Free Web NovelChapter 32: Suspicious Steeps
Seraphel
"Hello, Seraphel. I am Eiren."
His soft, delicate voice sent a sudden wave of chills running straight through my body. Maybe it was the eerie way he said it, or maybe it was simply because I knew exactly who he truly was.
A psychotic villain who systematically got all the other concubines killed off in the original story plot.
Having him stand right in front of me just meant that I had already managed to get on his nerves. The sweet smile plastered on his face was honestly the least of my worries; it was the way his golden eyes were staring down at me with deep, intense curiosity.
Yes, a curiosity that could easily get me killed.
Aside from the fact that he was a highly popular villain among the novel’s fans, what really made him terrifying was his specific power.
Eiren had the rare ability to completely manipulate illusions and reality. Standing in front of him right now, I had absolutely no idea if what I was seeing was the actual reality or just a twisted illusion happening inside my head.
"You look very pretty, and you smell incredibly nice too," he complimented smoothly, stretching forth his slender hand toward me. "Welcome to the harem of the Prince." freeweɓnøvel.com
I gave him a calculated, knowing look, internally wondering what kind of scheme he was cooking up.
Was he trying to get close to me just to use my weaknesses against me later, or was he already finding a way to manipulate my mind?
"Why the hell are you welcoming him?!" Lioren demanded loudly, throwing his fan down. "That omega is nothing but a lowborn slave, and yet you are treating him like royalty!"
"That is enough, Lioren!" Eiren snapped, turning his head back to glare at him with a harsh, dark frown marring his features. "He is currently carrying His Highness’s child. The absolute best we can do is to accept him gracefully, or do you honestly want to face the personal wrath of the Prince?"
Lioren sighed heavily, his face twisting in anger, but he tightly shut his mouth after that. Kaevian just burst into another fit of melodic laughter, lazily fanning his face.
"So, Seraphel, right?" Eiren turned his attention back to me. The dark, piercing frown vanished from his face in a literal split second, replaced instantly by that same bright, sweet smile.
I gave a firm nod.
He stretched forth his hand again, waiting. Around the grand hall, the rest of the lower concubines began to murmur louder, pointing fingers directly at me.
Even though I couldn’t hear every single word they whispered, I knew they were all patiently waiting to see if I would actually dare to take Eiren’s hand.
I heaved a deep, silent sigh, wondering what could possibly go wrong. It wasn’t like he could brutally murder me right here in the open, so I reached out and firmly placed my hand in his.
I braced myself, fully expecting some kind of magical shock or creepy, eerie vibration to course through my veins, but I felt absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. There was no sudden spark, no heavy pressure—just pure, unsettling stillness.
"You are welcome here once again," he said sweetly, smoothly pulling his hand away from the handshake. "Now, we usually perform a small tea ceremony to welcome any new concubines into the palace. And seeing as you are far more than a mere concubine since you are carrying the Prince’s child, we would absolutely love to honor you with the ceremony today."
I nodded slowly, even though deep down I was incredibly skeptical of what was about to happen.
What the hell was this tea ceremony anyway? I must have completely skipped over this scene while reading the original web novel, because I couldn’t remember a single Chapter mentioning it.
I glanced sideways toward Analisse, who was standing directly beside me, but she didn’t even dare to look up at me. She kept her head lowered tightly against her chest. I wanted to ask her questions, but Dorin and Rami were nowhere to be seen inside the hall; they were currently waiting outside with the rest of the low-ranking palace servants.
"So... where exactly is this tea ceremony holding?" I asked aloud.
Kaevian stood up from his seat, and while continuing to fan himself, he began walking up to me with a massive, cheesy smile on his face. "The tea ceremony always takes place in the central harem courtyard, and we already have it perfectly prepared for you, little one. I am completely sure you will like it."
I looked from him over to Eiren, unable to read what the two of them were secretly scheming.
Kaevian sounded a bit too goofy to be genuinely harmful, but I knew from reading enough books that those types of playful characters were always the ones you needed to beware of the most.
As for Eiren, I couldn’t read his intentions at all because he just kept smiling like a saint. Lioren didn’t even bother to hide his raw dislike for me, and Slyven’s murderous intent was as plain as day. He looked like he wanted to butcher me right on the spot, just like the rest of the lower concubines glaring at me from around the room.
