A month had passed since the king personally appointed Dastan to be the second princess's personal guard, and since then, Mai'ya's life had improved significantly. The princess could now walk through the corridors without fear of being attacked by Orion, her half-brother, as the king kept him so busy that they hardly ever crossed paths in the castle anymore.
Now, even the nobles and palace servants greeted her when she passed by, but Mai'ya felt uncomfortable with this newfound attention. After all, she had grown accustomed to moving through the palace unnoticed over the past four years.
Meanwhile, Mai'ya was now having afternoon tea with Mherona and the daughters of the king's advisors. She felt drowsy because she had dreamed of the shapeless creature again the previous night, and in the dream, she had been turned to ashes once more. Additionally, she didn't know how to join the conversation, as her cousin and the other girls were talking about magic lessons, and Mai'ya still wasn't taking classes in that subject yet, continuing to learn magic on her own.
On the afternoon tea table, there were refined sweets and savories. The decorated porcelain was of fine quality, and the four types of tea, each in its own teapot for every girl, filled the greenhouse where they were sitting with their fragrances.
"Well, how about we start eating?" Mherona suggested to her guests. The three agreed, and then the first princess signaled for the servants to serve them. When they finished pouring tea for each of the girls, the servants stepped back but remained alert for any requests they might make.
The daughters of the advisors and the first princess began to chat again. Mai'ya started eating when she noticed one of the noble girls wanted to strike up a conversation with her. She savored three sweets and some of the savories before her mouth went dry from eating so much. Then, elegantly, she brought the teacup to her lips and sipped the liquid until it was half gone. She found the bittersweet taste of the drink a bit strange but didn't complain, as she didn't want her cousin to feel offended.
After that, Mai'ya was officially drawn into the conversation. She no longer saw a way to escape the topic, as she had already eaten and drunk tea. Now, all that was left was to participate in the conversation until Mherona declared the afternoon tea over.
Mai'ya began to ask the other guests something, and as she spoke, the second princess started to feel lethargic. Her words came out jumbled because her tongue felt numb, and her saliva was sticky in her mouth. Noticing that the princess was unwell, Dastan approached with a bow, showing respect to the royalty and nobility present.
"Is something wrong, Princess Mai'ya?" he asked worriedly.
"Something isn't right with me," Mai'ya replied, her speech slurred. "Why is it getting dark?" she asked, and then closed her eyes and fainted.
Holding the second princess to prevent her from falling to the ground, Dastan picked up Mai'ya's teacup and inhaled its aroma. "The second princess's tea is poisoned!" the young guard shouted. Everyone else in the room let out frightened exclamations.
"What are you waiting for? Go call the royal physician!" Mherona ordered the servants around her, snapping them out of their state of shock.
Dastan picked up Mai'ya in his arms and laid her down on one of the greenhouse benches.
Half an hour later, the servants returned accompanied by the physician. He examined the princess, checking her pulse, temperature, and analyzing Mai'ya's tongue and pupils.
"Indeed, the second princess shows signs of poisoning," the physician announced. "Where is the tea the princess drank?" he asked. "I need to analyze it to determine what kind of poison it is so I can prepare the antidote," the physician explained.
The servants guided the doctor to the table and pointed out the teacup and teapot intended for the second princess's consumption. The physician summoned his work bag and began taking out tools for analysis. He was about to start when the royal butler announced the king's arrival. Everyone present stopped what they were doing to greet the monarch with bows.
"I was informed that an attempt was made on my niece's life," the king declared, looking at the physician.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I was about to analyze the containers to determine what kind of poison the princess ingested," the doctor said, pointing to the items on the table.
"Then proceed," the king permitted.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the physician nodded, and began to work.
While the physician analyzed the poison to prepare the antidote, Anik called his two advisors, and they began to talk.