Chapter 2.22: Choke on Your Lies, Swallow the Truth
Somehow, Oriane managed to break free from her grasp when a third of the cup had been dumped down her throat. Spittle dribbled out her mouth as she slowly realized what had happened. Their eyes met briefly and raw panic filled her rapidly palling face. With a panicked gurgle, the stewardess fell onto her bottom and keeled over. Spit and the tea she could not swallow hit the ground drenching it. But it was clear that she had ingested the majority of it. Which left the jade-eyed woman feeling satisfied as she watched the stewardess continue to vomit more, sobbing in a fit of desperation at the situation. Leila took it all in with a smirk as she started to berate the girl.
“You can save yourself from further humiliation if you just tell me three things. What you gave her, how I can treat it, and who told you to poison the tea, lie again and I’ll force feed you the entire pot.” They both knew the heiress meant what she said. Right now, she was ready to scare the life out of the stewardess.
Oriane looked like she was soaking wet. Honestly, she probably was with the mix of sweat and tea she had on her uniform. “I can’t tell you! If I do, they’ll kill me!” She held out her hands with her arms shaking.
Immediately, the redhead found herself flinching when Leila nearly dumped the pot over her head. “Alright. If You don’t tell me, I will kill you. Right here, right now.” The heiress's eyes darkened as the stewardess whimpered in fear.
Whoever sent the girl to do their dirty work saw it as a done deal. They most likely assumed the heiress would be too tired from the ride to check her tea. And if one mouthful was enough to cause the redhead to lose her mind, a cup full would be worse. Leila knew for a fact that the stewardess was dead either way. They would dispose of Oriane if the assassination worked, and they found the dark-haired woman dead. They couldn't have a loose end like her survival. Even with the threat of death, the redhead still could crack and tell who they were. The heiress could easily use her powers to make her confess or torture it out of her. The woman had no issue threatening her family to get it out of her, too. Anyone could break if you pushed them far enough, even someone trained by the best army to stay strong.
"They said that I just needed to feed the pregnant one the roots." She whispered with an instinctive flinch, despite Leila staying completely still. "That her death would send a message to someone who committed an act against an innocent."
The heiress hummed and tapped her chin. Hearing this made her understand their strange exchange. She guessed that the stewardess thought the target would be one of many stuck-up noblewomen aboard the train. Someone she'd feel less guilty about potentially killing. Oriane had come off as extremely hostile, with the murder heavy on her mind as they spoke. Only when Leila inadvertently revealed her target did Oriane freeze and most likely hesitate. The blonde appeared younger than she was, with a beacon on her that practically screamed naivete. The heiress wouldn't be surprised if Liliko'i had treated the stewardess with respect. She would have been timid instead of cruel, which would be tonal whiplash. But with death on the table, Oriane had to poison the innocent blonde.
A level of discomfort filled the jade-eyed woman’s stomach as she noted that Lili was being attacked. That someone knew her sister-in-law was pregnant and was intending to murder her. The heiress knew that this was her fault; it was obvious the royals were out for blood. They believed wholeheartedly that she attempted to kill the pregnant future queen. Silencing her pregnant family member would be an excellent example of revenge. To a point that Leila had to say their viciousness impressed her. But still, it enraged her that the farm girl was in more danger. The young heiress had found herself caring for the blonde. The feeling wasn't exactly familiar, but she could see them being friends in another circumstance. So, she found herself turning red from raw rage, digesting all of this.
Leila sighed. "What roots did you give her?"
"Parsley roots. They handed it to me in a bag all mashed up like they used a mallet or something." The ginger stewardess was unaware of the damage she caused by the confusion in her tone.
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Parsley Root was something in the original novels that Cleo had encountered with the Crown Prince. Inspired by the myth of parsley vein related to miscarriages, the author wrote about it being used as one thing. An all-natural abortion is served in the form of tea or broth. The roots and their attached leaves would be mashed into a paste that could be mixed and boiled. Its result never was described as smelling, so that's why Leila didn't immediately recognize it. She found herself breaking into a cold sweat, her composure wavering. If the tea worked right, the blonde would lose her baby. It didn't matter how far along she was, the fetus would pass out of her vagina. And the roots made it so that this ordeal happened painfully to cause maximum anguish. The woman's chest tightened as she feared for the blonde.
'That bastard Cale will put all the blame on her for this. He'll use this as an excuse to beat her more.' The noblewoman glared at the ground with hatred for the selfish bastard. 'If she survives passing the fetus.'
Even if Liliko'i no longer wanted a baby, who would be in her place, they had stolen the choice from her. This sort of poisoning was purposely cruel and typically used by angry men who wanted to get rid of a problem. It destroyed the woman's bladder. It would make their entire lower region swell as they grew feverish. That's why it was so common for the woman's body to just shut down and die along with whatever she passed. Lili would be in excruciating pain by the end of the next week. Even more depraved, the author wrote that the roots worked very slowly. Some women even reported having been drugged a month prior before having their miscarriage. Leila wanted to skin everyone involved with this horrible scheme alive.
But right now, she had to get information. "Alright. Who exactly gave you these roots? Were they the man you had brought the pot? Someone you've met before?"
Oriane swallowed thickly before responding. "No. It was a pair of men. They spoke with an accent I had never heard before but acted friendly at first. They claimed to be members of some foreign religion."
"Religion? Where did that come up in the conversation?" Leila felt her heartbeat quicken.
"In the beginning. They said that the pregnant woman was with someone who hurt an innocent person. And that they were part of a church that needed that person to get the message." That guilty expression on her face returned, which made the heiress go off on her.
"So, you went along with this just from that? You'd poison some random person to help out strangers?" She pushed as the redhead froze. "You would risk your freedom out of some petty hatred for what? Money?"
"NO!" the stewardess screamed and shook her head. "They swore to me that they'd pay at first. But when I saw who she was, it became too real, and I tried to back out. Then they threatened to kill me, so I had no choice!"
Leila had a stern expression on her face as she blocked out the rest of the redhead's excuses. She didn't feel much sympathy for the woman, but she could see how she was dragged into this mess. The stewardess had been pulled into a murder plot. The redhead had tried to back out when everything stopped being an idea and became a reality. But still, the heiress despised the fact she agreed. Her chest felt heavy as the dark-haired girl tried to think of what to do. Oriane was a mess. They practically destroyed the office in their entire exchange and they had been yelling. There wasn't much she could hide. The heiress could push for her to confess, but Leila knew for a fact she never would. At least she wouldn't willingly.
Her best course of action was using her powers. Even if she got sick from it and was affected negatively. With a slow exhale, she wiped the sweat off of her face. Before Oriane could react, she dropped down onto her knees so their eyes met one another. Quickly, she grabbed her arms and held them down to keep the redhead from fighting back. Leila gritted her teeth as a familiar ache filled her head and her eyes glowered a deep purple. Her powers were ready, and she hurried with commands.
"You will tell everyone that you attempted to attack me out of desperation. You had met two men who gave you drugs to use when robbing passengers. That you wanted to rob me and my sister-in-law but backed out when you realized she was pregnant. If anyone asks about the tea, you'll say you spilled it." Leila watched as the redhead's eyes became complacent. This led to her continuing with one final failsafe.
"If you ever meet the two men again, you'll lie and say you reported them to the police. That you flushed the tea after discovering what it does to someone. You will forget that anything I've said isn't true and forget I commanded you to do this." This made it so Oriane truly believed that she had dumped the tea and attacked Leila in a panic. Protecting the heiress from any possibility of the girl breaking free and telling what had occurred.