124 123. Back to Theolia, Part II

I DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS MORE strange, the fact that people buy poisons at the most peaceful place on the sphere, or the fact that the most peaceful place sell the deadliest os the poisons! Before I planned on buying them on a store downtown on Theolia, but when I saw that part of the Never-Ending Carnival full of good products, I couldn't help but to buy it there. And there were some I have never even heard of it, which was amazing, of course.

When I told them what I had bought, when we were passing over the Larsson territory, Asher was fine with it, while Kate made a fuss about it. Something I had already expected, to be honest, given her temper and her kind of closed mindset.

I just let her talk, while I paid attention to the cat I'm my lap.

Chaos found her words to be amusing, {"You are a Royal Princess, even if not many respect you, that doesn't change your title. But you let your maid act like this towards you, even if she's a mother figure to you, I don't understand why you let her speak like this. As if she her opinion had power over you, when it clearly doesn't."}

Kate isn't a maid anymore, she's more like my assistant. Besides, she's part of the few who I enjoy letting them speak their mind, even if it won't change my decisions, it's good to know what they think about it. And if they go off the line, I can just put them in their places.

{"She's not your assistant, human. If she were, you would make her ran you errands for you, and do things for you, and you would share your ideas with her so she can do a better job. You merely gave her that position to give her more freedom. Because you prefer to ran your errands yourself. You aren't the type to trust others with your thoughts, ideas, and schemes!"} He read me like a book in such a small amount of time.

Indeed, I do not trust people with my schemes, as you called. But it's because to do that, they would need to know everything, like Stradivarius, and I'm not really open to sharing my burdens with people I know that won't be able to handle. However, they deserve they current positions, even if I do not need them to do things for me.

He smirked. {"Something else I noticed from your memories is that your siblings have at least two Knights each when they are out. But you only got your first one now. And although you don't need one, because you are surprisingly stronger than them, it's still strange. Shouldn't a Princess have more Knights with her? It seems like these humans really wouldn't care if you died on the streets."}

Get used to it. They never gave two fucks about me, so I don't bother with that anymore. But you are right, as a Princess I should have more Knights to 'protect' me. Nevertheless, now that would only be burdensome, considering that I need to do lots of things now that not even Ash knows about.

{"Having Asher and Katherine with you, although she can be annoying, it's good then. They are like family to you, and you to them. Did you do that to give them more freedom and through that, more time alone without anyone following you around and keeping track of it?"} I see why our minds are alike.

Precisely. It's not like I'm necessarily using them, but we both take good things from this. Being my Knight, I give Ash more free time to spend with Gwen, because I want to see them together. And regarding Kate, I just let her speak her mind and keep her away from my mother.

His gaze went to her, {"Does your mother also picks on her? She doesn't torture her too, does she?"} He looked at her from head to toe. {"Her body is kind of weak, I don't think she would be able to handle it."}

You mean, like me? No. Mother doesn't waste her time torturing others, having me. But she always bullies her verbally and some times physically, as well as her maids. However, now that she's an assistant, the maids can't get to her anymore!

{"Makes sense."}

"...Natasha!" I focused my attention on her, seeing her annoyed expression turned to me.

"Can I talk now?" My question made she gulp. "Look, Kate, I respect your opinions. I also understand why you don't want to do it, and I won't order you to drink poison everyday if you don't want to do it. But that won't change the fact that I will be practicing it, and so will Valerian," I turned to Ash and he nodded. "And Ash will too."

She sighed. "But, Natasha," I stopped her.

"Katherine," she froze. "I am a Princess. Almost everybody hates me. I have tons of enemies that want to kill me, and the easiest way to do that is by poisoning me. The same goes for my brother. I don't expect you to understand my position, neither my decisions, but I ask you not to question it. Ain't no way I'll just stay here and wait to me poisoned, when there's a way to avoid it," I pointed to my storage ring. "This is the way! Practicing mithridatism is the way, Katherine. And I will do it!"

I could see the vein in her forehead pulsing, and her jaw clenching, but I couldn't really care. "It's dangerous!"

"What's more dangerous to you? Getting poisoned and dying, or getting and becoming imune to it?" Her eyes avoided mine.

{"She's reckless to talk to you like this,"} he pointed. {"Aren't you afraid one day she might stab you on the back?"}

Kate? No way. She loves me like a daughter. I'm pretty sure she would never do anything to harm me. Now, she would definitely kill those who present a threat to me.

He scoffed. {"Don't you learn?"}

What do you mean?

{"For what I understood until now, in your past life you trusted your life on Dalilah's hands. You thought she would guard your back, and that she loved you as much as you loved her. And you also believed she would never harm you,"} he moved his head annoyed. {"And where did that ended? With her being a mastermind of a plot to destroy you and get you executed, after brainwashing you and using you as her personal assassin,"} I felt my blood boil.

Do not compare the two of them, Chaos. They are nothing alike, alright? Dalilah was never caring like Kate, even before the brainwashing. But Kate deeply cares for me, and it's clear. You will see it when you get to see more of her.

{"I have a bad feeling about her, Natasha. Something's off with her, okay? And she seems like the type who's starving for power!"} He's wrong.

You say that because you don't like humans. Kate's not like that. What could possibly be off about her?

{"Everything?!"} He mocked.

I won't hear you if you insist on that shit. Kate's the mother I didn't have, so, try to respect my view of her. Otherwise, we'll fight because of this.

{"You are blind. Let's see what she's going to do from now on, now that you gave her more freedom. She's probably going to find her way to get even more power,"} Goddess above.

Can't you drop it, damn it?! Stop picking on her, she didn't do anything wrong. I don't understand why you are acting this way.

{"Alright. Whatever. But if she turns out to be a Dalilah 2.0, don't say I didn't warned you!"} I want to scream at him.

She'll prove you wrong. You will see it.

"Okay," she finally said. "I'm sorry, I spoke out of line. It's just that this is too much. The thought of you hurting yourself because of this technic makes me feel anxious and sick. Promise you will be careful!"

I held her hand, "I promise." After all, I'm used to doing this.

See? She was just taking care of me! Nothing to worry about!

He avoided my eyes, {"I don't believe a word that comes out of her mouth. She could very well be faking it!"}

You are getting on my nerves for real now, Chaos. Goddess-damn it, leave her alone. You should concern yourself with possible real threats to me and you, not with a harmless person like her.

{"That's what I'm doing!"}

I give up on you, seriously. Don't talk to me!