24 Most sought after.

Ellen took the cup off her lips, as her face went sore.

"Poison," Ellen muttered under her breath but the prince heard her. His hearing was that good, he could hear the smallest sounds. The prince was surprised at her statement and if Ellen was looking in his direction, she might have noticed the questioning look he was sending her.

Ellen was also surprised to have perceived something different in her cup, the smell assorted her nose as soon as the cup was close. "Who could want me dead," she asked herself. The poison was so evident that she was certain that a little sip would have been enough to kill her.

She has a peculiar sense of smell and could pick every scent in the air, like a wolf. It was not something normal, and she hated it for most of her life, especially when she could easily pick up an awful smell but it just saved her life. She could not help but feel grateful especially for the time she spent in the injury camp. That was where she learned about a few poison since most physicians knew a lot about poison. It was thanks to the knowledge that she recognized the scent in her wine, fortunately, it was one she is familiar with during her time in the camp.

'Did he know the food and drink was poison, is that the reason why he asked her not to eat nor drink?' she asked herself. Thinking about it another possibility came to mind. "what if this was Avalo plans all along to poison us." With this thought in mind, she turned and face the prince with a questioning look.

The prince was surprised to see her look at him like that. She has avoided looking at him all the while, so having her turn her full attention to him came as a surprise. Besides, no one has ever dared look at him questioning before. They mostly avoided his face but she was looking at him like she was trying to see through him. The prince was quite amazed at her boldness.

"I am not the host," he said curtly when he guessed the reason she was staring at him. Ellen nods her head in agreement. She was the host, and if anyone was to be scared of been poison he should be the one.

She looked away becoming scared that her actions might have annoyed the man beside her. "Stupid," she cursed herself, under her breath. The prince found this her behavior interesting. Everyone around him was always very careful not to make mistakes or annoy him, so it was refreshing seeing her ceaseless and reckless with him.

Ellen bites her lips, thinking about what just happened. In the end, she concluded that someone was trying to poison the prince but somehow the cups got exchanged. It was the only logical conclusion she could come up with as to why there was poison in her cup. She could not think of anyone that will try to kill her.

Queen Regina was her only known enemy but the sly fox only does the thing that favors her and Ellen's death, may only bring her troubles.

Usually, the wedding reception went on till late into midnight but with the prince returning to his kingdom, the reception came to an end late in the evening.

Two carriages were waiting at the front of the palace. One carrying the princess belongings, and the two maids going to Avalo with Ellen. The other would be for Ellen and the prince. Ellen found a way to bid Richard goodbye, who was not happy to see her leave. If she could go with a male savant she would have loved him to accompany her.

She walked out of the palace where her father and the Queen were waiting to send them off.

"Father," Ellen bowed to him but King George pulled her into a hug. He knew that this might be the last time he set his eyes on her. "I am sorry," he apologized in a whisper. He was not sure if he was saying, does words to Ellen or his late Queen. He felt guilty ever since he realized the Queen's true nature, but it was too late to make amends.

He passed a small box into her hand. "That belongs to your mother," he said letting go of Ellen, she nodded in response, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. The King took in a deep breath and nodded at the princess.

Regina seeing that she was totally ignore decided to play her mother figure card as usual. "My daughter..." she said sniffing as if she was trying to hold back her tears. Ellen gave her a disgusting look and walked into the carriage without spearing her another look. Honestly, Ellen would have loved to give the Queen a piece of her mind but the prince was present and she wanted to save her father's face.

The prince nodded his head at the king and followed Ellen. He did not miss the interaction between Ellen and the Queen.

Queen Regina's lips hang open for a few seconds before she pulled herself together. She was not surprised at Ellen's actions. As a matter of fact, she expected it. what surprised her was the fact that the king did not scold Ellen. Or insist that she greeted her farewell.

The King turned and walked back into the palace and Regina followed suit. If it was another occasion the Queen would have realized that the king treated her differently, but the prince was present, so she concluded that he most likely did not say anything because of him.

" stupid," she cursed herself, "how could I have made such a mistake just to get at that little witch. Ah! I must have been too excited to see her leave, especially knowing that life was going to be hard on her hereafter," the Quern thought and chuckled beautifully. She was feeling very pleased that all her plans worked out smoothly. With Ellen out of the picture, she was sure her daughter Ema will get the best of everything.

In fact, she began to plan to get Ema engaged as soon as possible. The number one candidate on her mind was Joe Yancey. After all, he was the most sought-after bachelor.