Alas, Lord Zaydan did not go away.

But his attentiveness did fade after that first day. He spent a lot of his time at the main palace, and when he was in the women's palace, he could be spotted with Zaafira, their heads bowed together as they chatted and laughed.

Marie-Fey assumed they had some sort of history together, she knew Zaafira had been in the palace for a long, long time, but her interests weren't on them.

Her attention was still on her would-be-killer.

"Nothing new has been found," Natheer was saying a few days later as he and Marie-Fey sat out in the gardens, by the fountain.

Gharam was coming out of the palace with drinks and Maanah stood close by, absently adjusting the hold a servant had on the parasol that shaded Marie-Fey so that it continued to shield her from the sun.

Marie-Fey let out a breath. "Well, it's as we expected," she said, running a hand down Mr. Larkin's back.

"It has done as you hoped, however," Natheer continued, "It has caused a stir. The main palace is filled with nervous energy. It was heightened with the return of the Young Master."

"Might you say the one who orchestrated the attack is from the main palace?"

Natheer shook his head. "It's impossible to tell. If an official or one of the women ordered in that poison, they managed to conceal the order and payment."

Mare-Fey made a tsking sound, frowning out over the garden, watching as Zaydan and Zaafira stepped out, arm in arm, talking and laughing.

"Why couldn't it just be Zaafira and make my life easy?" she muttered in irritation.

Natheer glanced at her. "We could question her more, um, intensely if you still have your suspicions," he said, though he didn't sound happy about it but Marie-Fey waved the idea away.

"No, I believe her when she says she wasn't involved," Maire-Fey said.

"M'Lady," Maanah said, glancing at her little pocket watch, "You're due to teach Rasha and Laiba soon."

Marie-Fey sighed and pushed to her feet, releasing Mr. Larkin, bidding Natheer good day and sweeping back into the palace, feigning deafness when Zaydan called to her.

She took her usual seat in the small room where she taught the girls her language and waited for them to arrive, absently flicking through the book they were supposed to read from.

"I was hoping Lord Zaydan would distract her. The stupid woman can't leave well enough alone."

Marie-Fey's eyes flicked up without raising her head.

"Shame the poison didn't kill her, it'd suit everyone."

Maanah and Gharam glanced at each other just as Marie-Fey's two students turned the corner into the room and froze, paling when they spotted Marie-Fey.

They looked at each other for a long moment then Rasha swallowed and whispered to her friend, "It's alright, she can't understand us." Before she curtsied and said, "Hello, M'lady."

Marie-Fey understood enough and pointed to their seats across the table.

"Sit," she ordered.

They quickly sat.

Marie-Fey set their books in front of them.

"Shall I ask my ladies to translate that spiting tone for me?" she asked coolly.

The girls looked pale again, huge eyes flashing to her ladies-in-waiting.

"No!" they cried in unison.

"No, just idle gossip."

"Nothing important."

"And I assume we'll have a smooth, flawless lesson today?" Marie-Fey asked.

"Of course," they said.

"Start reading," Marie-Fey said in such a soft, soothing voice she saw them literally tremble. Her smile was wicked compared to her voice and she sat back, flicking open her fan. "Gharam, go fetch us some tea. Make sure you make my students' extra strong. Add a spice to help with the lesson."

Gharam glanced at her, before curtsying and sweeping out while the girls looked like they would faint.

"I don't hear any reading," Marie-Fey trilled and the Laiba snatched up her book. Maanah bit back her smirk, smoothly squeezing Marie-Fey's shoulder before folding her hand behind her back and readying to wait out the lesson.

When the tea arrived, Marie-Fey settled back with hers while the girls refused to touch theirs.

Their diction was pristine.

When they stumbled, the mistake was genuine and Marie-Fey worked it through with them until they could continue on their own.

As Marie-Fey had suspected, they were as talented as anyone else in the palace, and when they weren't out to be difficult, the lessons went fast enough. Nothing a little fear in the blood couldn't fix.

"How are lessons going?"

Marie-Fey blinked, snapped out of her concentration as the girls jumped and looked around.

Zaydan stood in the archway, leaning his forearm against the wall, holding the curtain back, looking between them.

Marie-Fey snapped her fan open as the other four women bowed.

"It was going smoothly," she said coolly.

"I wondered if I might join you?'

"Now why would you want to waste your time on that?' Marie-Fey said with a sigh, ignoring her students shooting excited glances at each other. "You're not in any need of lessons."

"You're too kind," Zaydan said and Marie-Fey raised an eyebrow at him. "But I would like to sit in, see how you teach?"

Marie-Fey looked at him, then let out a long-suffering sigh and closed her fan, pointing it in the direction of one of the spare seats. "It's good to see you have such time to waste on trivial matters," she commented as he moved to the seat.

"I take an interest," he said.

"In what?"

He just gave her a smile, then glanced at the drinks on the table. "You didn't care for your tea?" he asked the girls.

The girls looked positively pale in an instant.

They shot fidgety glances towards Marie-Fey and her ladies who watched the pair in return, waiting.

"It's... we can't drink it," Laiba ventured.

"Why is that?" Zaydan asked, replying in their own language.

"Because—"

Whatever was going to be said, neither girl was too stupid to say it in such plain words or point any blame towards Marie-Fey herself.

"Her servant is not to be trusted," Rasha said and Gharam flushed in anger.

Maanah opened her mouth and Marie-Fey subtly reached back and gripped Gharam's hand, silencing them both.

Zaydan glanced towards the two ladies-in-waiting. "Which one of you was it to give Lady Fey her tea the night of her poisoning?"

"I did, My Lord," Gharam said stiffly.

