both bowls in front of Lucifer, who quickly ate a steaming spoonful from one bowl, "Using exotic spices from Earth and a meat referred to as a chicken, it is a deliciously savory dish." She continued.

Kathrine Ann had never heard of the dish but was eager to try it, and her hunger didn't help as she impatiently waited for Lucifer to relinquish her meal. Finally, he gave Thron a nod. He picked up the bowl Lucifer had sipped from and placed it in front of her. Kathrine Ann wasted no time and quickly swallowed a spoonful herself. The flavors were very familiar, and she stifled her laugh as she realized what the exotic dish was. Lucifer looked at her questioningly, but she shook her head slightly, not wanting to embarrass anyone.

"Quite lovely, It's been a long time since I've tasted these spices. Thank you." The girl beamed and bowed before looking to Lucifer for his response.

"It's fine." He replied.

With another bow and a faded smile, the server left, and she couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed,

"What?" He asked.

"Tertimella! A delicacy composed of exotic spices," Her giggles were infectious, and soon Lucifer's mouth curled up into a smile.

"Please tell." He asked, "I quite enjoy this dish."

"It's a good dish, but first, it's pronounced tor-tee-ahh, and it's not a fine dining dish, yes delicious, but it's just a soup. An easily made one, and this one is very underseasoned." She admitted, "Also, what is this meat? It's not chicken." She added, holding up a piece of dark meat on her spoon and studying it, "This is a rich red blood meat and way too heavy for this soup."

"You know your food," Lucifer replied, impressed.

"I loved to cook. William and I rarely went out to eat," She began but noticed the twitch on Lucifer's lips, "You jealous?"

"Of a dead man?" He laughed it off, but she could see it.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have brought him up." She apologized, but a hint of amusement and a touch of happiness hung around at the thought that he was actually jealous.

"Will you cook for me sometime?" Lucifer asked casually, taking another bite of his soup.

"Sure you want me to?" She chuckled, following his lead, "I'm sure you haven't forgotten my last attempt."

"I'll get you some ingredients your familiar with then." He suggested.

She smiled and nodded before turning her attention back to her soup. She liked this Lucifer. This was the man she was falling for but what scared her was the part he was hiding. The two of them ate the rest of their soup in peaceful silence, but a realization settled on Kathrine Ann, and her chest tightened. Once done, Thron cleared away the empty bowls,

"So what if something is poisoned?" She asked, "Thron dies? I don't like that." She admitted.

"You're the one who wanted to leave the castle, Baby Girl. This is just protocol with or without an assassin running around." He responded nonchalantly.

"Then let's go home." She sighed sadly after a long pause, "I don't want anyone risking their life just so I can go out to dinner."

Lucifer chuckled, "Aww, hear that, Thron? Your Princess wishes to cancel the rest of our evening, so you don't get poisoned."

Thron walked over with the bottle of wine Kathrine Ann had been drinking and refilled her glass, and she swore a smile tickled the corner of his stern lips,

"Milady, as flattered as I am with your concern, I assure you I will be fine." He replied, turning his back to them.

"Remember how I said few could survive the poisoning of Kashiea?" Lucifer asked, finishing his drink as Thron returned with the decanter. Kathrine Ann nodded, "Thron is one of them. He has a remarkably unique and beneficial ability. Can you guess?"

"He can survive poisoning?" She guessed.

"Better than that, right, Thron?" He smirked at the guard.

"Most of the poisons in this world have a very different effect on me, Princess. As I said, there is no need to worry about me." He repeated this time, giving her an amused smile before turning away while she gave Lucifer a confused look.

"His body processes the poisons of this world differently. Instead of getting ill or dying, he gets a bit inebriated."

"He gets drunk off poison!?" She croaked, almost choking on her wine, while Lucifer laughed.

"Yes, Baby Girl, so don't be worried about dear old Thron. If someone tries to poison either of us, it'll possibly be the highlight of his night."