"What rubbish are you spewing?" Elara hissed out.

Her hands clenched so tightly at her sides. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding since Thessara's words.

"She's the king's mate."

Thessara didn't flinch. She only stared at her with a deadpan expression. "You heard me, child."

Elara took a step forward, her voice cracking. "You're wrong. There's no way that would happen. He doesn't even look at her that way, so how—"

"He doesn't need to look at her anyway. This isn't up to Thorne," Thessara said calmly. "The gods already have. The bond exists."

Elara stood still, seething with anger. "You expect me to believe that girl was chosen? That the King—Thorne—is bound to a filthy little nothing?"

Thessara frowned. "You still harbor this unrealistic feeling towards him?" She asked, shaking her head as she stepped even closer to the woman, pointing towards Elara's chest. "Let go of that thing in your heart, Elara. Whatever it is you feel for him… it will only rot you from inside."

Elara blinked fast, swallowing back the sting in her throat.

"This is the last advice I'll give you as your aunt," Thessara said. She turned to leave but paused, her eyes narrowing.

Standing by the door, draped in a burgundy dress elegantly, was Jocelyn. Her lips curled into a smile, yet her eyes told something different. Her orbs were as cold as ice, no warmth in there whatsoever.

"Hello, sister," Jocelyn said with a smirk.

Thessara arched a brow. "I wondered when you'd come slithering out."

Jocelyn huffed with a dismissive wave. "Do you always have to use such crude words, Thessara?" She tsked, gaze shifting to Elara, who was seething.

"You've only been here one day, and you're already causing problems as usual." She paused. "Tell me, what did you say to Elara?"

Thessara glanced at Elara and shrugged. "Something she needed to hear… now, move out of my way, Jocelyn. Your face already makes this trip unbearable."

Jocelyn's eyes flashed. "You should've stayed gone."

Thessara smiled. "And leave you to rot this kingdom from the inside? Not a chance."

Jocelyn frowned, holding Thessara's arm as she attempted to brush past her. "What business do you have here? The kingdom is thriving and—"

Thessara jerked her arm free. "Thriving?" She mocked. "How can the kingdom thrive when you're in it, Jocelyn? Have you forgotten what you are? A slithering snake who only drains life from others." She leaned closer, fingers caressing Jocelyn's face. "Your presence in Obsidian is clear proof of how rotten the kingdom is, dear sister."

With this, she walked out of the room. Jocelyn stood still, her jaw tight.

————

The early morning sun across the fields, Adina stood at the edge of the farm, tucking the last strands of her dark hair over her shoulder.

The bandage on her neck itched slightly, she'd put a thin plaster over the mark to hide the mark like Thorne wanted.

She sighed after she was done, her wolf hissed in irritation from hiding the mark. She'd been against it, but Adina couldn't bear to make the king angry again. She blamed herself for being nearly ripped to death by him. If only she had ignored those howls and stayed indoors, then she wouldn't have been mauled.

She grabbed her tools and made her way into the rows of crops. The farm was already filled with the other slaves. She stiffened slightly when she saw Megan.

And Megan saw her too.

"Look who's back," Megan's voice rang out like a viper's hiss.

Adina ignored her and bent to work. But Megan wasn't done.

"What? Now you're crawling back here after whoring yourself out so shamelessly?" she sneered, her voice loud enough for others to hear.

Still, Adina stayed silent.

Megan smirked and tossed down her basket. "Guess he got bored of you already. Tossed you out like used rags, didn't he?"

Adina's fingers curled around the handle of her tool, but she didn't say a word back. No. She couldn't afford more trouble.

Megan scoffed at this; nobody was paying attention to her anymore. "You're a mutt now? Is that it? Or do you think of yourself so high that I'm not worth your response, you—" the words died down her throat as the slave master returned, his eyes flickering around and stopped at Megan, who wasn't working.

"You think this is a gossip house?" he barked. "You're here to work, not spread your dirty laundry."

Megan immediately lowered her head, but the damage was done.

"If you've got so much energy to talk, let's put it to better use," the man growled. "You'll be cleaning out the waste pits after shift."

Megan's face paled. "W-What? But—"

"Another word," he snapped, "and I'll have you scrubbing floors in the kennels. Move."

Megan seethed, shooting Adina a bitter glare before stalking off.

Adina said nothing. Her grip on the tool tightened. At least Megan was out of here now.

She exhaled softly and went deeper into the rows, letting the noises of the others fade away. She worked quickly, loosening stubborn weeds, checking the roots of the crops, when something glinted faintly under the soil.

She paused, eyebrows furrowed. Carefully, she brushed the dirt aside until it was no longer covered. It was a stone, but none like she'd ever seen. No, this was smooth and slightly warm. Its color shimmered between violet and blue, as though there was a strange light in it. It glowed softly in her palms, and she gasped in awe.

"What is this?" she murmured.

"What do you have there?" A deep voice suddenly cut through the air, and she froze, instinctively wrapping her fingers around the stone.

She turned around to see a man standing a few feet away from her, head tilted slightly in curiosity. His chestnut-brown hair was tousled by the wind.

Adina had no idea who he was, but judging from the cloak he wore, he was surely someone of class, so she lowered her gaze.

"How may I help you, sir?" she asked.

The man didn't respond; instead, he took a step closer to her. "What were you staring at so intricately?" he asked, his gaze flickering to her hand.

Adina swallowed hard and looked up at the man. "A stone, sir. I was staring at a stone," she answered, feeling her heart beat thud in her chest.

Was she not supposed to touch anything? She looked around only to realize she'd ventured away from the others and was way back.

How did she even—

"Let me see." The man spoke again, drawing her attention back to him.

Adina swallowed hard, revealing the stone she'd held. Surprisingly, the stone no longer glowed. No. It was just a stone now.

The man stared at it, slightly puzzled, then back at her. "Ah, that's boring. I thought it was something mysterious with how much you were looking at it."

Adina opened her mouth to respond, but a sudden shout cut her off.

"My lord!"

The slave master and the head maid rushed toward them, accompanied by four armored men. These guards looked different, wearing finely forged black and silver armor, not Obsidian's crest. They were certainly not Obsidian's men.

All six stopped just a few feet from the man. In unison, they bowed deeply.

"My lord," the head maid gasped, "you disappeared without a word! Your guards were in a panic."

The nobleman sighed, waving a hand lazily. "I went for a stroll. The fields were calling to me."

"Please," one of the men stepped forward, jaw tight, "do not wander off again. It is dangerous to go without an escort."

The nobleman huffed, amusedly. "Dangerous? We're in Obsidian. What could possibly harm me here?"

He shook his head lightly then glanced at Adina again. "What's your name?"

She stiffened.

The head maid looked at Adina, shaking her head quietly. "She's no one, my lord. Just a slave. She's not even properly—"

The man tsked. "I wasn't speaking to you, Matilda!"

His gaze settled on Adina again. "Well?"

"Adina, sir," Adina replied calmly, not missing the way the head maid glared at her.

"Adina…" He repeated it, as though tasting the sound. "Lovely name." He then turned to the man who had scolded him. "How common is the name 'Adina'?"

"Not very common, my lord."

He hummed thoughtfully, then glanced at her one last time before walking off. The guards followed.

The head maid glared at Adina as if she'd personally summoned the man from thin air. "Get back to work," she snapped and stormed off.

Adina stood still, her eyes flickered to the stone, and to her surprise, it was glowing again, like it never stopped.