Ava Moody POV:
I walked down the long, empty corridor, my only goal to put distance between myself and that hollow celebration. But the feeling of shame clung to me like a second skin.
The sharp, clicking sound of heels on stone echoed from behind me. It was an arrogant sound, one that demanded attention.
I stopped. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Running away so soon, our 'honorable' lady of the house?" Blanche Kensington's voice was sickly sweet, laced with ice.
I turned slowly, meeting her sky‑blue eyes. They were filled with an undisguised, gloating superiority. For the past three years, she had been a frequent visitor to this manor, and her visits were always punctuated with sharp‑tongued jibes and deliberate humiliations. Not once had Alton ever spoken a word in my defense against her.
My personal maid, Annie, hurried around the corner, her face tight with worry. She moved to my side, a small, protective presence, her gaze fixed warily on Blanche.
Blanche's eyes roamed over me, a slow, insulting appraisal. Her gaze finally landed on the bracelet on my wrist.
It was a delicate thing, woven from moonstone and mithril silver. It was a gift from my grandmother‑in‑law, the only person in this family who had ever shown me genuine kindness. This bracelet was my most treasured possession.
A greedy smile touched Blanche's lips. "That's a pretty little thing. A waste on a human wrist."
She held out her hand, her nails painted a startling, blood‑red. "Take it off. Give it to me."
My hand flew to my wrist, a purely instinctual motion to protect it. "This was my grandmother‑in‑law's gift to me," I said, my voice cold. "I can't give it to you."
Annie couldn't stop herself. "Miss Kensington, you go too far! That is our lady's private property!"
Blanche's face hardened instantly. She narrowed her eyes at Annie. "A human dog dares to bark at me?"
My heart leaped into my throat. A Vorrath noble could kill a human servant with less thought than crushing an insect.
Just then, Alton's voice cut through the tension from the end of the hall. "Blanche, what's going on?"
He walked toward us, his long strides closing the distance in seconds. He moved to stand beside Blanche, a natural alignment. His look toward me was one of pure impatience.
Blanche immediately adopted a wounded expression, clutching his arm. "Alton, darling, I just admired her bracelet. I only wanted to look at it, and she and her servant started yelling at me."
It was a lie, effortless and absolute. A skill the Vorrath nobility perfected from birth.
Alton didn't even ask for my side. He simply issued a command. "Ava, give the bracelet to Blanche."
I stared at him, unable to believe it. This was the man I had cared for, the man whose life I had made my own for three years. He was ordering me to give my grandmother‑in‑law's gift to another woman.
"Alton..." I started, my voice dry and cracking.
He cut me off, his tone severe. "Don't make me repeat myself. Don't ruin Blanche's evening over a worthless trinket."
"A worthless trinket," I repeated his words, the whisper a hollow echo in my own ears. The last ember of warmth in my chest was extinguished by those two words.
Annie started to speak again, but I silenced her with a look. I knew any more resistance from me would only bring pain down on her.
My hands were shaking. Not from fear, but from a rage and disappointment so profound it felt like a physical illness.
I looked at Alton's handsome, cold face. Slowly, deliberately, I began to unfasten the clasp of the bracelet.
A cruel, triumphant smile spread across Blanche's face.
The quiet click of the clasp opening sounded like my own dignity shattering.
