Adina stared at the white dress on her bed.
She had just finished bathing and is now drying her hair, a silk blue cloth wrapped around her body. She stood in front of the mattress, speechless, unable to peel her eyes from the exquisite fabric.
It was lace! But not just any lace! It was ARANI LACE. Painstakingly harvested and crafted from only the most poisonous spiders in the desert land of Saharath, they go retail for one piece of gold a yard. Is she... is she really allowed to wear something so grand?
"Are you... are you sure this is the right dress, Leala?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Leala replied as she came over to Adina's side. "Is there anything wrong about it?"
"No! Not at all. I was just... it's so... nice. I'm not used to it."
Leala laughed. "I'm surprised that you're still surprised. I thought you'd be used to it by now. I mean, just look around you." She gestured to their room, where the floor is made of marble and the walls are painted murals that shine like glass in the golden hour.
Of course. Why was she so surprised? Heck, even the bathrooms were luxurious. So many oils and scents and something Leala called... shampoo. Her hair had never felt so soft nor looked so shiny before.
"We're always expected to dress well during dinner," Leala reminded her. "We have mocks for when we brew potions during the day time, but the evening dress is expected to reflect our status. Believe me when I say we will be far from the most opulent there later."
"I don't care much about looking expensive," Adina replied. "I'm just grateful I could even experience this." She primly picked up the dress and Leala did her hair into a simple flower-woven plait.
"Come." Leala led her to a mirror and Adina gasped. She had never looked so clean before. So...fresh. So presentable. She was so used to the dust and dirt of Mercantil, she never even considered that she could look...beautiful.
She could do with a bit more meat on her cheek bones, but this is good. This is good. She felt like a new person.
Just then, the bell rang.
"Finally!" Leala shouted, just as a loud grumble came from her stomach. "Dinner time!"
The grand dining hall of the Nightshade Palace stretched before Adina, its brilliance even more blinding than the corridors they traversed on their way inside. The colorful murals of those walls had nothing on the magnificent painting on the ceiling, a tantalizing tapestry of colors that glimmers like the stars.
The air was rich with the tantalizing aroma of a sumptuous feast, of tangy sweetness, of flavors that screamed both indulgence and of poison. It would be a ghastly sight for the non-poisoners for sure, but a marvelous one for the poisoners.
The hall had eleven tables in total. Ten positioned vertically across the entire room, and one big table that faced all the rest resting on a platform positioned at the far side wall.
The head table, as Leala called it, sat at least a foot higher than the rest of them. It's accessible enough from the side stairs, but she imagines it's much more comfortable to just hop on and hop off.
Only five out of the thirteen chairs were occupied at that moment. The middle--gilded gold and bigger than all the rest--was reserved for His Majesty, The King. The seat to his right is delegated to the Royal Advisor while the left side is reserved for the High Poisoner. The seats next to those are occupied by the Rank 2s, which is probably who those girls are.
The one on the left, the brown-haired one, looked disinterested and gloomy. She looked like she wanted nothing else but to ditch the banquet, to just leave and return to the solitude of her room. The other one, whose hair is ashy-white, looked the opposite. Her eyes twinkled as they roamed the room, taking everything in with curiosity and great gusto.
"There are only two of them," Leala whispered. "Four Rank 3s so far. I wonder where the fourth one is, though."
Adina followed Leala's sight and saw the three poisoners that accompanied her here giggling at each other. There were many seats still, but for some reason they chose to be at the other end of the table, with Arsenia closest to the middle, Morgana at the very end, and Viperia right between them.
True to poisoner fashion, the girls looked more exquisite than anyone else in the room. Arsenia looked particularly lovely in a plum dress, and Viperia shone in a green that reflects her emerald slit-eyes perfectly. Morgana looked rather innocent in red, but she looked divine, especially with her golden hair styled into a crown braid.
They spotted Adina and waved at her, and she waved back. Leala quickly led her to the farthest table on the right, seating her between other girls and women also clad in white.
An older girl, Lenara, greeted them as they sat. She gave a passing smile to Adina but met Leala with a bone-crushing hug. "Good to see you're still alive, sister," she teased.
Adina looked back and forth between the two girls. Sister? No wonder they had such an uncanny resemblance.
"This is the only table with untainted food," Lenara explained after the usual pleasantries were over. "You might want to try these first before you try the more toxic ones."
Adina blinked and smiled wanly. "Just until you build immunity," Lenara clarified. "We can never be too careful now, could we? Especially as a newcomer, it's best to take it slow."
Adina nodded, though she was rather disappointed. The poisoned food smelled amazing, and after learning that untainted food can't satiate her like tainted food does, she was very willing to try most things.
She was especially craving those mushrooms at the other table, juicy and dripping red like the ones she saw in her visions. Still, she restrained herself and contented herself with spiced potatoes.
The goddess must be looking after her though, for a poisoner one table away approached her not five minutes later. She had a sly smile on her face and a rather dangerous look in her eye, but Adina was disarmed by the plate in her hands, which contained exactly what she liked.
"I saw you eyeing the mushrooms," she said. "Here. And a few other select choices just for you."
Adina gulped. This girl was only a bit older than her and extremely pretty. What are the chances she was actually talking to HER? "Um, thank you," she responded shyly.
"No worries. You're new here, right? My name is Miseria." She extended her hand and Adina shook it. She felt a momentary sting, but chose not to take notice of it.
"Adina," she replied.
"Welcome, Adina. Enjoy the dinner."
Adina smiled, then looked at Leala and Lenara who only gazed at her with utter horror.
"What?" she mouthed. Their expressions made her anxious as well, but they averted their eyes and refused to give her a reply other than a very subtle shake of the head. She then realized that everyone in the room was staring at her. Waiting, watching, judging.
She froze, not knowing what she did wrong, and just looked down on her plate. Despite her discreet glances for help, no one was speaking. No one even dared breathe loudly.
Just what is going on? She wondered.
"Well, are you going to eat?" Miseria hedged.
Adina's eyes widened. So that's what they were waiting for. This was a challenge. Another test. She looked at the food in front of her and no longer felt so eager. Goddess, why her? Why now and why here of all places?
Still, it's not like she has another choice, does she? What if they kick her out over this? She doesn't want to die! She needs to prove herself. She needs to show them she IS capable.
So she sat up straight, lifted up her chin, and refused to make eye contact with anyone. She then took her fork, and began to eat.