Nightshade | VERIFIED |

She knew the exact weight of a leaf required to make a panicked nobleman sleep without dreams, and the precise fraction of a crushed berry that would ensure he never woke at all. 🎭 The Mask of the Monks Hood

Hours later, the King's riders hammered on Isolde's door. They burst inside, their swords drawn, demanding the traitor. Isolde simply pointed to the cold body lying on the stone floor. The captain of the guard knelt, pressed two fingers to Julian's neck, and peeled back his eyelid. Seeing only a vast, empty black void and feeling no pulse, the captain spat on the floor and declared him dead. nightshade

Isolde looked at him and saw not a traitor, but a desperate animal. She agreed to help him, but warned him of the cost. To fake a death convincingly enough to fool the King's hounds, Julian would have to take a tincture of Atropa belladonna —the Deadly Nightshade. She knew the exact weight of a leaf

He had survived the nightshade. He was free, but his eyes would forever remain slightly too wide, and his skin slightly too pale—a permanent reminder that to buy a new life, one must always walk hand-in-hand with death. Isolde simply pointed to the cold body lying

Julian pulled back his collar. On his neck was the brand of the High Inquisitor—a mark reserved for those who had committed treason. He had seen the corruption in the capital, tried to expose it, and was now a hunted man. He didn't want to forget his life; he wanted to fake his death. 🧪 The Three Drops of Belladonna

He fell to the floor, his skin turning a pale, waxy gray. His breathing stopped.