I reincarnated as an elf .......and married the yandere villainess.-Chapter 87:Reaction

The present returned without warning. The noise from the banquet hall was filtered as it entered Atheline’s ears.

He swirled the glass one last time and drank under Lilith’s anticipation.

The first taste hit harder than he had imagined it. It was richer than he had expected, bitter beneath the sweetness but strong enough to mask anything.

He swallowed unhurriedly then lowered the glass.

He placed it exactly where it had been, a small but important detail.

Lilith had touched the glass but didn’t drink it her attention was still on Atheline waiting for his reaction.

Atheline found it funny, almost childlike eve. This was her favorite wine but Atheline had never tried it.

"How was it?" She asked curiously.

Atheline smiled and licked the corner of his lips to get rid of the last drop.

"It tasted unexpectedly good," he said then added, "You always have the best choices."

He felt the wine settling but there was no reaction yet, that didn’t worry him much he had expected it.

Atheline was sure it would start any time soon.

Time passed as conversations continued around him, everyone unaware of the disaster that was to come.

He lightly heard a noble make a remark about border tension while another laughed at something amusing.

Five minutes passed of Atheline acting as he did and then it happened.

It wasn’t explosive but a small sting deep within his chest like being bitten by a little ant which is always ignored.

Atheline didn’t react to the sting but continued to listen to conversations and smiled at those who addressed him.

Another pulse calm but stronger this time.

Heat spread outwards, moving through his veins with unsettling precision.

He was familiar with this feeling since he had done training in poison resistance since he was young, it was painful but it had its advantages.

’There it is, I thought it wasn’t going to work after that’

It felt akin to how Aether travelled through his channels but more volatile. The poison was affecting everything but thankfully his core was safe and sound.

He let his fingers rest lightly against the edge of the table, grounding himself. He didn’t want any of his reactions seen, at least not now.

He needed to look as natural as possible.

Despite this, the spread didn’t stop. The pain was manageable almost negligible but something he couldn’t control changed.

His breathing shifted for a fraction of a second but it was enough for Lilith and a noble to notice.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

Atheline smiled and took her hand into his.

"I’m fine," he said," what made you think otherwise?"

Her head tilted just a little as she studied him before she nodded.

"It’s probably just my thoughts," she said but the weird feeling didn’t leave so she added," Are you tired, we can leave."

Atheline shook his head.

"No, it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed myself this much, your people are really skilled at almost everything. "

She chuckled her eyes narrowing with it.

"It should be our people, " she corrected.

Another heat spread hit Atheline but his expression didn’t change. He had been a friend to pain since he was little and this was nothing.

"I’ll correct that from now on," he said while straightening himself," our people."

Someone chuckled, clearly eavesdropping on their conversations.

Atheline slid his hand out of Lilith’s and picked another desert but didn’t eat it. He directed it to Lilith, who leaned in and took a bite.

This was enough to satiate her and she returned to how she had been, her overprotective instincts reducing.

The first attack he ignored, the second he endured but the third, the poison had integrated into his body and was spreading with natural intent.

Corroding the body.

It spread from his chest to his limbs like threads made of hot burning lava, wrapping around his internal organs and integrating into his bloodstream where it spread even faster and more painfully.

His chest missed a beat, but no one noticed since it went back to normal.

Yet, through all this, Atheline remained seated, smiling and listening to the nobles approaching him.

He smiled, spoke, exchanged pleasantries, and showed his mastery of their history.

He would also enlighten some curious younger elves around his age about the high elf.

Each time, in between, his breath would hitch with each fatal attack.

Atheline didn’t want to react just yet, everything had been mapped out before he came in and he was going to go with the exact schedule.

It wasn’t time yet. Timing was everything in this dangerous gamble.

Beside him, Lilith had not looked away since the first shift of his breath, even after his encouragement.

It wasn’t open, but subtle enough for him to feel its suffocating weight on him.

’Of course she noticed’

Atheline knew she had noticed something was wrong but she just didn’t know what and it seemed to be bugging her.

He took a deep breath and willed his now accelerating heart to calm down.

’Not yet, it hasn’t built up enough’

It was becoming unbearable and he could feel the blood start to clog his throat.

He threw a small sweet into his mouth swallowing the blood with it.

A few minutes later when everyone was comfortable and those who were drunk were slumped against their seats, Atheline’s hand slowly left the table first.

He rose quietly from his seat making sure to look as natural as possible. Some of the nobles glanced up, noticing his movements.

Their gazes carried curiosity since no one had left yet.

"Forgive me," his voice carried across the hall," it seems the delicious food has left me with no more space for... such indulgences."

The remark was self-aware though subtle to those who understood.

’This should be an acceptable excuse’

One or two nobles gave knowing looks that carried a hint of dismissal towards him. They saw it as a high elf husband overwhelmed by dark elf wine, an acceptable weakness that fitted him too perfectly.

Atheline didn’t look towards Lilith as he stood up, he couldn’t since he was sure she had already noticed the first signs and she would notice the others immediately.

Sweat dripped down his back and his hands had become clumpy as though the blood was being pulled back.

Lilith stared at Atheline’s retreat in pure confusion. His not looking at her and declaring his discomfort to the crowd had unsettled her.

This small delay had allowed Atheline to leave her surprised before she could stop him.

How could she not be surprised?

Any husband in discomfort would naturally seek their wife, but he didn’t and that choice hit harder than anything.