Lady Lian sat perfectly still.
Too still.
The poison vial rested quietly in her palm while the candlelight danced across the glass surface. Outside her chambers, court maidens moved around the House of Petals as though nothing had changed.
But everything had.
Her child was gone.
And the person who caused it was not Elara.
No.
It was the woman she trusted most in this rotting palace.
Lady Lian's breathing came out shallow as she stared ahead blankly.
She had cried already.
Screamed already.
Now there was only emptiness.
The chamber doors finally slid open.
Lady Seraphine walked in gracefully, removing her outer robe as though returning from an ordinary evening stroll. But the moment her eyes landed on Lady Lian...
And the vial in her hand...
She stopped.
Only for half a second.
But Lady Lian noticed.
Of course she noticed.
Funny how betrayal sharpened every little detail.
Neither woman spoke.
