Anybody But You

77

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Vibe: Love by Matt White

"The hell, Alice!" Narcisse hissed, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to wave the citrusy rose scent away—his face scrunched up from the sour and bitter—yet sweet—taste on his tongue.

With excited eyes, Alice leaned forward after avoiding the potion herself—her gloved hands flat on the marble as she watched him anxiously. "How do you feel?"

"Irritated." He grumbled, his closed eyes stinging. "... but refreshed." He added after a second.

"That's the top notes of the potion—the citrus." Alice nodded enthusiastically with a smile, "if I did it correctly, it should almost feel like you're being purified—that would be from the lemon. Your emotions should feel at ease and lighter." She watched with satisfaction as Narcisse's permanently annoyed face softened almost instantly, "And the orange should increase that feeling into brightness—blissfulness."

"Did you just drug me with happy magic, miss Alice?" Narcisse chuckled, opening his eyes finally.

Alice hummed, watching the dark of his eyes swirl with the effects of the magic. "The middle note—rose—should balance your emotions now; ground you as any unrest left is met equally with gratitude and affection for yourself..." she trailed off, the uncertainty in her voice becoming evident as Narcisse's expression became hazy from his modified state of mind.

His head shook as his eyelashes fluttered, trying to blink clear the magic. "...it is rather strong..." He forced out of his teeth as he grunted in discomfort. "... far from balancing, Alice—I feel... too much."

Taking a step back as she observed him carefully, Alice bit her bottom lip, "...I may have made the rose too strong." She admitted, noticing as Narcisse's eyes lingered longingly on her face for a moment before he roughly averted his gaze as he practically tore his own eyes off her. "...I suppose it might influence one to find affection in others—rather than just with oneself..."

"...I see." Narcisse broke the silence after a moment, shaking his head as he closed his eyes tightly—his cheeks flushed. "Perhaps I should leave then."

Chewing on her lip curiously, Alice hummed, "No... you should definitely stay."

She had to study the affects and how the ingredients reacted over time.

Narcisse shook his head, his expression troubled as he rubbed his face, "What if I do something? ...I should definitely leave." He muttered, worry laced in his voice.

Alice shook her head surely, "You won't do anything to me."

Rose was often used for self-love potions and potions that illuminated affections. Hurting the object of your affection—whether it be yourself or someone else—was an impossibility while under its spell. Because love, at its foundation, was not formed by pain. Love was formed by complete acceptance. It was an overwhelming sensation, however, it was not a dangerous one in its most primitive form.

Narcisse opened his eyes, wincing as she came into his focus. He stepped back again, his hand clenching the material over his chest. "Remind me to be angry with you after this wears off because I'm finding it impossible to feel anything other than..." he trailed off, trying to explain the sensation, his breath coming out in a hiss "...other than this bloody bleeding heart."

Nodding, Alice quickly noted down her findings in her notepad. While the spell didn't work how she had wanted it to, there was still a lesson to be learned.

"My god." Narcisse groaned, leaning down to rest his heated head on the cold countertop. "What the hell is this, Alice? ...I would die for you right now."

Alice nodded dismissively, "It's too bad I can't secretly spray an entire room full of people with this stuff." She sighed, her brain turning out tricks as she thought. "But maybe if I could reverse the affects somehow—create a potion that attracts people to the person who is wearing the potion, rather than the person wearing the potion feeling attraction to others." She frowned. "And lower the dosage of course so it's a subtle manipulation that feels natural." Bending down to rest her chin on her arms, she watched Narcisse roll his pink tanned face, left cheek to nose to right cheek and back again, along the marble. "What's it like? Try to explain it for me, please. Are you aware these sensations aren't actually yours?"

Narcisse let out another groan, "I know you're using me to help you do something wicked again..." he looked up with a desperate expression on his face, "And yet all I want to do is be of use to you." He admitted, his eyes conflicted, "It's like my mind is being played with... I know it's not completely mine. But getting you to smile is more of a priority than overcoming the feelings."

Alice rolled her lips into her mouth as she thought—Narcisse melting down into the counter again. Reaching over, she pushed his damp hair out of his sweaty face; checking his temperature. He was burning up, the heat emitting from him a concerning temperature as she frowned—what was that from? Caressing his burning cheek, she chewed on her bottom lip anxiously.

"Your touch is like heaven... I have never wanted to make love to someone as much as I want to make love to you—I want to hold you in my arms and memorize every part of you... I just want to touch you, Alice." Narcisse confessed in a low groan, looking longingly up at her now equally as flushed face. Grabbing the roots of his hair as he rested his elbows on the counter, he shook his head—lost to the feelings swirling within him, "I swear, Alison, you're the only woman I will ever want. If you can't become my princess or my queen or the mother of my children, I will give up my entire kingdom right now." Closing his eyes, his eyebrows cinched together with pain in his features, "It's like my heart is beating only for you."

Finally shaking herself from her speechlessness, Alice shook her head clear, "Um, as tempting as that all is, your highness," she squeaked, grabbing his face as she urged him to stand up straight, "As soon as this potion wears off, you're going to want to murder me—not bed me." Promising him, she began mixing ingredients together—trying to recreate a well known purification potion before his fever caused him harm.

"You underestimate just how badly I want you, Alice." Narcisse disagreed, "I would have you in a moment even without this goddamn magic."

"What a lovely thought," Alice rolled her eyes, dismissing his third confessional of the day.

Adding a pinch of the crystal dust with the lemon infused oil, she took ginger tea and added dandelion into the water from the mountains up north. Using magic to heat the water, she added the lemon and crystal—creating a soothing glimmering cup for the prince. Modifying it by strengthening the purification abilities, she handed it to the lovestruck fool.

"Drink." She ordered, "Before you confess to me to death."

~*~*~

A.N.

Are you laughing? I'm laughing. Narcisse just nonchalantly confessing his love for Alice and she's just like "very nice, now drink this and shut up" lol Alice.

Thanks for reading, my dear readers! I appreciate you.

Also, quickly wanna add (since I forgot to on my previous AN) that gemstone powder when inhaled is dangerous in real life. Don't go making people inhale it lol. I'd stick to edible shimmer for inhaling and consumption purposes lol (it's normally just sugar). Or if you're fancy, gold dust is safe to eat, but again, don't breathe it in. Keep your lungs safe x

Oh and I will be making a ✨recipe✨ chapter for all of Alice's concoctions. (After the 100 chapter I'll have a few things like character aesthetics etc.)