Kurt smiled gently and gave his brother’s knee a companionable squeeze while trying to ignore a flutter of nerves at the attempt to keep the contact casual. “Of course. Anything.”

The look of relief on Finn’s face was comical. “When I was hurt getting those flowers, one of the Lady Quinn’s handmaidens was the one who patched me up since Blaine was so busy tending to you. She... she was really nice. And really pretty.”

Not liking where the line of confession was headed, Kurt’s brow furrowed, “Finn, you need to be careful-”

“We didn’t do anything!” he added hurriedly. “She isn’t like that. It wasn’t like that. At all. I mean it, Kurt. I just... like her. A lot.” Finn looked down at his feet and shuffled them against the green grass before muttering, “More than Quinn.”

“You’re supposed to be marrying her, Finn. Soon. A matter of weeks.” Kurt had overheard the plans and discussions his mother had regularly with various servants as they hurried to plan everything perfectly. “Perhaps you’re just nervous about the idea of matrimony.” For reasons he couldn’t fathom, Kurt found himself even more annoyed at the thought of a servant trying to seduce his brother than by the thought of Finn marrying the lovely Lady Quinn.

“No, it isn’t that. I kind of like the idea, actually. I want a family.” Finn smiled at the thought and shared the warmth of the expression with Kurt readily. “That part’s fine, but I can’t help wondering if I’m marrying the right person for the right reasons. Shouldn’t marriage be about more than just allying kingdoms?”

The words hit Kurt hard, and he couldn’t help nodding. “It should, you’re right, but I... want you to be careful. You don’t know what this girl really wants.”

Finn looked hurt at the suggestion. “She wants me.”

“And the fact that you’re the crown prince? That doesn’t matter at all?” Kurt regretted the words the moment they left his lips thanks to the anger that clouded Finn’s dark eyes almost at once. “I only want you to-”

“Be careful. Right. Because I’m so terrible at taking care of myself?” Finn rose and started to walk away before wheeling on Kurt. “I know everybody thinks I’m stupid, but I thought you were different. You know what it’s like when everybody treats you like there’s something wrong with you. You know, Kurt. You’re supposed to be the one who understands.”

Kurt watched, mouth hanging open, as Finn stalked away. It had gone much worse than he had expected. Much worse.

************

It was extreme. Kurt knew that. He also knew that he needed to do something to make things right. If Finn continued on with this girl, things would get worse. He knew it. he could feel it. She was a bad influence, was simply the wrong person for his brother. That’s all there was to it. Kurt knew that Finn might be caught up in her for awhile, but if he could be drawn away long enough to notice the Lady Quinn, he felt sure that everything would work out. With that thought in mind, Kurt shifted the jars and vials on the shelves and tried to remember what ingredients might best combine to put someone under the weather.

“What are you doing?”

The prince wheeled to see Blaine standing just inside the room. The man looked tired and uncertain. “I need...” There was little point in lying. Kurt reminded himself firmly that Blaine was a servant of the court. “I need your help,” he finished imperiously.

The words dispelled none of the tentative worry on Blaine’s face, but he nodded slowly, seeming to understand where they stood for the moment. “Of course, my Lord. How can I help you?”

“I need to... to make someone... ill,” Kurt explained haltingly. Faced with explaining even part of the situation, he felt an uneasiness growing within. The Queen had always told him that if ever he was on the verge of doing something and he wouldn’t tell it even to those closest to him, it was something he shouldn’t do to begin with. This felt a good deal more serious than the childish infractions she’d referred to. Stealing from the palace kitchens between meals didn’t compare to this.

Shock registered before Blaine could bring the mask of indifference back over his features. He gave a slight shake of his head. “No. Kurt-” he caught himself and amended, “my Lord, whoever has wronged you and whatever they have done-”

“It is not me they have wronged. One of the Lady Quinn’s servants seems not to know her place.” The words were laced with bitterness, and Kurt crossed his arms over his chest, chin tipped up and gaze defiant. “Something needs to be done. If she’s indisposed, perhaps my brother can direct his affections a healthier direction.”

“To you?”

The words seemed to surprise them both though Blaine had spoken them. Kurt recovered first and color blazed high on his cheeks. “How dare you! Finn is... is my brother and-”

Rising to the challenge instead of backing down as propriety demanded, Blaine spat back, “Not by birth. Your interest is-”

“Is entirely in his well being. I asked for your professional assistance, not for your opinion.” The anger was gone as quickly as it came and covered with a chilly indifference that made the atmosphere in the room even heavier.

