The Duchess stood there frozen and it felt like time stood still as most of the Ladies of the Court knew what Sterilith Bloom was and the few women who didn't know were filled in.
"What is Sterilith Bloom?" Baroness Elizabeth Dule asked.
"It is a flower that can only grow where there are highly venomous pnets... It's used to make women barren, for a time being," Baroness Isolde Stirling informed Lady Dule. Isolde and the other women who knew about this toxic put two and two together. All this time they thought Rianna was the problem when she miscarried so much. But know it showed how incredible of a woman she truly was. She gave birth to one incredibly powerful child while inflicted with poison that can make women sterile.
Elizabeth was even more confused, "Barren?... Why would someone use—"
"It's used for courtesans and working women at brothels, Elizabeth... If true, it's the reason why our Queen struggled to give birth..." Countess Seraphina Valerian whispered to her. Elizabeth was a little shocked as she looked at the standoff in front of her. Elizabeth didn't want to believe that Leandra would do something so low as to poison the Queen, but it was becoming more and more evident.
"B-But how did, her Majesty, find out about it?" Lady Medalia asked the obvious question, and the others began to wonder the same thing.
Leandra's mind was racing and she only hoped that she could talk her way out of this mess. But the way Rianna smiled at the question only told her that her time was up.
"Do you dies really want to know the answer to that?"
The Ladies all looked at each other as if they all agreed with a nod.
"Well, we are curious, your Majesty," Elizabeth added.
"Very well," Rianna said with a sigh. "It all started when I secretly met up with my son in the city of Lomar. He had finally come home from his extended stay at Ironside. I was there to greet him and this mysterious Dark Elf that he wrote so much about. My son is quite enamored with her, and I, like most of you, was wary of this Dark Elf, at first," Rianna paused to gauge everyone's reaction. "That's when she noticed something was wrong with me. I didn't know at the time that she was a healing me and thought she was using some foul spell to humiliate me in front of my servants and son. However in reality, her healing magic was collecting and forcing out this lingering poison that was in my system. It was very..." Rianna paused as she remembered how good it felt when the toxin was getting pushed out through her vagina. It made her climax at the time and she thought Rya had forced her to soil herself. She was embarrassed to no end, and it wasn't until after she told her off was when she found out about the strange, disgusting greenish-brown mucus that was stuck on her panties.
"Un-unpleasant! Yes, it was unpleasant... I thought she succeeded at humiliating me," Rianna half-lied, but she recovered from it with a slight ugh.
The Ladies all ughed along with her, though none knew what was so funny. Rianna stopped and looked back at Leandra with anger.
"But to my surprise, I found this unpleasant mucus that came from me that was stuck on my undergarment... And since I was in the city of Lomar, I decided to give the great alchemist Raiden a visit. Where he did an on this substance that came from me... And do you know what he found, Leandra?" The Queen asked pointedly.
"N-No, your Majesty," Leandra answered weakly. She knew where this was going and she had no ideas on how to spin this.
"Raiden found that it was poison that had been put into my system," the Queen said, as she watched most of the Ladies' faces turn pale at the news.
The other dies gasped.
"And not just any poison... but Sterilith Bloom and a hint of Royal Blue. Do you know how much Sterilith Bloom was in me these past 25 years, Leandra? I think you do, but the poison was so much in my body, that I'm surprised it didn't kill me!" Rianna shouted angrily.
The dies all began to murmur amongst themselves and look at Leandra accusingly.
"S-Surely you must be—"
"Lying, Leandra!? Raiden estimated that the amount of Sterilith Bloom that was in me, would have made me barren for over three lifetimes! He said that a lesser woman could have died from that much poison!"
Leandra's face turned a ghostly pale, as Rianna started walking closer to her, which made the Duchess step back.
"Do you think that I'm lying, Leandra!?" Rianna shouted angrily, "Answer me!"
"Y-Your majesty, I-I don't know what you are—"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Rianna said curtly as she paced around the group of women. "It's almost comical, with how many times you and your family has tried to deprived our kingdom of its next heir... And the list keeps growing; from your husband's failed assassination attempt, to Marcus's abandoning my son in the Tomb of the Horde, and now we find out that even you, Leandra, stooped so low as to poison me, a family member and Queen."
Rianna then turned to Leandra's allies and added, "It makes me wonder how many of you were complicit in all these actions and how many of you are willing to put your own personal ambitions over the good of the kingdom?"
All of Leandra's allies looked around uncomfortably, as they realized what was going on. They had no idea that Leandra was this ambitious and was willing to poison the Queen.
"W-We had no idea the depths that the Duchess was willing to go, your Majesty. If we knew we wouldn't have sided with her," Lady Lakia Dordithas stuttered out as she didn't want to be roped in with Leandra's crimes. Medalia Phanza, Nysara Kalesas, and Cecelia von Falkenstein, all nodded in agreement.
Isabel knew that she couldn't stand by Leandra anymore. Whatever temporary alliance they had, was over. 'I can't believe my idiot husband, ordered me to help this foul woman! I knew Leandra could never be trusted! Now, my position in the Court is going to be questioned and I won't be able to get the things that I want.'
Isabel got rid of the goblet of ambrosia signalling to the Queen and Isabel's friends that she was not supporting the Duchess anymore. Alexandria Ingham, Cassandra Bckwood, and Lucinda Montcir all followed the Marchioness' lead.
Lucinda was relieved that her friend stopped backing Leandra. She thought, 'Good riddance to that snake! I don't know why she sided the Duchess in the first pce.'
Rianna was pleased to see some of Leandra's strongest supporters starting to change their allegiance. She then looked at the rest of the dies and asked, "I'm willing to give the rest of you a chance to change your loyalties. If Leandra is capable of poisoning her own sister-in-w, think about what she could do to any one of us. She's not above maniputing and using her fellow women for her own gains. I bet she's hiding things from all of you."
Lady Bethany von Maus, Katie Clements, and Cire Von Denska didn't need much convincing as they didn't have a personal agenda. The Duchess usually treated them like dirt on a good day and had no use for them. However, Baroness Evelina Dravenhart, Nysara Kalesas, Lakia Dordithas, and Cecelia von Falkenstein, didn't take Rianna's speech so easily. They were Leandra's closest acquaintances and have been with her since the day she was married to Aric.
Leandra's coalition was crumbling before her eyes and she needed to do something to stop the bleeding. But the only thing she could press Rianna on was her lie about Rya murdering her son. She only thought it was her best option because no one seemed to be able to refute her statement. And who would challenge a grieving mother.
Leandra recomposed herself as she was about to unload her most passionate response yet. But before she could say a word, two younger Noblewomen made their way over to the group of dies.
"Expin yourself, Duchess!" said the taller of the two young dies.
Leandra head snapped towards these two girls. The Duchess couldn't believe that someone would be dumb enough to call her out and she was about to tear this foolish girls to shreds. But Leandra's confidence and poise faded once she realized who this noble dies were. Or more importantly, the box that one of them was holding.
