Chapter 5: Guards and Poisons

Venera had been listening to music for some time, when the tall black-haired guard from earlier knocked on her door with her dinner. She tried to invite him in and keep her company, but he refused so Venera left the door open and talked to the guard stationed at her door.

She learned his name.

"So, Manny, why are you at my door? Isn't the palace safe? Why am I being guarded?" Venera asked.

"I have no idea as well, lady, but those were my orders, so I am here." he tossed casually.

"What do you do at the castle usually?" she followed up.

"Normally I guard the front entrance and the garden exit on the east, but I will be stationed with you for the duration of your stay here, lady." he sighed.

I bet it is a bore to sit outside the door and count flies, thought Venera.

"Why are you so exhausted? You look like you have been working like a horse for weeks." she inquired further, noticing his deep dark under-eye circles and bloodshot eyes.

"I haven't had more than 4 hours of sleep in the last 2 years, Lady Venera. They keep making us drink this shot that tastes like plastic and sugar every morning which prevents us from sleeping. I know they used to have it in some energy drinks that they sold in shops, but people got addicted to it, so they stopped using it. There was a big scandal." he shared. He looked truly broken and hopeless.

"They make you chug shots of glucofine?! Are they crazy?" Venera blinked in disbelief. Glucofine was one of the most misused substances, it was never supposed to be used outside of a medical emergency.

"Do you know about it, lady Venera?" Manny shot back, his curiosity peaked.

"Of course! I was the one who invented it!" she exclaimed. "Your body is going to give up some time soon if they continue to do this. And I also bet they can't synthesize it to a pure substance either. Do you have problems with digestion?"

He just nodded his head, eyes in disbelief.

Venera bolted from the desk chair to take a closer look at the guard sitting on the small chair in front of her room. His eyes widened, visibly surprised by her actions. She got in his face and noted his eyes being bloodshot, the whites of his eyes having a yellow tint to them, the skin on his face losing elasticity. She also noted his hand slightly shaking.

"Try to keep your hand steady like so Manny," she showed him to extend his arm and keep it straight. As she was positive of the tremor she noticed. Only affected the hand for now.

"I hadn't noticed it, lady, is this bad?" he replied, in disbelief of seeing his arm twitching.

"Try to find some magnesium supplements and consume as much diary as you can. Drink apple juice before going to sleep to hopefully sleep deeper. If you can get away with it, stop drinking it." Venera instructed. "Try to keep this on the down-low. And no word you heard this from me." she clarified.

Venera was horrified by what she heard and saw. The king was killing his guards slowly and painfully. Their livers are going to fail if they continue taking it like that.

"If you can fake the shot in the morning and bring it to me to take a look at, I can offer more help. I can also get you the clean substance so the side effects can subside for some time." she proposed, going back to her chair.

Manny's jaw was on the floor. He had nothing to say so he just stared at the young woman devouring her food after delivering such a diagnosis.

"I owe you a favor, lady Venera. If you think of anything that I can repay you with…" he trailed off.

"I will reach out when I have something on my mind," she replied noncommittally.

When she finished the best food in her life, Venera returned the plate to Manny and he disappeared to get it back to the kitchen.

Venera went back into the room and continued to listen to music and write songs down in the little notebook she brought from home. She wondered if her choice to be honest with the prince was the correct one. If she would still have a chance at a relationship with him if the 10 succeed to kill the king. Would he choose her again or find someone else?

The light coming from the floor-to-ceiling window was dimming and Venera turned on the lights in the room. The glass chandelier showered the room in soft light. She decided to go for a quick shower, anticipating the prince to return. Upon opening the closet to look for a towel, Venera found it full of dresses, made out of the most lavish materials and cuts. She wasn't stupid not to appreciate that those were masterfully crafted, even though they weren't to her taste. The guards weren't lying, they were custom sews, she barely found clothes that fit her properly in the shops, but all these dresses were tailored to her.

The bathroom was a box of creme-colored marble with a shower cabin on the furthest wall and bathtub on the right wall, a ceramic toilet, and a sink on the left. Venera decided to go for the shower, in the end, expecting the prince any minute now. She took the quickest shower she could. She didn't allow herself to savor the smell of jasmine that radiated from the shampoo and coconut from the soap.

After getting out of the bathroom she dressed into one of the two pair of jeans she took from home and her favorite T-shirt - a beige crew neck with small writing on it, written with bloody red letters "Be quiet and behave" in Italian, the title of a hit song from her favorite Italian band, Dan had gotten her for the birthday a few years ago.

It was getting late and the prince hadn't returned, contrary to his promise. Venera was beating herself up over thinking so highly of him. She made sure all her belongings were still in her bag, certain she would be going home tomorrow. Or worse, she was going to be taken to be interrogated by the king for everything she had revealed to the prince. She was ready to die, to keep the 10 safe, but she would have liked to at least give them the information about the guards.

She finally convinced herself to go to sleep. Manny was constantly tapping his foot just outside her door, so she took it upon herself to bring him a valerian tablet so he would stop. She put her headphones in and put a playlist on to distract herself from the sound, which was driving her insane while trying to fall asleep. His tremors were probably worse than she had initially thought.