I reincarnated as an elf .......and married the yandere villainess.-Chapter 88:Fall
Atheline took measured steps as he walked toward the massive door.
The distance between the high table and the great door of the banquet hall wasn’t too far but at the moment it stretched way too long.
The black carpet doubled slightly, then returned to normal, but Atheline’s body couldn’t react to his doubled vision.
His breath was carefully controlled but beneath it all, the poison surged like a storm crushing through his body.
The previous poisonous heat had doubled now, coiling around his chest pressing tighter and tighter.
The thump in his chest was audible to his ears almost deafening him. Despite remaining calm, he was still worried it would be too loud.
At the moment Atheline was starting to lose his hearing but some filtered words could still reach him.
He pressed forward despite the need to just let his body go. His trimmed nails dug into his palms as he held himself up with pure willpower.
’Not here, I can’t let it happen under these many people.. Closer.. the door....outside.’
While he did need a form of undeniable alibi, he still didn’t want to stir the pot while inside the banquet halls.
It wasn’t meant to be private but he wanted a guard to inform her.
This would create better tension and remove her doubt from him for a while before she turned to him.
The door loomed ahead, slightly opened. Guards stood on each side, their gaze watching the nobles.
Atheline dragged himself until he reached the midpoint of the stretch.
He was starting to feel tired despite only walking halfway to the door.
He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
A servant passed by him quietly, but Atheline didn’t notice that his goal was set.
Nobles sitting by the walkway half-glanced at him but didn’t notice any difference. They went back to their conversations moments later.
’Thank the light, I’m going to make it’
He could see the door right in front of him, but fate doesn’t play favorites all the time.
The fourth wave hit.
This time, the poison was determined to bring him down. A sudden and violent emptiness ripped through his chest as if something was tearing him from within.
Atheline felt his throat clog up for a moment before his breathing went back to normal.
His vision darkened almost causing him to stumble but he managed to catch himself and went back to normal a few moments later.
As he continued forward, he felt as though the world was tilting violently.
He suddenly came to a stop just short of the door.
’Please not here’
He felt like his body was falling endlessly. His hand lifted instinctively as though to steady himself against something that wasn’t there.
He tried to take a step forward but he couldn’t even lift his legs.
His breath became shallow as his lungs started to feel as though they were drowning.
A guard noticed his weirdness and walked towards him or tried to.
"Sir.."
’Oh shit’
He didn’t answer the man, not like he had the capacity. Atheline let the poison take him.
His knees gave out under him. It was as though strength had simply left him and he couldn’t support himself anymore.
His body followed a heartbeat later. He fully collapsed near the door.
Atheline’s body didn’t touch the floor. Smaller hands came out of the dark and wrapped around his midpoint preventing him from hitting the back of his head on the floor.
The sight of Lilith teleporting and appearing drew everyone’s attention. That was when they noticed him in her hands.
Silence that could cut through the air spread as every noble , turned to look at the commotion.
Shock was the only thing dominating the noble’s brain.
"... Atheline..."
She lowered herself to the floor his trembling upper body fully leaning against her.
At the moment she didn’t care about decorum, the only thing that was going through her mind was making him as comfortable as possible.
Atheline’s body was burning hot, breath uneven and shallow but still conscious.
His vision blurred at the corner of his eyes and he could only see Lilith’s blurry face.
Her hand touched his body, face, collar, and pulse as she hurriedly tried to comprehend what was wrong with him.
Her hand came back to his cheek and rested there. Her voice reached his ears, low and too controlled. The panic she had shown earlier was forced down.
"What did you do?"
If Atheline weren’t helpless and felt as though he was being torn apart, he would have laughed at how perceptive she was.
She didn’t ask him what happened which clearly showed she knew everything happening before her was no accident.
His lips parted slightly as he forced a breath he could barely manage. He forced his eyes to focus just on her and the blurry outline slowly disappeared.
Her beautiful but worried face became clearer.
And there beneath the crushing consequences of the poison, her piercing gaze and the watching eye of the entire dark elven nobility he let the faintest trace of something dangerous slip through.
His carefully planned intent though not perfectly executed, was hidden beneath weakness. He let out a lie that was wrapped in truth.
"I suppose... " he murmured, his voice thin and uneven," I should not have taken what was yours."
Around them, tensions started rising especially after his words. Whispers started to spread as suspicion started to coil itself around the nobles’ ranks.
This was much more serious than a mere word fight especially for those who had visibly shown their displeasure with him.
Only three thoughts were going on in everyone’s present mind.
Who had poisoned him? Was this an attack on him? Or worse was it aimed at her through him?
This had already happened before but Lilith ignored any possibility because at the moment, she was angry and worried.
Someone would have to pay for this even if he had been the one to orchestrate it all.
