The King Is Just a Puppy

Chapter 3- Karma Is a Bitch

I felt the blush rise onto my cheeks. Why would he say something like that? So bold. Wait for a second; he was blackmailing me! Maybe I could use this to my advantage. So I stepped towards him and fell into his arms. Faces centimeters apart. I whispered, "So be it." Then we fell into a kiss. His tongue gently caressed mine as we clung to each other. It was obvious we would soon have to break away for air, but I didn't want to. He had tasted like warm blueberry scones freshly taken out of the oven. A thought boggled me. Why was he so willingly able to betray Catherine? It didn't matter right now because for me the king is just a puppy.

The next day I got to my chores and plotting. How could I get rid of her? When I went to get my bucket. A letter was in it. It was from Anne. Dread flooded my veins. I was shocked. My deadline was coming soon. Frantically I rushed to an empty room and pulled out the letter. The words danced through my mind it said:

Dear letter recipient,

Thank you for all your hard work. Alas, time is running out. My dog is about to die. She had been promised a quick recovery but refused to take her medication. So it is said she will perish just after the dawn of the summer solstice. I thank you deeply for your help, my good friend.

Signed,

Anne

The letter had a clear message. Anne hadn't wanted anyone to decipher it but the message was blatantly obvious. If I didn't kill Catherine I would die in 5 days. I needed her gone.

Shortly after that, I made my way to the corridor where Catherine was. I obviously couldn't blatantly kill her. No, she was too smart and too fast for that. I would have to be conniving. Though simplistic for an assassination attempt I decided to poison her afternoon tea with the duke and frame it on the cook. I would normally have gone for something more extravagant but there isn't much room when your head is on the chopping block.

I took it to myself to pick up the tea. Quickly underneath my sleeve, I slipped some poison into the cup on the left. I put the vial in the cook's pocket after I "bumped" into him. As I walked to Catherine I saw my face in the pink reflections of the cups. What would younger me think if she saw me now? I was an assassin betraying those who thought me to be a friend. If I hadn't met Anne I could have had a different life. Maybe I could have been a tailor's apprentice by now. No. There was no time to reflect on that. More realistically I would have been a prostitute. The world isn't nearly that nice. I shook those thoughts out of my head. I had a mission to complete.