Chapter 8 Poison

The soldiers pushed me into a dark and damp prison, and the rancid smell in the cell almost made me vomit. I had to crawl over smelly mice and cockroaches, and sewage from the ceiling dripped onto my skirt. I couldn’t even find a clean place to stand. Every time I moved my feet, something sticky would stick to them. I didn’t know if it was the body of a mouse or something else. In the cell opposite mine, two soldiers were abusing the prisoners. They had stripped the male prisoners naked, made them kneel on the ground, and were beating them with whips. The cries of the male prisoners made me feel appalled and helpless. I was so scared that I wanted to cry, but I could only crouch in the dark corner, not daring to make a sound. If I attracted the attention of those soldiers, I feared the whip in their hands would fall on me. What should I do? I curled up in the dark, tears streaming down my face and wetting my clothes. My once-gorgeous court-style long skirt was now cheap and contaminated with sewage from the ground. My silent crying caught Shirley’s attention, and she gave a low whimper. I knew she was trying to comfort me with words, but I was too sad to pay attention to her. I missed my family at that moment, especially my mother. Maybe she was right when she didn’t agree with my decision to enter the court! “You are not strong enough!” Shirley’s calm words were mixed with disappointment. “You must learn to be a brave werewolf!” “How?” I asked, feeling powerless and lifeless. “Put away your tears and don’t let anyone see your cowardice!” Shirley emphasized her tone of voice. “Right now, you are not being sentenced to death. You are just being held as an unidentified person. You have to believe that you are the prince of Luna, and no one can easily judge you for no reason!” “So, I’m going to pin my hope of living on a man? No, it’s a man who only had a one-night stand with me!” I laughed bitterly at myself. “It’s a partner, a partner!” Shirley showed some impatience. “You have to wait. The goddess of the moon will take care of you!” “Oh, yes, yes,” I said, feeling perfunctory. My wolf no longer ignored me, and she snorted coldly before falling into a long silence. The prisoner in the opposite cell stopped making any noise. Two guards tied the prisoner’s ankle with a chain and dragged him away like a dead dog. Bloodstains on the ground loomed in the dim candlelight, and a chill swept through the cell, making me rub my arms. In this dark cage, it was impossible to tell day from night. There was another silence, and I couldn’t hear anything except my breathing. It seemed like I was the only one in the whole prison now. I unconsciously touched the necklace around my neck, and the emerald still shone in the dim environment. I pulled up my skirt and tried to cover the jewels on the necklace. In case its light caught the attention of the guards, I couldn’t guarantee that it would still belong to me. I didn’t know how long it had been, but I heard footsteps approaching from a distance. The sound of leather shoes rubbing against the floor grew louder and finally stopped in front of me. It was a guard with a plate in his hands. The guard opened the prison door with an expressionless face and placed a silver plate with food on the ground. “Dinner!” The guard said briefly. I glanced at the food on the plate, which only consisted of bread and water. At the moment, I had no appetite. Just as the soldier was about to turn away, I finally gathered the courage to stop him. “Excuse me, what crime have I committed?” I whispered. “I don’t know!” The soldier closed the prison door and was about to lock it. “Wait, didn’t the prince tell you anything about me? Like when can I leave here?” I asked, my hand on the prison door and my face almost pressed against it. The guard looked around warily before locking the prison door and saying in a low voice, “The prisoner opposite you was locked up by the prince for stealing. Now that he’s dead, do you think the prince will care if you’re dead or alive? No one cares about the life and death of prisoners here, no one!” I immediately let go of the prison door. The guard didn’t say anything else to me, and his footsteps soon faded away. The sound of the plate being knocked over on the ground rang in my ears, and I looked down to see my dinner now belonged to the mice. Several mice were greedily crawling on the plate, eating the bread, and the cup of water had fallen to the ground. I sighed helplessly and leaned back against the prison door. The moonlight shone through the narrow and dusty window, casting a faint light. Suddenly, I heard the hoarse groans of the mice. The mice that were still feasting on my dinner were now lying stiff on the ground, their bellies bulging as if they had been stuffed into a small ball. “Poison in dinner!” Shirley exclaimed, surprised and angry. Someone had tried to poison me. But who? Was it Leon?