The Gilded Cage Of Crimson
"Deadly nightshade. Atropa belladonna, if you prefer the Latin. It’s an odd choice for a hobby, Miss Valeriano."
Isabella smiled, a faint, sharp expression that didn't reach her eyes. She picked up a pair of brass pruning shears, the blades clicking together with a cold, metallic snip.
"An odd choice? No, I think it’s a very honest plant," she murmured, carefully snipping a cluster of the dark berries and letting them fall into a small crystal mortar. "During the Renaissance, Italian ladies would drop the sap into their eyes. It dilated their pupils, making them look wide, beautiful, and completely striking. They called it *bella donna*. The beautiful lady."
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