IGIWS FIRST DRAFT: Ch.368 The Game of Cat and Mouse.

Isabella Wrightwood couldn't help but feel stupid for agreeing with her husband's orders to back the Revelias. With each passing minute, it was becoming increasingly obvious that the Revelias were not the innocent victims they claimed to be.

'Why did I listen to that fool, and now, my hands are tied. The Revelias will be the end of me,' Isabella sighed and took a drink from her goblet. 'I'll try and salvage this situation only a couple more times, Leandra. You better make it count or I will have to pivot and back the Queen.'

"Fine. So, the possibility for her giving birth to the the next heir. But that doesn't—"

Isabella cut in, "Come, now, Duchess Leandra. All this combativeness isn't healthy to win the hearts and minds of the Court. Maybe sharing some of this fantastic wine might ease the tension."

Leandra looked at the Marchioness and got the hint as she noticed how uncomfortable her allies were while noticing the women, who were neutral starting to move closer to Rianna and her allies. 'Tsk! This fickle—No! That will only push them into the queen's arms and I'm not willing to risk that!'

"Yes, Lady Isabella, I think that's an excellent idea. After all, I would hate for the young ladies here to think their hostess was a bad sport."

Rianna brow raised slightly at the Duchess' statement and looked over at Leandra's allies. Rianna hasn't been in a wine mood of late and anytime she took a sip of the stuff seemed more sour than the last. She thought she was getting sick or that the wine was going bad, but no one else seemed to complain, besides Rya, and Dalia. She checked with the Royal Physician and he gets her a clean bill of health. He thought that her taste might be caused by a few things, one was that her taste buds were changing, or another possibility was that she might be pregnant. Rianna nearly laughed at the absurdity of the latter suggestion. She's forty years old and was poisoned by a nearly leather dose of Sterilith Bloom. Sure Rya expelled the toxin from her body but having the Sterilith Bloom was in her body for over two decades. Surely not even Rya's healing magic could reverse that, or so she thought. Plus, she was in her early forties and it was well known that most human women her age have a difficult time having children during that time. Plus, she had to be her early menopause that was the cause for her taste buds changing.

The doctor looked at the Queen with skepticism in his eyes, but it wasn't his place to tell the Queen what she was feeling, so he told her what his suspicions were, and told her to see him in a few weeks. Rianna had a good laugh about that, and she made a note to talk with him again if things change. Yet, she's never felt better after Rya healed her morning sickness and grew her Mana Vein to the point that she experienced Mana Lust.

***

Rianna was brought out of her thoughts when a servant came by with a tray full of Elven Ambrosia. Unlike human's, demon's, or angel's wines. Elf's wine had a more reddish-caramel color. One could mistake it as whiskey if they didn't know what it was. It also has a much more intoxicating effect on humans and some other races. Rianna looked at the enticing liquid, but her stomach churned, making what little appetite she had, vanish. Plus, how could she trust that Leandra didn't put another poison in this drink. However, Rianna was at a crossroads. When a host offers a group a drink, you should attempt to taste it. Such jesters of refusal is taken as a sign of distrust or ungratefulness. One had to verbally say why they wouldn't accept the cup, which was another insult to the host. And one should never insult the host unless they have a good reason.

The Queen could divulge that Leandra poisoned her in the past, which would put the Duchess in a tough spot with the Court. However, it was only Rianna's words, and if Leandra played it right, she could claim that this is some overreach on the Queen's part.

Rianna had to try to get out of accepting the wine without insulting the host. And that was a hard thing to do when your host was the one who poisoned you.

Leandra noticed her sister-in-law's hesitation and smirked. She thought that Rianna hated her so much that she was willing to insult her just to not have to taste the wine. 'I can use this against her,' she thought.

Leandra looked at the Queen with her piercing eyes and smiled. She asked, "Is there something the matter, my Queen? You seem to be hesitating. It's not like I poisoned the wine. Please, take a sip."

Some of Leandra's allies giggled, while others remained neutral. Some were surprised that the Queen would refuse to taste the host's wine. Rianna's allies noticed the Queen's hesitation and were worried that the neutral parties of Noblewomen would assume she was being rude.

'I guess I can hold the cup and pretend to drink it. But it makes me sick to my stomach giving this woman a compliment,' Rianna thought.

The Queen looked at the smug Duchess and tried her best to hide her disgust. Rianna slowly reached for one of the last two glasses of ambrosia and just before her fingers touched the cup, the Royal Wood Elf spoke.

"Where did you get this ambrosia?" Yuliana questioned the Duchess. The Elven Princess was struggling to hide her displeasure as her emerald eyes were transfixed on the reddish-caramel liquid.

Everyone glanced over to Yuliana as they were curious why she was asking about the origins of the wine.

Leandra looked at the Wood Elf with a puzzled expression. 'What the hell is her problem?... Does she think that this is inauthentic elven ambrosia? My husband assured me that this is the real thing—Oh!? She might be trying to make a fool out of me by trying to say that I purchased counterfeit ambrosia. That's not going to happen you tree hugging failure!'

Leandra quickly recovered her composure and replied, "This ambrosia was procured by a connection with the High Elves of course. This goes to show how influential my husband is. Even the High Elves want to be on good terms with him." The Duchess didn't really know the whole truth about how her husband got the ambrosia, but who would question the motives of the most powerful man in the kingdom?

Yuliana frowned, as she heard the Duchess' reply. The Princess knew that the Duchess was lying, because it reminded her of her wedding day with Valdas. However she needed to be one hundred percent sure that this ambrosia was the same one that her family received as a wedding gift from Valdas' family.

Yuliana picked up the glass and took a whiff of the fragrant wine. Her frown deepened when she felt her nose tingle from the familiar scent of this unique profile of ambrosia.

