Chapter 47 Mean Lady
Dahila’s POV
Before I could fully step into my pup’s room, Lily was already sitting upright on her bed, her big round eyes fixed on the door like she had been waiting for me the entire time. The moment she saw me, her shoulders relaxed a little, but her brows stayed drawn together in that cute anxious way that always made my heart squeeze.
“Mommy,” she said quickly, her little legs dangling from the edge of the bed. “What did the mean lady say to you?”
Despite the storm of emotions still swirling inside me, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Mean lady?” I repeated softly.
“The Luna,” she said, lowering her voice like she was saying something forbidden. “She looked at you like this.” Lily narrowed her eyes and tightened her lips in a dramatic imitation.
I laughed properly this time. “Oh, that face?” I asked, walking closer.
“Yes! That face,” she insisted.
I sat beside her and gently brushed her hair back. “It was nothing serious, sweetheart.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. She didn’t believe me. Lily might be small, but she noticed everything. “Nothing serious?” she repeated slowly.
“Yes.”
She crossed her arms, puffed her cheeks, and gave me that pout that always meant she was thinking too much for her age. “Does she want us to leave?”
My heart dropped at her question.
“Why would you think that?” I asked gently.
“Because she didn’t smile at you,” Lily replied. “And when people don’t smile, it means they don’t like you. And when they don’t like you, they want you to go.”
I blinked. Children and their simple logic.
I lowered myself so I was eye level with her. “No, my love. She doesn’t want us to leave.”
“Promise?” she asked.
“Promise,” I said, even though my chest felt tight.
“So what did she say?” Lily pressed again.
“She was just explaining some rules,” I answered carefully. “Rules I have to follow while we are here.”
Lily frowned. “But in the city nobody tells us rules to follow. We just live our lives.”
Her words were simple, innocent. But they hit deep.
For a second, my mind drifted back to the life we used to live. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t even easy. There were days when money was tight and nights when Lily and her siblings would ask questions about their father that I didn’t know how to answer. Back then, that was my biggest problem—how to protect them from the truth, or at least from the parts of it that would hurt.
Now?
Now I couldn’t even count how many times my mind wandered during the day. I would be standing somewhere and suddenly forget what I was doing. I would wake up and feel like I was waiting for something… something that never came.
“Mommy?” Lily called softly, pulling me back.
I smiled quickly. “Rules are important, Lily. We follow them so we don’t hurt other people’s feelings.”
She tilted her head. “But what if the rules hurt our feelings?”
That question almost broke me.
“Then…” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “Then we try to be strong. And we find a way to make things better.”
She studied me like she was trying to read my thoughts. Sometimes I wondered if she could.
“It’s lunch time,” I said gently, glancing toward the door.
Right on cue, Xenia stepped forward. She must have been standing there quietly the whole time.
“Lunch sounds good,” Xenia said with exaggerated excitement. “I heard there’s honey cakes today.”
Lily’s eyes widened instantly. “Honey cakes?”
“Yes,” Xenia nodded dramatically. “But only for girls who finish their food.”
Just like that, the interrogation was forgotten.
Lily jumped off the bed. “I will finish everything!” she declared proudly.
I smiled, grateful for the distraction.
As Xenia reached for her hand, Lily suddenly turned back to me. “Mommy, will you be joining us?”
For a split second, I considered saying yes. Pretending everything was normal. Sitting at that long dining table like I belonged there.
“I’m busy, baby,” I said softly. “I’ll be with you later.”
She nodded, accepting it without complaint, and bounced toward the door.
But just before stepping out, she ran back and hugged my waist tightly. “Don’t let the mean lady bully you,” she whispered.
I laughed under my breath. “Go eat your honey cakes.”
She finally left with Xenia, her small voice echoing down the hallway.
When the door closed, the silence felt heavy.
Her questions lingered in my mind.
Why was I here?
When Zola first suggested this place, she made it sound like a temporary escape. A safe space. A way to breathe and gather my thoughts. But this didn’t feel like breathing. It felt like holding my breath and waiting for something to explode.
I couldn’t continue living like this—waking up with no clear plan, moving from one day to the next like a miracle would suddenly happen and I would somehow travel back to my old life without Kael ever trying to find me.
Kael.
Even thinking his name made my chest tighten.
This was too much for my petite self to handle. I wasn’t made for palace politics. I wasn’t made for cold stares and unspoken warnings. I was made for small spaces and simple joys. For my children’s laughter and quiet nights.
I needed answers.
And there was only one person who could give them to me.
Zola.
She was the one who suggested this in the first place. She had convinced me it was the safest option. She had assured me everything would be under control.
Under control.
I almost laughed at that.
Nothing felt under control.
With a determined sigh, I stepped out of Lily’s room and began walking down the corridor. My footsteps were soft against the polished floor, but my thoughts were loud.
I needed to see Zola today.
I needed to know what she wasn’t telling me.
Just as I turned the corner, lost in my thoughts, a deep voice suddenly echoed through the hallway.
“I was waiting for you at the dining table.”
The sound of it sent an immediate shiver down my spine.
I froze.
I knew that voice.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
He was standing there, leaning slightly against the wall like he had all the time in the world. His presence alone seemed to fill the space, heavy and impossible to ignore.
His eyes were already on me.