The Tale Continues (Saiunkoku Monogatari Fanfiction: Ryuuki x Shuurei lemon)

Chapter 74: Just a Bluff

On the fourth day, Jyuusan was back by then and she was surprised when she saw Shuurei looking so worried.

''Shuurei-chan what's the matter?'' she called.

''Jyuusan I'm glad I saw you. Please come with me,'' Shuurei said and Jyuusan was surprised when they went to Seiran's mansion. Shuuei, Ryuuki, and Kouyuu are also there. ''What happened to Seiran?'' Shuurei inquired in a worried voice and Jyuusan's eyes widened.

''He suddenly collapsed. We have already asked the doctors to check on him. They said it is out of exhaustion. It seems he did not sleep nor rest for days,'' Ryuuki informed them.

''We found these in his clothes,'' Shuuei showed them small containers filled with different liquids.

Jyuusan quickly check the labels. ''A – Antidotes for poison?!'' she exclaimed. Her face paled. ''He is safe right?'' her voice had risen to an octave. Shuuei eyed her.

''Yes. He is just sleeping,'' Ryuuki replied and Jyuusan loudly sighed in relief. She even sat on the floor.

''Jyuusan please calm down,'' Shuurei said as she helped her up.

''He had been asking and reading about poison the past days. The doctors found no poison in his blood though so we're investigating these antidotes,'' Shuuei explained.

''He had asked me books about poison too,'' Kouyuu supplied.

''Now that you said that, I remember father telling me that Seiran asked him if he knew what kind of poison can be added to a lipstick,'' Shuurei added.

Jyuusan sat down on a chair and her head dropped on the table. ''That idiot!'' she pounded the table. ''I can't believe that the most promising of the princes is such an idiot.''

''What's the matter? Do you know anything about this?'' Shuurei asked.

''Please forgive me. This is all my fault,'' Jyuusan admitted with a deep sigh.

''What?!'' they all looked at her.

''Well it's not totally my fault. Who would have thought that he would be stupid enough to believe that I would do something like that,'' Jyuusan said more to herself than to them. Shuurei sat beside her indicating that she would listen. Shuuei, Kouyuu, and Ryuuki did too. Jyuusan sighed and told them what happened four days ago.

''Y-you poisoned him through a kiss?'' Shuurei cannot believe what she heard.

''I didn't. He was the fool who believed what I randomly made up that instant since I did not want to talk about what we were talking about then. I was just bluffing so I could run away,'' Jyuusan revealed. Her listeners did not know how to react. They wanted to laugh.

''I thought that after giving some thought about what I said he would realize that it was just a lie. But since I am not around for the next three days, that must have made him think I really poisoned him.'' Jyuusan sighed again. ''Now I'm the villain. Why would I even do such a dangerous thing,'' she said in exasperation.

''What did he do to you that be believed that you really poisoned him for vengeance?'' Ryuuki queried.

''It's nothing really. I am the one who asked a favor but he must have felt responsibility for it until now,'' Jyuusan replied. She did not want to reveal what happened between them.

''What will you do now then? Will you tell him that you bluffed him and all his efforts are actually for nothing?'' Kouyuu probed.

''Maybe I'll tell him that he found the right antidote,'' Jyuusan scratched her head.