"What is she doing?" Whispered Noa Nattily Nyte to her friends.

"Maybe it's an Elven custom?" Questioned Cecelia.

"Perhaps the Princess is testing the wine for poison," Anastasia suggested.

Leandra wanted to snap at Anastasia for that last comment, but it would bring up unwanted for something she hasn't done in a few years.

Yuliana swirled the liquid around the cup and watched the velvet texture coat the inside of the glass. The Wood Elf Princess then slowly took a small sip and her eyes went wide, as the familiar flavor filled her mouth.

The Duchess took this as a good sign and thought there was no way this wood elf could claim something was wrong with her ambrosia. "Is it the real thing?" Leandra asked with a hint of smugness in her tone.

"Yes... It is..." Yuliana muttered as flashes of her cowardice husband came back into her mind. He was a handsome man, but rarely did he ever smile. It made her wonder if he enjoyed life at all.

Yuliana looked at the Duchess with a serious gaze. "Does the casks have an emblem on it with golden leaf and a white wyvern wing?"

Leandra didn't know why this elf was asking her these questions. She looked around to see if this was a trap set up by Rianna and her allies, but they seemed to be a perplexed by Yuliana's questions as she was.

The Duchess then looked to Isabella who gave her a look of confusion. Leandra knew this must have been important, but she had no idea what this elf was going on about.

"I believe it is... What of it?" The Duchess asked.

"It's ambrosia was a wedding gift from my husband's family... It was taken when my Kingdom fell to the Humans from Marn..."

One of the Noblewomen who was in the middle of drinking the wine nearly choked and spit the liquid back into her goblet. While most of the other ladies audibly gasped and whispered among themselves.

"S-She gave us wine from our rival Kingdom?" One woman gasped.

"And the Duchess tried to give the Elven Princess her own family's wine! She must have wanted to humiliate her. The poor thing has been nothing but kind," Another gasped.

"What a terrible insult!" A third added.

The corner of Leandra's lips started to twitch in frustration. It was only a moment ago that Rianna was in a position of weakness. Now, Leandra was the one facing defeat.

The Queen had to hide her joy of watching Leandra being put on the spot. She wasn't going to give her enemy the satisfaction of getting away with this and it gave her the perfect opportunity to not except the wine.

"So, Leandra... You were saying that your husband got this gift from the High Elves, huh?" Rianna called out her sister-in-law's lie in front of everyone.

"I-I... It was a—"

"A lie, yes... Now, can you tell us why your husband is getting gifts from our envious neighbors to the north, Leandra? Or should I ask you a more simple question like what aren't you telling us?"

"You little—! You dare call me a liar?" Leandra roared, but all this did was make anyone who sided with her coil up and move away from her.

"You say said the High Elves were the ones who traded you this wine. But low and behold it was from the Kingdom of Marn! So, yes. I'm calling you a liar, Leandra! And I'm sure you've been hiding other things from us, including your daughters!" Rianna countered sternly, making everyone gasp and whisper again.

"Oh, really!? Since you think you know everything terrible about my husband and I. What other terrible things is there that you think we've done?" Leandra shot back, her eyes narrowed in a challenging glare.

"Trying to kill me son—"

"This again!? Seriously, Rianna!? We've paid for our crimes against your son! What more can we do to prove that we atoned for our actions?" Leandra scoffed, believing that Rianna had nothing else on her or her family. But the Queen says her opening to drop the bomb.

"Well, there is one thing you can do for us to be even, Leandra," Rianna said in a cool tone, looking her sister-in-law in the eye.

"And that is?"

"Do you remember that lovely tea you gave me back when we found out that Cyndre was dubbed the next heir to the throne over Alaric?" Rianna asked, and she noticed that her words made Leandra tense up.

The ladies who were at that party so long ago almost forgot about that time when the Duchess gave Rianna that tea. Baroness Isolde Stirling, Baroness Elowen Windermere, Isabella Wrightwood, Alexandria Ingham, Countess Seraphina Valerian, Ysandra Fairchild, and Elizabeth Dule could remember that lovely fragrance that the tea had. But Leandra said she only had enough ingredients to make two cups and Leandra drank her's before the party.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I've given you plenty of tea in the past," Leandra replied with a hint of nervousness.

"Really? Because that was the only time I was given any of your special tea," Rianna shot back, which made Leandra's eye twitch. "I'll forgive everything you've done if you drink one cup of that special tea."

Leandra felt a lump in her throat, "Ahem... Well, I haven't been able to find anymore of that tea leaf—"

"You don't have to worry about that. I know the exact ingredients to make the same tea. I'll even pay for it myself. If you'll just have one cup, I'll forgive you," Rianna said, knowing full well she was making her sister-in-law's head spin.

Some of the Ladies of the Court were confused by Leandra's behavior. Especially, for the Ladies who wished they could have tried that tea back then. Something wasn't adding up, but they remained silent.

Leandra's jaw clenched tightly, 'N-No... She's just bluffing. Rianna is a horrible liar, and I can tell when she's bluffing.'

"Rianna, dear. It's not a good idea to lie about such a thing. This leaf is very rare and I haven't come across—"

"Royal Blue?" Rianna cut her off. Leandra's heart raced as the Queen listed the extremely rare moss that only grows in a secret place in the demon's continent. Very few humans know of its existence, but Ysandra Fairchild and her sister knew and it made them wonder what the hell is going on.

"How did you—"

"Don't worry about how I found out," Rianna replied, her voice growing cold.

Leandra looked around and noticed how all the women were looking at her. She tried to act like it was nothing and laughed.

"Well, if you want me to drink a cup of Royal Blue tea, then I'm—"

"With a healthy portion of Sterilith Bloom as well," Rianna cut her off once again, which made everyone in earshot go quiet.