Free Web NovelChapter 19: A Poisoned Soup and an Ethereal Villain
Nathan/Seraphel
"These are all for me?"
My eyes widened to the size of saucers as I stared at the absolute banquet of food spread across the dark jade table in front of me.
It was like stepping straight into a high-budget historical drama. There were no standard college-dorm instant noodles here; instead, the table groaned under the weight of a slow-roasted glazed phoenix-pheasant, glistening with a sticky, honeyed plum reduction and crackling with aromatic spices.
Next to it sat delicate bamboo steamers releasing plumes of fragrant steam from hand-pleated lotus-root dumplings, flanked by crystal bowls filled with snow-white mountain rice and braised venison that practically fell apart at the touch of a chopstick.
Analisse offered a practiced, elegant bow, her finger gently tracking across the array of dishes as she broke down the menu. "This is a restorative essence compiled entirely by the royal kitchen to fortify your core, Chosen One, ensuring the divine heir develops with absolute strength. It is called the Phoenix Bone Consommé."
I internally rolled my eyes at the overly dramatic name.
The soup itself looked sketchy at best—a deep, murky, almost iridescent indigo broth that seemed to swirl with strange, glittering medicinal herbs. I decided to ignore it for now. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
I was starving like an absolute madman, and my stomach was practically screaming for real food.
Reaching out, I snatched a piece of the crispy, glazed pheasant and took a massive, ungraceful bite.
"Delicious!" I managed to mumble excitedly, the rich, savory flavor exploding across my taste buds. I felt a surge of pure, primal happiness wash over me. I hadn’t eaten a meal this magnificent in my entire legal existence.
"I am deeply gratified that you are enjoying the fare," Analisse murmured, her tone perfectly smooth. "The Main Hall explicitly commanded us to satisfy your every desire. I trust you find yourself sufficiently content?"
I merely nodded, my mouth completely stuffed with perfectly seasoned meat. Honestly, who wouldn’t be happy in this exact moment?
This place provided the kind of lavish luxury I wouldn’t have dared dream of in my past life.
Before the meal, my bath had been prepared with warm milk and crushed white silk-lotus flowers. It was easily the softest, most decadent soak of my life, leaving my new, ultra-fragile skin glistening and smelling faintly of sweet blossoms.
Afterward, the servants had draped me in a flowing, multi-layered silver silk robe embroidered with deep indigo lotus flowers along the hem.
My long, silver-black hair had been meticulously brushed out, gathered into an elegant, high half-up style, and secured with an intricate, heavy silver guan hairpin that perfectly matched the classic danmei aesthetic. They had even subtly enhanced my features, applying a delicate dusting of pearl powder to my skin and a faint tint of crimson vermilion rouge to my lips.
I literally had it all. Absolute luxury and endless indulgence were at my beck and call—and yet, looking down at my hands, a sudden pang of homesickness hit me.
I missed my real life. A life where I wasn’t bound to ancient prophecies, crazy demonic hierarchies, or a fake pregnancy.
A place where I was just Nathan, an ordinary guy, and not this stunning, fragile omega puppet named Seraphel.
I lost track of how many minutes flew by as I furiously stuffed my face, hungrily tearing through almost every single plate on the table. But even while I was reveling in the feast, I kept my wits about me.
Under the cover of wiping my mouth with a silk napkin, my fingers darted across the table, swiftly lifting a heavy, sharp silver-pronged fork and sliding it deep into the wide sleeve of my silver robe.
My makeshift weapon. The exact tool I was going to use to slit Azriel’s throat the second he let his guard down.
"Please, Chosen One, do not forget to consume the restorative essence," Analisse gently reminded me, her eyes drifting toward the forgotten bowl. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Letting out a quiet sigh, I lifted the dark indigo bowl to my lips and took a massive, confident gulp.
The moment the liquid hit my throat, my eyes nearly rolled straight to the back of my head.
A shudder racked my entire frame as the impact of the flavor hit my tongue. It was, without a single doubt, the most aggressively bitter, foul-tasting garbage I had ever consumed in my entire life.
How could a soup even physically taste that vile? It tasted like crushed battery acid and ancient grass.
I slammed the bowl back onto the table, my face twisting in absolute horror as I grabbed a pitcher of ice water, gulping it down like a lunatic trying to extinguish a fire.
"That crazy-ass soup is pure poison!" I shouted, aggressively wiping my mouth with my sleeve. "It’s unbelievably bitter! Do not ever serve that to me again!"
