Kill you

Raising my hands to silence the maid, I turned to face Cleo, my expression icy as I addressed her with a stern glare. "That is enough from you,"

Her eyes trembled, but her expression remained numb as she stared back at me defiantly.

"You need to learn how to control yourself. You cannot just lash out when provoked. What you did was inexcusable." I said, keeping my gaze locked on hers as I spoke. "How dare you touch my maid!"

The last word was spoken in a growl, and Cleo flinched back slightly, her lips pressed into a thin line. But after a minute of glaring defiance, she mumbled, "I should have allowed her to kill you then."

It took me a second to process her words, but when I did, I felt a sudden pang in my chest. It didn't help that my stomach dropped and I blurted out, "What?"

"Cole, she's lying!! Why would I want to kill you?!" The maid exclaimed as tears gathered in her eyes.

But Cleo paid her no heed, instead choosing to stare into my eyes with an impassive expression. She was calm, unbothered as she said, "Tell her to eat the food then."

Silence hung in the air like a shroud, threatening to suffocate us both. My heart pounded rapidly in my chest. The words Cleo had spoken echoed in my mind. I had no doubt that she meant every syllable.

"Eat," I commanded, darting my gaze at the maid.

Suddenly, this look of pure shock washed over the maid's face as she stared at me, her mouth agape. She seemed utterly bewildered by my command, her eyes darting between Cleo and me as if searching for some explanation, some sense in this chaotic moment.

But Cleo remained stoic, her expression unreadable as she waited for the maid's compliance. It was as if she had resigned herself to whatever fate awaited her, her demeanor unwavering despite the tension thickening in the air.

Slowly, tentatively, the maid reached out for the tray of food, her hands trembling ever so slightly. With a mixture of fear and reluctance, she picked up a piece of fruit and took a hesitant bite, her eyes never leaving Cleo's face.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the soft crunching of the fruit as the maid chewed, each bite echoing like a solemn drumbeat. And then, without warning, she dropped the fruit back onto the tray, her hands shaking violently.

"See!" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Nothing happened to me. She lied, Cole. You have to punish her for her insult!"

Calmly, I gazed back at Cleo, and she scoffed, "It's not in the fruit bowl. There are seven bowls on  this tray, let her try it all."

"I have already eaten and I am full! Plus, you are just trying to ruin my reputation because I offended you by following Cole's order not to feed you." The maid cried indignantly, pointing her finger accusingly at Cleo.

A look of hurt deepened in Cleo's eyes as she stared at me in disbelief, "You gave such an order?"

Darting my gaze away from her, I glared at the maid and commanded, "Eat it all."

"B-ut... But, I am full." She cried, sweat beginning to bead along her brow. I gritted my teeth, my jaw tightening as I attempted to contain my fury. 

The tension in the room thickened as the maid hesitated, her fear palpable in the air. Every fiber of my being urged me to lash out, to demand compliance at any cost. But deep down, a small voice whispered, urging me to consider the consequences of my actions.

With a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down, to rein in the anger that threatened to consume me. Taking a step closer to the maid, I spoke in a low, controlled tone.

"I gave you an order," I said, my voice firm but measured. "You will follow it, or face the consequences."

The maid's eyes widened in terror, her hands shaking as she reached for another piece of fruit. With trembling fingers, she brought it to her lips, forcing herself to take a bite despite her obvious reluctance.

For several agonizing moments, the room fell silent once more, the only sound the soft chewing of the maid as she struggled to swallow each bite. I watched her closely, my gaze unwavering as I waited for her to finish.

Finally, with a visible shudder, the maid set the last of the empty six bowls back onto the tray, her face pale and drawn. She looked up at me, her eyes pleading for mercy, but I remained unmoved as we both stared at the last bowl of fried rice with stew.

"Eat," I commanded.

"I am going to throw up," She cried, her eyes red and watery. "I have already eaten all six, why do you still believe her lies."

"Because the poison is in the rice and stew. I sniffed it out from the very beginning." Cleo blurted out calmly. "That's why you ate everything else without any issue, but you hesitated with the rice and stew. You know what is in it."

The maid's eyes widened in shock, her hands trembling as she stared at the remaining bowl of food before her. Panic flickered across her features as she realized the gravity of the situation.

"No, I-I didn't know," she stammered, her voice trembling with fear. "I swear, I didn't put anything in the food!"

But Cleo remained unfazed, her expression calm and composed as she met the maid's gaze with unwavering resolve. "It doesn't matter now. You've been caught."

With a sinking feeling in my chest, I stepped forward, my eyes narrowing as I glared at the maid. "What have you done?"

The maid's mask crumbled before me, her shoulders slumping as tears welled up in her eyes. "I wasn't the one who made the food," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I swear, to you, Master Cole."

"Don't call me such a title!" I snapped, shutting my eyes at the thought that someone wanted me dead, and my only thought was, 'Who?'