The Other Side of the Mask

\tI wake up the next morning, gloomily. Today is the day I frame TianYu. I know it. At breakfast, I stab my food uninterestedly.

\t"Are you ok, QiLing?"

"Yeah…"

\tI try to distract myself with the work in class. I succeeded in academics, but the trick didn't work in politics. Finally, it was lunch. I finished my food.

"TianYu, I'm going to go to my bedroom."

I head up and grab my vial, hiding it in my dress. I head over to cooking trials. I slowly walk, but make it there in time. I slowly walk to my kitchen area. I start stirring, following my memory of the recipe. I pour it into a pan and fry it. Once I was done, I let it cool down, and I went to 'help' TianYu.

\t"What should I do to help?"

"Oh, can you mix this?"

"Sure," I head over and start mixing.

I pour all the liquid from the vial into the mixture. I fold it cleanly into the mixture.

\t"Here you go."

"Thanks!"

\tShe hums as she cooks her dish while I stare at her back, sadly.

\tThe prince arrives with his knight.

"Wow, this is very good," the Prince compliments my cooking.

"Thank you, your majesty," I say, unmoved by his compliment.

\tTianYu cheerily serves her dish. Prince Fu takes his chopsticks and digs it into the food. It plucks out the food as I watch in slow motion. He raises it all the way into his mouth and bites. He chews slowly, and as he finishes, he starts to cough. A splutter of blood comes out of his mouth as I watch in horror. I hate this! Why did I do this?! He coughs even more. His knight rushes over to help his prince. TianYu watches in horror. Even the nobles were watching in horror and anger by the disturbing sight. The prince collapses on the ground, still coughing. His glossy black hair stained in his crimson red blood.

\tA blur of knights rush over and catch TianYu. She starts to shed tears.

"No! I really wasn't the one who did it! Someone framed me! No!"

\tI watch as the knights beat her up too. Her blood drips. The Queen watches in disappointment, horror, merciless. Tears start to well up in my eyes. Me, who probably hasn't cried in ten years. It was a horrible sight. The prince was escorted out as TianYu was beaten up.

"...stop…"

I said it a bit louder, "...stop…"

Even louder, "... stop… Stop….STop….STOp...STOP!"

The knights stop and glare at me. I pull out my vial.

"I was the one who framed her. I was the one who poisoned Prince Fu."