Chapter 216 CHAPTER 216
The crowd had begun to thin, but the weight of the funeral did not leave with the people.
Anna walked beside Hilda in silence, her steps slower than usual, her gaze drifting back more than once toward the cemetery they had just left behind. The air still felt heavy, thick with grief that had not yet settled.
Ahead of them, she noticed Mara and Leonard speaking to Liam Blackthorne. The sight made something tighten quietly in her chest.
“Mother,” Anna said softly, her voice uncertain, “should we… should we ask him?”
Hilda did not look at her. “Ask him what?”
“About Father,” Anna replied. “About what happened in Mooncrest… with the elders.”
Hilda’s grip on her wrist tightened almost immediately, not enough to hurt, but enough to silence the thought before it could grow.
“That would be foolish,” she said under her breath. “If the rumors are true, if Cedric and the others have been imprisoned, then drawing attention to ourselves is the last thing we should do.”
Anna swallowed, her gaze dropping.
“But…”
“No,” Hilda cut in, her tone firm now. “You will not go asking questions that will remind them we are tied to him. If they decide guilt spreads by association, we will not be spared from what awaits your father.”
The words settled heavily between them.
Hilda tugged her forward, intending to pass without being noticed, but just as they drew level with Liam, his voice cut cleanly through the moment.
“Anna.”
They both stopped.
Slowly, they turned.
“I need a moment of your time,” Liam said, his expression unreadable.
For a brief second, Anna’s heart stuttered. Her first thought was her father. Her second was worse.
Hilda spoke before Anna could. “Is this about Cedric?”
“No,” Liam replied calmly. “Something else. I would prefer we speak in private. Your house?”
There was no room to refuse. The two nodded silently.
The walk back to their house was quiet, each step heavier than the last. Anna’s thoughts moved restlessly, trying to guess what this was about, while Hilda walked beside her, tense in a way that did not escape Liam’s notice.
When they reached the house, Hilda pushed the door open.
The familiar disarray greeted them immediately.
Clothes were scattered across the couch, dishes left unattended on the table and in the sink, the room carrying the stale scent of neglect that had settled in since Lisa was no longer there to hold it together.
Hilda moved quickly, brushing aside a few things from the couch.
“Please, sit,” she said.
Liam glanced at the space, then shook his head lightly.
“I would rather stand,” he said. “This will not take long.”
He turned his attention to Anna.
“It is you I needed to speak to,” he said, his tone even. “But I would prefer your mother remain present.”
Anna nodded slowly, her hands clasping together in front of her.
“I understand.”
Liam studied her for a moment before speaking again.
“It’s about Sarah. I know that you were the one who discovered her true nature,” he said. “I want you to tell me how.”
Anna hesitated briefly, then nodded.
She spoke, her voice steady enough, recounting what she had seen that night, how she had come across it, how she had taken proof and brought it forward. She did not go into unnecessary detail, and Liam did not interrupt her as she spoke.
When she finished, the room fell into a brief silence.
Liam’s gaze did not soften.
“What were you doing outside that night?” he asked.
Anna blinked once, caught slightly off guard.
“I… I went out for some fresh air,” she said.
It was a simple answer.
Too simple.
Liam held her gaze a moment longer than necessary.
“I already know that you and Sarah were on familiar terms,” he said.
Anna shook her head quickly. “We were not friends,” she replied. “We only spoke occasionally. That’s all.”
“But you also visited her, correct?” It was more of a statement than a question.
Anna opened her mouth to respond, but Hilda stepped in before she could.
“Yes,” Hilda said, her tone measured. “But not regularly. Looking back, I am beginning to think Sarah may have influenced my daughter more than we realized. Maybe she also put a spell on my poor Anna. There’s no way Anna could have befriended her without magic being involved. She may have wanted to use her as well.”
Anna glanced at her mother, surprised, but said nothing.
Liam shifted slightly.
“Are you aware of what happened to Princess Lisa at Lunaris?” he asked.
Anna’s fingers tightened together.
“I heard about it,” she said quietly. “But I had nothing to do with it.”
Liam watched her closely.
“Do you still hold any resentment toward her?” he asked.
Anna shook her head, more firmly this time.
“No,” she said. “That is in the past.”
Liam nodded once, as though accepting the answer, though something in his expression remained unchanged.
“One last question,” he said. “Do you know Isabel?”
Anna frowned slightly at the shift.
“Yes,” she said. “She is in my class.”
“And Miss Blackwood is your teacher?” Liam added.
“Yes,” Anna replied, confusion beginning to creep into her voice. “But I don’t understand what that has to do with anything.”
Liam’s gaze lingered on her for a moment.
“Nothing,” he said at last.
The word settled oddly in the room.
He straightened slightly.
“If you remember anything about Sarah - anything at all - you are to inform Beta Mason,” he said. “He will pass the information to me.”
Anna nodded.
“I will.”
Without another word, Liam turned and left.
The door closed behind him with a quiet finality.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Hilda turned to Anna sharply.
“We have to leave Silverpine,” she said.
Anna blinked, startled. “What? Why?”
Hilda stared at her, disbelief flickering across her face.
“Are you dumb?” she asked with a tone of irritation. “Or plain stupid?”
Anna frowned. “I didn’t do anything.”
“That does not matter,” Hilda replied. “Your father is already tied to the king’s anger, and now you are connected—whether you like it or not—to the witch who deceived this entire village.”
“I am not connected to her,” Anna insisted.
Hilda’s voice hardened.
“Do you think anyone will care about that distinction?” she asked. “Do you think they will stop to listen?”
Anna fell silent.
Hilda stepped closer, lowering her voice.
“And Commander Liam,” she added, glancing toward the door Liam had just walked through, “he was not speaking to you as a witness.”
Anna’s breath caught slightly.
“He was questioning you,” Hilda said. “Like a suspect.”
The words settled heavily in the room, and this time, Anna did not argue.
Because somewhere, beneath her denial…
She had felt it too.