“I used to make it my profession to find and collect herbs. It was my daily routine. I have a favourite country. I should say, it was. It’s called Serrat. It’s a treasure trove of herbs.”

He put his hand down, and Luciano’s violet eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“In that country, I met the second coming of the wise emperor Lorenzo. I had a deal with her and observed what the second coming of Lorenzo would be. It is noteworthy that she fought in the castle. She skilfully used one hundred of King Serrat’s private army and thirty-three of her own men against Armenia and Teges. She controlled the lives and deaths of men without the slightest waste of time. It was the best and most perfect command she could have wielded at that moment. Her aim was to use her own life and the lives of her 133 knights to keep alive a prince of Serrat. The knights died, one by one, but she protected you. You lived. She even changed the course of the river Garnica to flood it to get you out safely. If it hadn’t been for that, you would have died. Well, you were dying, but thanks to her, you are alive in another way. Now drink this.”

Luciano was listening to the story when the Poisoner, who was supposed to be at the counter, suddenly stood by his side.

There was no sign, no sound.

Presented with a cup, Luciano’s expression was unpleasant. “It’s…. too sweet. Cut the honey in half.”

“Half, I see. That’s why she rescued you with the lives of all the knights on her side. By the way, she didn’t prepare her own escape route. She was going to perish with the castle of Serrat. But I regretted that she was dying. She was the only one who had the potential to kill me. So I let her out of the castle. From then on, she became my client. I received the request immediately.”

Luciano was lost for words. At the same time, the Poisoner sat down in a chair beside him.

“I have made a poison for Alana. It smells like roses. You know what I mean. The poison for which you are looking for an antidote is the one I made for Alana. It’s a poison she knows well. If you know that she drank it, then it’s…isn’t it? Don’t you think she should die?”

Luciano’s body shook as soon as he heard the Poisoner’s words.

“Shut up. I’m here because I don’t want her to die. Absolutely, not let her die.”

“Why did she make the poison? Because she thought her father and brother shouldn’t be alive, but she never used a lethal dose of poison. For your sake? She said that you should be the one to finish them off. Revenge – that’s what kept you alive. Revenge was the only thing that kept you going. Do you think you could be alive now without revenge? You would have chosen death. Wouldn’t you’ve? She wanted you to live. So she continued to heap diluted poison on her father and brother. They took her word for it, the second coming of Lorenzo, that it was good for their health, and they took it without question. The king and prince you killed didn’t respond well, did they?”

Sweat dripped from Luciano’s forehead. His voice clogged in his throat. He wanted to see her.

–Alana…you are the one who…

The Poisoner added, “Oh, I forgot to tell you that this also happened to me. It’s not all poison, you know. It must have been a month after the fall of Serrat. I went to Armenia to deliver the poison to her. There, I was asked to do something new. She wanted to make sure that her father and brother could never rape a woman again. I was too lazy to prepare the medicine, so I made it easy for them. I crushed their test*cles and cut off their pen*ses. Apparently, with men, without s**ual organs, there is no life. They could not have intercourse, which was their reason for living– for two years before you killed them. And it seems that for men, the size of their genitals had a lot to do with their self-confidence, and they dreaded it. This is also the reason why those two were surprisingly weak, isn’t it? … oh, I gave their two pen*ses to a hungry wild dog. They were as popular with the wild dogs as your hair is with the aristocracy, and there was a great fight for them. I like to watch them fight it out because you can see the crap and stupidity to the fullest.”

The Poisoner bumped into the counter.

“Well. I’ve gone off on a tangent, but I’ll get to the point. You’ve heard my long story, but how do you feel about it? And what is Queen Alana to you? What is the value of her life? To make the antidote, I have to stay up all night. My time is expensive, you know? Are you prepared to pay the price for the Second Coming of Lorenzo and for your wife, Alana?”

Luciano was exhausted. But he still moved his head vigorously, his tears spilling over as he thought of Alana.

“I will pay whatever it takes. I will do anything, I’m begging you. Please make the antidote.”

“Pay whatever it takes. All right.” The Poisoner took a black quill on the counter and pointed it to Luciano.

“Prince Luciano, give me all the treasures of Serrat that you should have inherited. In exchange, I will make you an antidote. If you refuse, I will let Alana die. She has suffered for four years. According to your account, she has only six days to live.”

“I’ll give you all the treasure. I’ll tell you where the key is. In return, save Alana.”

The Poisoner, perhaps surprised by Luciano’s clear words, tilted his head. He nodded.

“Are you sure? Without the treasure, and especially the sword, you will not be recognised as King of Serrat. Not only that, but Serrat cannot be rebuilt. Prince Luciano’s existence will die completely.”

“It doesn’t matter. If Alana can live, that’s what’s most important.”

The Poison Master Luteli’s lips curved into a beautiful arc.