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Luka's icy, cold blue eyes narrowed as she studied the woman in front of her. She was on the ground below her, where she was supposed to be, Luka thought, her face contorted into a cruel frown as she looked at Gumi.
Luka's sister, Miku, had fallen in love with Gumi, the castle gardener. And since last month, Gumi had been persistent in obtaining the queen's favor before proposing to Miku. However, Luka would never give Gumi the favor she so badly wanted.
She might be swayed, but Gumi would have to beg her to even consider accepting her and Miku's union.
...Which was exactly what Gumi was doing.
"Tell me, Gumi, is this the extent of your resolve? Because, for someone who's trying to prove their 'undying' love for someone, this is rather pathetic." Luka's tone was cold, and her face was almost stoic. The gardener could see the cruelty in her eyes, under that thin veil of stoicism.
Gumi carefully got up, taking care to maintain constant eye contact with the taller woman. She was just as intimidating as the queen, and she needed to show her that she was not scared of Luka or her magic.
"Luka, y-you already know how much I love Miku," Gumi carefully took the lovebloom flower from her short sage hair, her face losing the expression of hatred and softening as the flower shifted from its normal spider lily red to a pretty blend of dusty teal and pastel yellow. These colors represented the two girls who held her affection, forever and always.
She gulped and looked up at the pink-haired queen. "Is this not enough proof of my love? Your family's own flower..."
Luka's answer came swiftly and cruelly. The woman grabbed the flower from Gumi's hand, tossing it behind herself. "It's not. These flowers aren't even close to enough proof. They can be manipulated so easily," she said, almost as if talking to herself.
Gumi cursed at herself. When Luka turned back, she noticed that Gumi's aura was no longer melancholy but instead a cocktail of sadness, anger, and desperation.
Gumi sighed, her determination breaking away piece by little piece. "Please, Luka, let me prove my and Rin's love for Miku. You're being cruel," she spoke to Luka's back as she fingered something in her dress pocket before pulling out a tiny vial.
Gumi's green eyes focused on the vial, a soft hourglass shape probably made of pink and purple crystal. She knew what the vial contained: Somniaflux poison. Her eyes wandered from the vial to Luka. Gumi had a thorough knowledge of the poison's capabilities, something she thanked Miku for giving her. But what exactly did Luka want her to do with it?
She was given her answer quickly as Luka turned around to her, Gumi's entire form radiating cruelty and sadism. The queen looked at Gumi's confused expression before finally speaking.
"I want you to drink it."
Gumi stammered as Luka tossed the vial toward her. She heard the witch's words, but it was almost as if her brain didn't process the command.
"W-what?"
Luka sighed, quietly traipsing closer to Gumi before repeating herself. "If you and Rin truly love Miku, you'll drink it. Prove how much you both love her."
As Gumi nodded, almost hesitantly, fear and determination mixed as she picked up the vial, her freckled arm shaking as she tightened her grip around it. Why was she so scared? She knew Luka wouldn't kill her, lest she incur the wrath of Meiko, Gumi's adoptive mother. She also had quite the pain tolerance, so really, she had nothing to be afraid of. And if drinking it meant that she and Miku would finally be happy and together, wasn't it worth it?
Gumi opened the flowery lid of the vial, softly shaking the toxic contents, and gave a sad smile, mostly to herself, as she looked at the vial above the neck.
"L-Luka... it's enough to kill me..."
A cold glint and a smile crept onto Luka's face, her head tilted. "Prove your love, Gumi. Show me how far you're willing to go for love," she said.
Gumi's heart sank as she raised the vial to her lips, already smelling the stench of the poison. It was red-hot and numbing.
She swore she could taste the smell too. It collected at the back of her throat and made her eyes water.
Quickly, Gumi raised the vial higher, squinting her eyes tightly as she felt the poison touch her lip. 'It wasn't all too bad yet,' she thought. The liquid only had a strange numbing sensation as it came in contact with her skin.
Luka watched with enthusiasm as Gumi downed more of the toxic liquid, just waiting for the poison to take effect.
As Gumi put the vial down and swallowed the bitter, honeyed liquid, she quickly felt a muted, fiery-red pain flow through her veins. Her vision went white-hot in quick flashes as she convulsed in agony. The pain built up in her body, searing through her veins like fire. Every breath she took felt like a struggle. Even with her super high pain tolerance, this had to have been the worst pain she'd ever experienced, or at least close.
When her vision returned, it was blurry, and the only thing she could see was a tall figure walking past her convulsing form into the halls, before closing the door and locking it behind them.
All Gumi could do was yell out as the doors slammed shut, and her vision went dark.