"Now why would you want to know that, Lord Zaydan?" Marie-Fey said coolly, opening her fan again.

"You said you trust this servant?" Zaydan said.

"Certainly."

"You would drink another tea prepared by her?"

Marie-Fey raised an eyebrow, a cold smile barely visible on her lips. "Would you like me to test the teas brought for these girls?" she asked lightly. "If you are suggesting what I think you are, it is no small accusation to throw around. I would not like my lady caught up in petty worries such as accusations of poisonings when such rumours could lead to her demise."

She flicked her fan to the side with an absent shrug.

"Not that I could possibly understand why Gharam would want to poison these girls? They're barely of any importance in the grand scheme of things."

She held out her fan and Maanah took it before she lent forwards and picked up the tea.

"I can't say I'm a fan of cold tea mind you, so forgive me when I grimace," she added, before taking a sip, and grimacing. "My, Gharam, that's quite a strong tea you brewed."

"As you asked, My Lady," Gharam said.

"Oh, so I did," Marie-Fey said and set the cup down, looking at the girls. "Maybe we should end class today. Perhaps the heat as heightened what little imagination you have to spare."

She smoothly rose, taking her fan back and collecting the book.

"Lord Zaydan, since you insist on learning about their lessons, why don't you and I take tea elsewhere and I can show you."

Zaydan glanced between the women, then rose. "A fine idea."

All five curtsied as he walked out first.

The girls made to leave then Marie-Fey paused. "Ah, a moment," she said, and the girls flinched. "Maanah, go tell Lord Zaydan I'll be one moment, I wish to set them private study."

Maanah bowed her head and swept out.

"Well, we didn't get as much done as I had hoped," Marie-Fey said with a sigh as she handed her book to Gharam.

"We're sorry," both girls muttered – though that spiteful, arrogant tone was creeping back in.

Marie-Fey looked at them for a moment, then smiled. "You're sorry," she copied with a small laugh as she glided around to their side of the table. "No, my dears, you are not sorry."

The girls looked up and the next second, Marie-Fey's fist was twisted in Rasha's collar, wrenching her forwards, the fabric squeezing against her throat, her knees buckling in shock. Laiba reached for something in her pocket, Marie-Fey's other hand that held the fan shot out to press against Laiba's neck and both girls froze.

"The next time you try and accuse me of poisoning you, you come after me directly. Don't you dare try and target my maids or you will not see out the night. Don't forget, I don't care whether you live or die thus have no reason to hurt you. But if you think I'm difficult now, wait until I become your enemy."

She released Rasha and the girl sank to the ground, Laiba backing away quickly, eyes wide and hands to her throat like Marie-Fey had held a blade to it.

Marie-Fey just calmly flicked open her fan, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I don't mind your nasty words and false bravado," she said calmly, "You're barely sixteen, children to me. I was your age not long ago and I know how spiting girls could be. But you are not a sixteen-year-old snapping as another youth. You are biting at the heels of adults who stand in a position far more powerful than you in a country where execution is a viable option for those who go against their Master. As our Lord's wife, I will remind you in good faith that you are not safe within these walls. So mind the next little stunt you pull."

She glided to the doorway, Gharam following and only looked back when she was at the threshold, pushing the curtain aside.

She then shot them a smile as lovely as the twilight. "But nice try, darlings. That was quaint."

With that, she swept out, Gharam following her and ten seconds later, Marie-Fey smiled as she heard the smash of one of the cups as one of the girls – probably Rasha – hurled it at the wall.

She chuckled. "Such a temper," she said lightly.

"My Lady."

Marie-Fey looked back to see Gharam bowing to her.

"I'm so sorry."

"For?" Marie-Fey asked.

"Because of me. Because I was the one who bought that tea to you. It's causing you trouble even beyond the poisoning."

"Oh pish," Marie-Fey said, waving it off, "I was the one to rile the girls up on purpose. When I told you make a strong tea, I knew they'd either take the bait or have the sense to ignore it by looking at the bigger picture. Rasha is a narcissist who wants to be more important than she is. Laiba doesn't have a backbone and will follow whatever Rasha thinks. They took the bait and I warned them off. They'll go back and gossip with other girls and they'll see fit to leave you be and be mindful of annoying me. Two birds, one stone."

Gharam was quiet for a moment. "Did you know what Laiba was reaching for?"

"Yes, she carries a knife in her pocket," Marie-Fey said absently as she examined the frill of her fan, suddenly noticing a loose thread.

"Aren't you scared of anything?"

"Of course," Marie-Fey said.

"But—"

"Are we done? I trapped myself in for tea with Lord Tiresome and I want to get it done with."

Gharam swallowed whatever she was going to say. "Yes, My Lady," she muttered.

Marie-Fey nodded, then spun away and carried on up the corridor, Gharam trailing behind her.

"Well that was amusing."

Marie-Fey shrieked at the voice beside her and glowered at Lord Zaydan who was lounging against the wall at the corridor cross-roads, hidden around the corner where he couldn't be seen.

He gave her an amused look and narrowly kept his nose as Marie-Fey shoved her fan in his face.

"Next time you scare me, I shall garrotte you," she warned.

He just grinned and fell into step with her. "I shall mind myself."

"And you could have warned me," Marie-Fey shot to Maanah who had be waiting quietly on the other side.

"I'm sorry, My Lady, I didn't think he planned to scare you," Maanah said.

"Indeed," Maire-Fey said coldly. "Whatever, let us hurry with this tea."

"Shall we drink in one of the private gardens?" Zaydan suggested. "There's a fine breeze outside today."

"The gardens it is," Marie-Fey said, right before a scream tore through the palace, coming from the grand entrance hall.