Chapter 25 It Seems Everytime I Black out— Things Get Worse
Now, we’re going to go back— a little further back to the moment when Maeve had mentioned having to focus more on the Approval Ratings… which she did, by the way, she had to.
And she realized Approval Ratings all meant high levels of emotions regarding the other person who was feeling said emotion.
It clarified that Lucien had a better handle of his emotions, until of course, he didn’t.
Adrian had high levels of emotions— and she wasn’t sure if this was when it regarded her or that was just default him, which sort of confused the whole Icy Duke thing, didn’t it?
Cassian… Cassian’s rating rose that one time. At the meadows. Suddenly. Unprompted too. And it had not since then. Which really felt like a whole big question mark madness honestly.
Amir’s was the most steady of all of them. Reasonable. Careful. Warranted and steady.
The Queen— didn’t move. Wasn’t moving. Just one time. One score. 1000+.
Maeve had asked once to see her Approval Rating score, something she had not expected NACE to respond with an actual score, \[945\].
Which meant it had a use!
It was also why she was looking at the skills. Maeve was fully aware of the fact that NACE would not make things easier for her, especially after she was unkind enough to limit it to a contract, but it wouldn’t lie if it involved the betterment of the story— or its continuation.
When she looked at each skill, she realized that there had been no time limits, nothing to warn her about each constraint that would apply. So, as any normal would, she decided to check if using those scores would apply to using her skills and if she could buy a specific amount of time with her scores.
And it worked!
After she had convinced Amir to make toxins out of the plants around them and feed them to her, she realized that all that had happened would lead to the ability, poison detection, being alerted, and… and well, another notification would flush it out as vomit really.
So no passing out, just extremely uncomfortable throwing up.
Then she made him take it while she held his hand. Just a little.
It didn’t affect her.
It took about sixteen tries of her trying to figure out if she could use her ability on him as her Vessel to see if it would work. And it did. Only when she gave him a drop of her blood. Of course, he hadn’t been aware of it. She just dropped a bit of it to see if it would work.
It did.
And it showed this notification, \[ABILITY: POISON DETECTED\]
Didn’t affect him that time. Just ended with her throwing up.
(But I think that’s too much to put on all of you at once so I’m going to explain later and go further to where we’re supposed to be currently be in the storyline)
When Maeve woke up, she could barely move.
She felt as light as a feather, like an actual twig that had been left under the sun for years to dry out and wither away. Right in front of her were Isabella’s parents, surrounding her bed with worry etched all over their faces, though the moment she woke up, Leander was right on top of her body, “My baby girl!”
She felt him being yanked off her. “Leander, please! She needs rest!”
“N-no,” Maeve didn’t sound like herself as she said it. She sounded like a hollow ball, wheezing out whatever last breath of air she could pull out of her body as she said with her arm outstretched like a desert person seeing an oasis, “I-I need—”
Guinevere leaned in, her hand over her daughter’s head. “Yes, my sweet child. What is it that you need? We shall make it available to you as soon as possibly,”
Maeve took in a large deep breath before saying in a low squeak, “Three laps of chicken in chicken soup, Bone broth, but rich. Extra salt. Soft rice, overcooked on purpose. Boiled carrots. Plain potatoes, mashed badly but lovingly. Warm water. Not hot. Ginger slices. Thin, in honey inside the water. That bland porridge the sick get, but upgraded. A little butter. Just a little,”
Then swallowed as if her throat refused to work and said hoarsely, “A-And an apple juice with a lemon on its side— for me to admire, of course,”
Guinevere stared, almost as if she was taken aback, but after a few seconds, Leander let out a small chuckle, and the woman smiled after, her hand reaching out to brush Maeve’s damp hair, “You are still our lovely disappointment,”
Maeve managed a small grin as she swallowed again. “You are never getting r-rid of me that easily,”
Guinevere’s face suddenly flashed into anger as she grabbed Maeve by the hair, yanking it upright, “IS THAT WHY YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL ME BY GIVING ME A HEART ATTACK?!”
Maeve turned to Leander who was on the other side, her hands stretched out, “Help me—” The words never fully left her lips as a deadpan expression came on her face. Leander was now facing the wall, acting completely oblivious to her plight. She closed her eyes. “Ah. Trust in men. How foolish of me,”
In the next hour, Maeve had a tray of everything that she had asked over placed over the bed on a tray and high legs so she could pick her food easily with ease while Guinevere paced back and forth in front of her, snapping in a tone she had never heard the woman use, “— and I blink just for one second, and you’re gone! You were poisoned a few days ago but before we could let anything slide, you were gone once again, and we barely ever see you! If you’re not in your room locked up, then you’re downstairs, in public view, working. And when you’re working, do you take a break?!
“No! No breaks! No rest! And now, you return to me! Sick! Again— and Leander, do not feed her. We are both supposed to be yelling at her!”
Leander who was currently sitting next to his daughter managed a small nervous smile. “She looks very adorable, my love. Reminds me of when she was three. She grew too quickly,”
Guinevere let out a sigh, her hand moving to her temples as she rubbed it.
She was a woman of grace, of decorum and took matters like this seriously— but as she opened her eyes, she did see it. Her daughter looked like she had just fallen into a plate of pudding as she stared back at her, blinking with an innocence she had not seen in days.
She sighed and sat beside her. “Would you be telling us about your recent adventures?”
“I don’t want you to worry,”
“Of course,” Guinevere smiled softly again. This person truly was different, but even now… even now, she couldn’t help how she leaned in and wiped away some mash potatoes from her nose, “You should be more careful,”
“Mhmm,” Maeve hummed softly before looking around, pausing slightly. “Where is Lucien?”
“Training. He has been training since you passed out.”
“He also had a fight with the elf person,” Leander cut in. Guinevere passed him a glare which had him looking slightly nervous before he turned to his daughter and whispered, “Apparently, it was because of you.”
Guinevere began rubbing her temples again.
Maeve kept her eyes on the Count as she picked up her apple juice, taking a sip as she asked, “Really? Give me all of the details,”
Leander moved in closer, “Well, Lucien won the duel but it seemed you passed out before he could award you with his gift. Lucien heard you had thrown up Cassian before that happened and somehow blamed Amir for it, and according to the rumors, Amir admitted in doing something of the sort,”
Maeve gasped, “In public?”
“I wondered the same thing!” Leander cut in, his hand moving towards her carrots, “Anyway—”
She quickly caught his hand. “My Lord, just because I listen to you petty gossip does not mean you are allowed to have no respect, but because I bear your blood, I will allow it this once— allow you to take your hand off. I’m giving you nothing,”
Leander sighed, moving his hand away, “Anyway, it seemed Prince Cassian heard this and ordered Duke Adrian to arrest and take him away,”
“WHAT?!”