Chapter 13 – POISONED WHISPERS

By the next morning, I could feel the difference.

People looked at me differently.

Servants who had once lowered their heads when I passed now barely acknowledged me. Some whispered behind my back. Others stopped talking the moment I entered a room.

I knew exactly where it came from.

Aria.

She had barely spent a day in Blackridge, yet her presence had already changed the way people treated me. I walked through the main hall and heard two servants whispering near the stairs.

“She really thinks she can stay here after everything.”

“She was never supposed to be the Luna.”

I stopped. They quickly went silent. I looked at them. “Did you have something to say?”

Both servants lowered their heads. “No, Luna.”

I continued walking. My hands were shaking. Not from fear but from anger.

I had spent my entire life being treated like I was less important than Aria. I had accepted being ignored by my own family because I thought Blackridge would be different.

It wasn’t.

Maybe I had been foolish to expect anything else. I entered the dining hall and sat alone at one end of the table.

Breakfast was placed in front of me. I barely touched it.

After a few minutes, I raised my hand.

“Bring me a cup of wine.”

The maid standing nearby looked at me. She didn’t move.

I frowned. “Did you not hear me?”

“I heard you.”

“Then bring it.”

She crossed her arms. “You can get it yourself.”

I stared at her. For a moment, I wondered if I had heard correctly. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

The room became quiet. Several servants were nearby. Some looked down.

Others watched. I slowly stood. “Do you know who you’re speaking to?”

The maid gave me a cold smile. “I know exactly who you are.”

My blood boiled. “I am your Luna.”

“You are the replacement Luna.”

A few people gasped, many were shocked that she got the guts to talk back at me. I felt the mark on my neck suddenly burn.

The maid continued. “Everyone knows Aria was supposed to be here.”

I stepped closer. “And that gives you the right to disrespect me?”

She shrugged. “You won’t be here to—”

That was enough. My hand moved before I could think. It landed on the maid’s cheeks.

The sound echoed through the dining hall. The maid’s face turned to the side.

Silence followed. She slowly looked back at me, holding her cheek.

I pointed at her. “Don’t you ever speak to me like that again.”

My voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. “I don’t care who told you those things. I don’t care what Aria said. As long as I wear this title, you will respect me.”

The maid’s eyes filled with anger. “You hit me.”

“Yes, I did.”

“You cannot—”

“Oh you still have a mouth to talk.”

Her head came down immediately. “I'm sorry.”

The mark on my neck flared again. Pain shot through me. I grabbed the edge of the table.

Then I heard footsteps. Heavy and Slow.

I looked toward the entrance. Deucalion stood there.

My heart sank. He had seen everything. His eyes moved from the maid to me.

Then to the red mark on her cheek. Nobody spoke. The maid immediately lowered her head.

“First Son…”

Deucalion ignored her. His eyes remained on me.

I swallowed. I suddenly wondered what he would do. Would he punish me? Would he accuse me of embarrassing Blackridge? Would he defend his servant?

I took a small step backward. “Deucalion…”

He started walking toward me. My heart began pounding. “I can explain.”

He said nothing. I moved back again. “You didn’t hear what she said.” Still nothing. “She insulted me.”

His expression remained unreadable. “She told me to get my own wine.”

He continued toward me. But he still didn’t speak. I couldn’t tell whether that was good or bad.

“Deucalion, say something.”

He stopped in front of me.

I looked up at him. For one second, I thought he was going to tell me I had crossed a line.

Instead, his hand closed around my arm.

I gasped. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t answer. He pulled me away from the dining hall.

I resisted. “Let go of me.”

He kept walking.

“Deucalion!”

Everyone was watching. That made my humiliation worse. I tried to pull my arm free. “Where are you taking me?”

He finally stopped near the corridor leading to the guest wing. I stared at him. “If you’re angry, just say it.”

His jaw tightened. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

My chest tightened. “I shouldn’t have defended myself?”

“You should have walked away.”

I opened my mouth to argue. Before I could, he pulled me toward the guest room. I stumbled after him. “Deucalion, wait.”

He opened the door. I turned to face him. “Why are you doing this?”

He didn’t answer. He simply pulled me inside the room and stepped in after me.

Then the door slammed shut behind us. I stared at him. My heart was racing.

And for the first time, I had no idea what Deucalion intended to do next.