Mistakes

Noa believed him. If only she could see how much he truly loved her! He bought both potions and took them back to his quarters at the castle, where he made his preparations. He didn’t want to drink the green bottle right away. If I worked like he thought it did it would make him unrecognizable. He’d never be able to get close enough to the Princess to administer the second potion, and raise far too many suspicions for his liking.

No, he would need to give her the purple potion first. No matter what happened, Chloe should never suspect his motives.

***

He waited for an opportunity, which came that night. The princess took her drink in the evening before bed. Noa brought the potion to her bedchamber, and once inside began mixing the substance in water as instructed.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder. He turned to see the princess, hurt and shock displayed on her face. “Noa, are you- is that poison?!?” Her breath quickened. “Why would you-?”

He panicked. “No! No, it’s not poison, I swear. It’s just a tonic. Made by our town’s herbalist. He says it will help you stay healthy.” He offered the princess the goblet.

She scowled at him. “Drink it.”

“W-what?”

“You heard me. If you say it’s safe, prove it. If you refuse then I’ll summon the guard. I… want to trust you, Noa. You’re one of my oldest friends and most loyal servants, but I just caught you adding something to my drink. If you claim it’s safe then drink it.”

He sighed. There was no way he could keep this from her now.