Analisse merely maintained her sweet, unbothered smile. "Pardon me, your highness. I am fully aware the medicinal herbs possess a harsh flavor, but the physician explicitly mandated it for your health. You must finish the entire bowl."
"Mandated for my health? Or is it just for the baby?" I countered, narrowing my eyes.
"Both," she replied instantly, her smile never faltering by a single millimeter.
I let out a heavy breath, deliberately turning my head away and pretending the bowl didn’t exist. But as the seconds ticked by, I noticed her gaze remained completely locked onto me, unblinking and rigid, as if she had no intention of letting me leave the table until the liquid was gone.
The unyielding compliance on her face was honestly starting to get a little terrifying.
Realizing I couldn’t win this psychological standoff through defiance, I decided to play dirty.
"Fine," I grumbled, letting out a dramatic sigh as I reached out and lifted the heavy bowl once more. I brought it halfway to my face, deliberately letting my wrist go slack. I gave a fake, exaggerated tremor, tilting the bowl entirely to the side.
The dark indigo broth splashed violently across the dark stone floor.
"Oops," I muttered, offering a completely flat, unapologetic look. "My hand slipped."
"No worries at all, Chosen One," Analisse responded instantly, her voice smooth and entirely unfazed. "The kitchen staff will prepare a fresh replacement bowl for you immediately."
I let out a low groan, desperately wanting to pull my hair out in pure frustration, but the heavy silver hairpin kept everything tightly locked in place.
There was absolutely nothing I could do but sit there, endure a second bowl of the toxic sludge, and force it down my throat under her watchful eye.
A few agonizing minutes later, the ordeal was finally over. I sat back against the plush crimson pillows of the bed, still desperately trying to scrape the lingering, bitter aftertaste off the roof of my mouth.
Sensing my misery, sweet old Analisse stepped forward and held out a small jade dish containing a delicate, translucent pastry dusted with sweet sugar snow.
A traditional dessert.
"Please partake of this sweetmeat, Chosen One, to banish the bitterness from your palate."
I gave her a deeply skeptical, highly amused look as I snatched the pastry. "Ah. So we’re doing the whole ’bitterness before sweetness’ philosophy, right?"
"Chosen One... I do not entirely grasp your meaning," she replied blankly, tilting her head.
I let out a soft sigh, realizing my modern idioms were completely lost on the local NPC coding. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."
I popped the dessert into my mouth, and thankfully, the rich, honeyed sweetness instantly wiped out the horrific herbal taste lingering on my tongue. But before I could even fully swallow the bite, a booming, echoing announcement shattered the silence of the outer corridor.
"His Imperial Majesty has arrived!"
The words hit the room like a physical blow.
My heart instantly began to pound like a frantic drum against my ribs. He was here. The Prince of Lust had actually arrived.
The very instant the announcement faded, the dormant mating mark on the side of my neck flared with a sudden, blinding heat.
The skin throbbed, sending an immediate, electric wave of raw pleasure rushing straight down my spine.
My entire body went into total overdrive, completely ignoring my conscious mind. Before I could even mentally process what was happening, a heavy, intense ache tightened between my thighs, my body completely betraying me as a rock-hard erection formed instantly beneath my silver robes.
To my absolute horror, my omega glands flared, releasing a massive, thick wave of sweet, intoxicating lotus pheromones into the air in a burst of instinctive excitement.
"Oh, look at you, my dear Seraphel. You are already completely prepared for me," Azriel’s deep, velvety voice suddenly resonated directly inside my mind, his mental projection dripping with dark, possessive amusement.
The telepathic whisper sent a violent chill racing through my entire body, the overwhelming stimulation making the ache between my legs throb so hard it actively hurt.
The heavy doors smoothly slide apart, and the Prince of Lust finally stepped into the chamber, gracing the space with his terrifyingly beautiful presence.
Analisse, Dorin, and Rami instantly dropped to their knees, bowing their heads flat against the floor in absolute reverence.
My chin tilted upward instinctively, my wide blue eyes locking onto him as he swept into the room. He was clad in his custom, sweeping crimson-and-black royal robes, the heavy silk trailing elegantly behind his tall, broad-shouldered frame.
Goodness, the man was utterly ridiculous. He didn’t just look attractive—he looked entirely ethereal, possessed of a lethal, high-born grace and a face so flawlessly sculpted it felt like a crime against humanity.
As our eyes locked through the dim, candlelit haze of the room, my mind went completely blank, and I entirely forgot how to breathe.
