Zarqa knocked on the door and walked into the room with a tray of snacks and tea. Arslan looked up at her, his face beaming as he put down his feather and stood up from his desk. " It's tea time already!"
Zara simply answered with a nod and then made for the balcony where a round table had been set. She placed down the tray and picked one of the treats on it. Just as Arslan took his seat, she helped herself to the baked sweets and washed them down with a mouthful of tea before serving them to the prince.
It was part of her work.
Any food brought to the prince's chambers needed to be tasted, for there were many a chance to poison it on the way while it changed hands.
Not that it would be useful at all if the poison took time to act, but at least, it was a measure of safety to deter those with ill intentions.
