"They're laced with poison. The kind I use frequently in my household. It's a poison so familiar to me that it has no effect. But for you? It will be your undoing."
He leaned closer, his tone almost conversational. "This poison, when it comes into contact with someone who isn't accustomed to it, causes numbness, followed by a gradual shutdown of the body. It starts with the limbs, then moves inward. Your brain—" He tapped his temple with a mocking gesture, "—is slowly dying. It's a slow, painful process."
Jiho's vision was blurring, and her breaths were becoming more labored. She tried to muster up her courage and strength to stood up but her body was not moving at all.
The Emperor's smile grew more sinister as he watched Jiho struggle. He continued with a tone that was eerily calm, as though he were discussing a mundane topic.
