bChapter /bb181 /b

    Nyssa pov

    8131

    The maid froze the instant my words cut through the air. The smile on her lips stiffened, then droppedpletely. Like a switch, her eyes widened in pure shock as they darted to me, my finger pointing straight at her. A soft, barely audible scoff slipped past her lips as a storm of emotions crossed her face all at once–shock, disbelief, and most of all… fear. Fear of being caught.

    No one spoke. The room was silent as every gaze turned on her. The other maids ilooked /ithe most shaken, their expressions unreadable, as if they had expected anyone but her.

    It was one of them who finally broke the silence, her voice low, trembling with disbelief.

    “ire…y–you’re the culprit?” she stammered, wide–eyed.

    Almost immediately, whispers rippled through the group as they whispered among themselves.

    “Oh goddess… thedy pointed at her. She’s the culprit. I can’t believe it.”

    “Me neither. But–now that I think about it… Beta Cassian said it happened shortly after breakfast.

    And ire wasn’t in the kitchen then. She had said she needed the restroom.”

    My brow arched, though my gaze never left ire. She was growing paler by the second as their

    chatter swelled.

    “I never would’ve thought it,” another maid whispered. “She hardly speaks, keeps to herself… who would have imagined she could do something like this?”

    I tilted my head slightly, a low chuckle slipping out, almost shaking my head.

    Why were they so surprised? In my experience, it was always the ones you least suspected who drove the knife into your back. Trust was a fragile thing. Never whole. Neverplete.

    “So, your name is ire,” I said, my voice calm,. “The girl who led me into the forbidden room… the one who trapped me inside?”

    She snapped out of her daze at once, shaking her head so violently it seemed it might fall off. She stumbled forward, lips parting, her voice trembling.

    “I–It wasn’t me, mydy! Y–you/must have the wrong person. I swear, I went to the restroom that day, 1 never went near you!”

    She stammered desperately, pleading her innocence, but I only watched in silence.

    IK 81%

    When no response came from me, she copsed to her knees, chest rising and falling in ragged breaths as she turned desperately to Darius. Her teary eyes clung to him, lips trembling as though she could wring sympathy from stone.

    “M–my king, I swear I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m innocent, I truly am! I wasn’t the one who went to thedy’s room. I swear to the goddess, it wasn’t me. It wasn’t me. Yesterday, I went to the restroom and then straight back to the kitchen. Please, believe me.”

    Her voice broke as she pleaded, but Darius’s gaze stayed ice cold, his expression unshifting. A scoff slipped from me in amusement. I knew better. Out of everyone she could’ve begged, she chose Darius. That man cared for nothing. If you were guilty, he punished. If you were unlucky, he punished

    all the same.

    “Look, she’s crying… I honestly don’t think she’s the one,i” /ione of the maids whispered, her voice barely audible but I heard it.

    “Me too. She’s thest person I’d suspecti,/ii” /ianother muttered.

    I ignored their chatter, narrowing my gaze on the maid before me. I wanted this done quickly. She wasn’t the one I was after, not the true mastermind.

    “Well, I didn’t expect you to confess, not after hiding until now. But let me ask all the maids here one question.”

    The air tightened. I felt every body stiffen before they all bowed deeply, waiting. Their eyes were on me when I continued.

    “This morning at breakfast, there was pineapple among the fruits, wasn’t there?”

    The kitchen staff immediately answered in unison.

    “Yes, mydy. There was pineapple for breakfast.”

    I gave a slow nod.

    “The maid who came iinto /imy room reeked of pineapple. And while I’m sure others came close to it, I doubt simply being near would leave such a scent. No… only the one who cut the fruit would carry it that strongly. Isn’t that right?”

    Almost everyone nodded in agreement, even Zayn, Cassain, and Drake.

    “So tell me,” I said, leaning back against my seat, arms folding across my chest, one brow raised. “Who among the kitchen staff cut the fruit today?”

    35 bSat/b, 6 bSept /b

    The maids exchanged nces, brows furrowed as they tried to recall. Then, suddenly, one of them snapped her fingers and blurted out.

    “It was ire! I remember, it was ire! She was scolded by the kitchen matron for nearly cutting her finger because she was so distracted!”

    The girl gasped the second the words left her lips, pping her hand over her mouth as her gaze dropped in embarrassment.

    “Yes, I remember too. The matron was furious with her.”

    “Oh goddess, that’s right, ire was the one who cut the fruit. Could she really be the culprit?”

    ire’s face burned red under their words. She shook her head frantically, lips parting to protest, but I cut her off, my voice cool, almost bored.

    “But that alone doesn’t prove she’s the culprit, does it? It could’ve been anyone. After all, werewolves can pick up scents easily. No…”

    My eyes narrowed, my tone sharpening. “The maid I saw earlier had a mole on the back of her neck.”

    I touched the spot on my own neck where I’d seen it. “I remember it clearly. That mole belongs to the true culprit.”

    Then, very slowly, I turned my gaze on the trembling girl, ire, who stared back at me with wide eyes, caught between shock and fear.

    “How about we check?”

    The moment the words left my mouth, her hand flew to her neck and I saw it in her eyes.

    The dreadful realization that she’d been caught. That there was no way out. Nothing she could say. She bit her bottom lip, her fists clenching tight at her sides as if she could hold herself together. I could almost see her mind racing, scrambling for an excuse, any excuse, that might save her.

    But before she could speak, Darius’s voice cut through the air.

    “Check her.”

    Every head snapped toward him, his gaze locked on the trembling girl. His

    tone was cold, final.

    “Check if she has a mole.