I slowly clenched my fists at my sides, pondering over their sudden invitation. I was an avid reader who had consumed countless transmigration stories; I already knew there was definitely a trap waiting for me out there, and my logical brain told me to refuse it. But everyone in the hall had their eyes locked onto my face, waiting patiently for my response.
Instead of following my survival instincts, I decided to foolishly agree to it.
After all, even if they were planning to harm me, Azriel wouldn’t just let them get away with it, would he? This baby inside me was the literal child of prophecy, and the Prince would do absolutely everything in his power to protect it.
"Where is the way to the courtyard?" I questioned.
Eiren smiled warmly and slowly pointed toward a pair of heavily carved wooden doors that led directly out of the back of the hall. I gave a sharp nod, and with Eiren and Kaevian leading the way, we walked out into the central harem courtyard.
The space opened up into a breathtaking, sprawling garden filled with rare, blooming flowers. Right in the center of the lush grass, the servants had neatly laid out traditional silk mats and low, polished wooden tables for everyone to sit around.
"Right here," Eiren murmured, leading me toward the primary mat and pointing for me to sit down.
I flashed him a tight smile and sat down on the soft fabric. He immediately took his seat right beside me, while Kaevian and Slyven quickly followed suit, leaving absolutely no remaining mat for Lioren to sit on.
"Where the hell am I supposed to sit down?!" Lioren yelled angrily, his voice echoing across the garden. "That specific spot was supposed to be my place! But that human—"
"Enough!" Eiren cut him off immediately, his voice turning incredibly sharp as he pointed directly at one of the lower-ranking omegas seated close to us. "Get up and move. There is absolutely no need to scream in this courtyard, Lioren. Seraphel is new, and we are supposed to be welcoming him," he said gently.
I instantly noticed the eerie similarity between Eiren’s tone and Azriel’s voice. They both spoke with a soft, dangerous calm. The only real difference was that no matter how furious Azriel got, he never raised his voice, but Eiren had just openly snapped at Lioren. It meant he was either desperately copying Azriel’s mannerisms after spending years with him, or he was just putting on a massive performance.
"Get off!" Lioren snarled angrily, aggressively shoving the innocent lower omega completely off their silk mat. He threw himself down onto the seat and aimed another venomous glare directly at me, but I wasn’t fazed by it at all. To me, he was just a petty, annoying pest compared to giants like Eiren and Kaevian, whose true intentions I still couldn’t decipher.
The rest of the omega concubines filed into the courtyard, taking their places around the low tables.
A line of palace servants dressed in matching dark blue robes walked in, carrying ornate silver trays. They carefully placed a beautiful porcelain teapot and matching delicate teacups in front of everyone.
"Now, shall we begin the tea ceremony?" Eiren asked politely, stretching his slender hand out toward the handles of the porcelain teapot. "Do you mind if I pour the tea for you, Seraphel?"
No, I don’t trust you for a second, I desperately wanted to say. But instead, I just smiled sweetly back at him. If anything happened to my body after drinking this tea, it meant Eiren would be the absolute first person suspected of the crime.
Eiren nodded in satisfaction, slowly tipping the pot to pour the steaming liquid into my teacup.
Suddenly, a loud crash sounded next to us as Lioren yelled again, violently shoving the servant who was trying to help him pour his drink. "Get the hell away from me, you complete fool! I can pour it myself!" He kicked the servant’s shin, snatched the porcelain teapot right out of his hands, and poured it into his own cup while still staring furiously at me.
I simply raised a hand and gave him a mocking little wave, which made him even angrier as he slammed his palm hard against the wooden table.
Eiren ignored the outburst, raising his cup and turning to face the courtyard. "Everyone, let us raise our cups to welcome Seraphel to the harem. As he carries the sacred child of prophecy, he will be serving His Highness alongside us. May our bonds remain harmonious."
Eiren turned back toward me the moment he finished his speech, gracefully lifting the cup to his lips and drinking the tea. The rest of the concubines immediately followed his lead, lifting their cups in unison.
I picked up my own porcelain teacup and stared down at the swirling, aromatic amber liquid inside.
Here goes nothing, I thought bitterly to myself, tilting my head back and drinking it down. I just knew that if anything happened to me, I had an entire courtyard of suspects to blame.