“I can’t.” The words were quiet, strained as though it was difficult for Blaine to speak at all. “I won’t. Forgive me, my Lord, but I won’t.”

“For you of all people to-”

Blaine shook his head. “I of all people know the mark that such things can leave on you. Whether the girl is harmed in the end or not, you will be. I will not be party to it.” He took a shuffling step forward. “The Prince will find his way on his own. No one needs to be hurt.”

There was a moment of silence, and finally Kurt looked away. “I told you, I didn’t ask for your opinion.” He brushed past the court physician without another word and disappeared down the corridor.

************

“But what’s wrong?” It was the third time in as many minutes that Prince Finn had asked the question, and Blaine had no better answer than the first one he had given.

“I do not know, my Lord. Not yet.” He heard an exasperated sigh, but it came not from the prince but the lovely young woman holding his arm.

The Lady Quinn applied gentle pressure to tug the prince away. “Do you not trust your own physician? Surely he is capable. Is he not the physician to the king? To your brother? To you yourself?”

Finn hesitated but finally allowed, “Yes. Yes, of course he’s capable, but-”

“Then he is certainly capable of seeing to my servant. She will be fine.” There was an edge of acid beneath the honey-sweet tones of her voice. “Your father awaits us at lunch.” The woman paused only long enough to ask, “Have you further need of us?”

“No, my Lady,” Blaine answered at once. “Thank you, but I can see to her without assistance. You have been most kind.” He thought nothing of the sort. Though it was the Lady Quinn who had called him to her servant’s beside, she had seemed more annoyed at the inconvenience than worried for the girl’s health. Once they were gone, Blaine let his shoulders sag as he looked at the girl on the bed. Rachel was pale and drawn, but her breath was steady. She would live, though he had no idea how long she might sleep before finally waking. She might well find her way back to the land of the living before Blaine even determined what poison had struck her down. He took the young woman’s wrist to reassure himself that her pulse remained strong and steady as he whispered, “What have you done?”

************

Kurt spent the entire day thrumming with a sort of nervous excitement. News had spread quickly that one of the visiting Lady’s servants had fallen mysteriously ill while going about her morning duties. Once he confirmed - through gentle, thoughtful questioning of some other servants about the girl’s health - that it was indeed Rachel, Kurt had felt his breath catch. It strained credulity to think that it was coincidence alone that had the girl abed after his conversation with Blaine the day before. Perhaps it was an olive branch of sorts.

As the day wore on, Kurt found no reasons to see the man and wouldn’t allow himself to create any. As much as he wanted to see Blaine and confirm his suspicions were true, he found himself fearing the man’s anger if he happened to be wrong. Dinner brought with it the first hint of promise that he might see Blaine. Kurt scanned the faces at the back of the crowd and finally spotted him. Instead of the smile he had envisioned them sharing, the prince found Blaine’s gaze on him. It looked as heavy and hopeless as it had before he swept out of the room.

All of the light seemed to drain from the space, and Kurt sagged back in his seat, idly toying with the food onto his plate until he became aware that voices around him were swirling with harsh whispers. He refocused himself to realize that Quinn was hissing accusations, her gaze fixed on the King and then flashing to him. Kurt felt a thrill of alarm and straightened in his seat. “What did you say?” he demanded in a harsh whisper of his own.

“I said, Highness,” the woman explained in a mocking tone, “that you are the person with the most to gain from harming my servant. You have made your distaste for me very clear, and if your brother does not marry, then you benefit most. Is that not your only hope for ever securing the throne for yourself?”

The words were so bald that Kurt was struck speechless for a moment. “You have no right-”

The King held up an imperious hand. “No, she does not. Not in this venue,” Will added a bit more magnanimously. He quietly allowed, “My Lady, if you have misgivings about my family, you would do well to express them privately to me and nowhere else. The subject is ended for now.”

His tone brooked no argument whatsoever, and Kurt watched the rage that flared in Quinn’s eyes. Hesitantly he looked to Finn, who seemed equally stunned by the whole exchange. When Kurt tried to catch the other prince’s eyes, Finn looked pointedly away, shrinking from the woman at his side and away from his brother at the same time. Of their own volition, Kurt’s eyes sought again in the crowd the one person he hoped might have heard enough to understand the pain of the moment, but Blaine still wore the dull mask of indifference. Kurt dropped his gaze, crestfallen, and remained silent until he escaped at last to his own room.