Long ago, in a kingdom famous for its beautiful gardens, there lived a kind and curious princess named Amaryllis. The royal gardens stretched across the hills around the castle and were filled with rare flowers and plants from distant lands. Princess Amaryllis loved studying plants and learning which could heal the sick and which could be dangerous. Her parents, King Aldric and Queen Lysandra, were proud of her curiosity and encouraged her studies. Often walking beside her in the gardens was Prince Evander, a thoughtful and brave prince from a nearby kingdom. He had traveled there to study medicine and healing with the royal healer. Over time, he and Princess Amaryllis grew very close.

    However, there was someone who watched their growing friendship with anger.

    Years earlier, before coming to the kingdom, Prince Evander had once known a woman named Oleandra, who had been fascinated by rare plants and perfumes as well. She had admired Evander greatly, but he never returned her feelings. Consumed with jealousy and bitterness, she left and devoted herself to studying poisonous plants and dangerous chemicals. Now she had returned in disguise.     

    Calling herself Madame Oleandra, she arrived at the castle claiming to be a master gardener. The king allowed her to care for a new section of the royal garden. Within days, the area transformed into a breathtaking scene. Tall, arching bushes covered in delicate pink blossoms that glowed in the sunlight, their petals spilling like soft silk onto the cobblestone paths. A faint, sweet fragrance hung in the air, drawing butterflies and hummingbirds, and a subtle shimmer of mist seemed to rise from the garden as if the flowers themselves were alive with enchantment.

    What she did not say was that oleander is a highly poisonous plant. Every part of it, its leaves, stems, and flowers, contains toxins that can interfere with the heart. If eaten or brewed into tea, the poison can cause dizziness, weakness, and dangerous changes to the heartbeat.

     Secretly, Oleandra had also brought with her a deadly chemical called cyanide. Cyanide is sometimes used in industrial processes such as mining, but it is extremely toxic to humans because it stops the body’s cells from using oxygen properly. Even breathing in small amounts can cause dizziness, confusion, and trouble breathing. Driven by jealousy, Madame Oleandra decided that if she could not have Prince Evander, then Princess Amaryllis would not either.

    “These are oleander flowers,” Madame Oleandra explained to the princess one day. “They are rare and beautiful.”

        One afternoon, she approached the princess with a small glass bottle.

     “I have created a special perfume just for you,” she said sweetly. “It is made from the rarest flowers in the garden.”

      Princess Amaryllis happily accepted the gift. She sprayed the perfume into the air and breathed in its sweet scent. What she did not know was that Madame Oleandra had secretly added cyanide to the perfume, which could enter the body when inhaled. Soon after, the gardener offered the princess a calming cup of tea made from oleander leaves, pretending it would help her relax. Trusting her, Princess Amaryllis took several sips.

     Within minutes, she began to feel strange. Her head spun with dizziness, and her breathing became difficult. Her heart began beating slowly and irregularly, and her body felt weak. The toxins had entered her body in two ways: the cyanide she inhaled from the perfume and the oleander poison she drank in the tea. Suddenly, the princess collapsed in the garden.