Second Chances

The poisoned food

He looked better today, his allergy had left markings on his skin, which would take a few days to leave, but his complexion was still normal. I thanked God for the improvement.

When we reached, the maids pulled our seats, sitting together, he greeted me.

"Your highness," he courteously bent his head a bit.

I nodded and asked, "Lord Kendrick, how do you feel now?" Trying my best to fill my voice, I stared into his eyes with anxiety.

Although it wasn't necessary, he lowered his head a bit. Has he now avoided eye contact? I tilted my head to gaze down at his face, but his face stayed there staring down.

"I'm all right, your highness. You didn't have to worry about these little things, "Without even making eye contact, he replied.

"Lord Kendrick, it wasn't a trivial thing, you could have been hurt. For my ignorance and causing you such pain, I apologise." Whilst I knew about his allergy, my maids did not, and it contributed to the current issue, but my apology was genuine.

"It didn't look like you're unaware of my allergy, your highness," he said, glancing at me finally.

Now I could see his frigid eyes, I felt a cold sweat bursting out of my back when I found his cold eyes. My body felt hot, on one hand. On the other hand, I immediately recalled the last moments of my life. His expressionless face when he had ordered to kill me.

Was the wind blowing on me? On my neck, I felt cold. I shook because I felt that the execution blade in my past life had slashed my neck. My eyes started to turn black. The eyes of the boy who I just encountered in my darkened view came to mind. The boy's eyes overlapped with those which I met for the last time.

My blood was frozen just at that time. The icy force that started to radiate from my heart flowed over me and tightly tied me.

I couldn't react as if my voice was lost, so I kept looking into his eyes.

'He thinks I've done it deliberately. But how did that come about? In the morning, the condition was not so severe. Did he think about it and then come to this conclusion, or did someone in his mind encourage this thought?'

I was so lost that I forgot dinner, I forgot the purpose, I just felt the anguish.

He eventually saw the table where the food had been decorated as a piece of art. I knew every meal was his favourite from the past. I had ordered them to prepare them just like he had eaten when we were going out to parties.

"I hope the food is to your liking Lord Kendrick," I asked him.

I hoped to receive his forgiveness and to make him realise I tried to better, in the hope of explaining that I meant no harm, in the hope of melting ice that had frozen his heart.

In confirmation, he nodded his head and answered, "The Food looks excellent, your majesty."

"Then why is your voice so bland," I wanted to question, but the words were gulped down.

I nodded and answered, "Let me serve you, Lord Kendrick,"

He nodded, but I felt a sneer running away from his mouth, but his face was as impassive as ever when I glanced at him. I blinked and looked again. But no, his expression was same as frozen.

I shook my head, believing that my past made me think of things that weren't there.

Putting every favourite dish of his carefully onto his platee, I waited until he started

"Your majesty," he added, putting on my plate the identical foods. "You ought to be the one to begin your majesty."

'He thought I had poison mixed now? How much does he distrust me?'

I smiled, but I knew it seemed worse than weeping, taking the fork next to my mouth, I tried my best to nibble the meat piece, that was tasting like a rubber.

I looked around to stop me from becoming more emotional. That's when I found my maids' sympathised and frightened faces and his maids' faces full of disdain.

"Am I so weak that even the servants now feel compassion for me?" My body felt revitalised by this fleeting thought and was filled with new vitality.

I smiled brightly at Kendrick, who looked puzzled as he tilted his face a little to look at me.

"Now, without anxiety, you may have your meal Kendrick, I tasted the dishes," I informed him bluntly, his thoughts, to gauge an expression from him.

I heard gasps again and his pupils were constricted, but the rest of the face was remained motionless.

Before I could say anything, he nodded and began dining, we royals didn't talk as if somebody was dead during table.

So I waited till he finished his meal so that I could finish my next objective for today.

My eyes were full of determination, I was ready to throw the bomb.

So when he set down the plate and wiped his mouth, I talked without waiting for the maids to clear the table.

"I have a proposal for you, Lord Kendrick," I stated with the best serene face and voice.

"A proposal, your highness," he inquired staring at me.

His eyes were far more normal now, not warm enough, but the coldness had at least disappeared. Everybody would think that he still was cold, but I could observe the smallest changes. He looked a little more comfortable in his posture. Food really gets to the heart.

"Yes, I wanted to go with you for a picnic," I responded, courageously, but my palms were all sweaty.

'What will his answer be?'

There was a shimmering disturbance in his eyes as if he tried his best to evaluate the enemy's onslaught but when he was confident of anything. The opponent did the contrary.