A year and a day. That was how long it took Suraya to realize she was utterly and irreparably in love with you.

It also happened to be the exact moment she realized she couldn’t kill you.

Zasmia had originally dispatched her there as a diplomat to broker peace with your country. While outright war had yet to be declared, tensions were rising, and the borders had begun shutting down one by one. All anyone could whisper about was how it would only be a matter of time before the first attack was launched. It had been centuries since the last war, but humans were always doomed to repeat the mistakes of their forefathers. It would once again be the younger generation suffering for the pride of the elder.

When the Queen had sent you a letter seeking reconciliation, many expected you to reject it. To everyone’s surprise, you’d responded positively, and before long you had welcomed Suraya into your home. Suraya the Emissary. Suraya the spy. Suraya, the one sent with explicit orders to gain your trust and then betray it, all for the sake of peace.

The idea was not new or novel to her. She was the Queen’s favorite pet, taken in from the streets and raised to be exactly what they needed her to be. Beloved as a daughter, deadly as a serpent. If there was ever a person who could achieve the impossible, it was Suraya. Be it garnering information that was only whispers in the wind or eliminating threats to the royal family, she was skilled in what she did. More importantly, she was subtle. There was no reason for you to suspect her of anything.

So she charmed you. She confided in you and became your confidant, flirted with you light enough to still be considered harmless, and reassured you that with your friendship alone a treaty could be forged.

All while freely giving her Queen every bit of intel that would help tear your kingdom down.

But Suraya hadn’t expected that while seducing you, she might be seduced in return. Even now, laying on a plush bed while her entire body throbbed in agony, she couldn’t tell when it had happened. If you had done it purposely or not, if you had known her betrayal from the start. All she knew was that at some point, she’d started to hang on your every word. At some point, seeing you became the bright spot in each day. At some point, she had started loving you. You were no longer a mission. You were the one person in the entire world for whom she would betray her entire country.

“Why am I still alive?”

She didn’t have to open her eyes to know you were there. Cowardly as it was, Suraya didn’t think she could handle seeing the expression on your face. She wasn’t the pour the poison in your cup, but she’d been the one who made it possible. Liquid Abanthium turned the victim’s blood into the consistency of curdled milk. It was a horrific death, though quick. How you’d gotten the antidote in time was added to the growing list of questions she had no right to.