Chapter 35 035

Chapter 35 035

Ria's POV

I walked downstairs with my head held high. The emerald green dress felt right on my body. It made me feel like the warrior's daughter I was supposed to be.

The dining hall doors were already open and I spotted Anna inside. She was setting the table, arranging plates and forks like she always did. Playing the perfect friend. The perfect maid.

She heard my footsteps and looked up. The moment she saw me, she froze completely. Her eyes went wide as she stared at me from head to toe.

"Ria," she said slowly. "What are you wearing?"

I kept walking until I reached the table. "A dress. What does it look like?"

"I picked out a dress for you this morning. The blue one with the lace." Her tone had an edge now. "Why did you not wear it?"

The smile on her face had faded and was slowly turning into a frown.

I pulled out the chair at the head of the table and sat down. "Because I decided I wanted to look more stunning today."

A smirk tugged at my lips. I could not help it. Watching her get flustered felt good.

Anna just stood there with her mouth slightly open. She looked confused, like she could not figure out what was happening.

"Besides," I added, getting comfortable in my seat. "You should be addressing me by my title, Anna. Not just my name."

Her heart rate jumped. I heard it clearly from across the room, that frantic pounding that told me I had rattled her.

"What?" The word came out barely above a whisper.

"My title," I repeated calmly. "Luna! You should not be calling me by my first name anymore. It is disrespectful."

Anna stood frozen with a fork clutched in her hand. Her face went pale and her eyes darted around the room like she was looking for help.

I let the silence drag on. Let her squirm under my gaze.

“Let at least wait until the trial is over” she squirm, after a while as if she had thought about her response.

“So you think that I won't survive the trial?”

“Of course not!” She shrugged immediately and that fake smile immediately returned to her face while she stood by my side.

"Anna," I said sharply. "Go ahead and serve my meal, I am hungry."

She actually flinched at my tone. Then she dropped the fork on the table and practically ran toward the kitchen.

I leaned back in my chair with that smirk still on my face. This was easier than I thought it would be. All I had to do was stop playing the sweet, naive girl and Anna fell apart.

She came back a few minutes later with a tray of food. Eggs, toast, fruit, tea. She set it down in front of me without looking at me directly. Her hands were shaking.

"Thank you," I said, picking up my fork. "You may continue setting the table."

Anna nodded quickly and went back to arranging things. But I could see her sneaking glances at me every few seconds. She was clearly confused by how I was acting.

Good.

"Anna," I said after taking a few bites of my eggs. "Do you have any idea what today's trial will be?"

Her hands stopped moving. "No. I do not know what the trial is."

"Hmm." I sipped my tea slowly. "And what about Silas? Do you know what he is planning?"

She turned to face me now. Her expression looked carefully blank. "I am not aware of any specific plans. But I can keep a close eye on him today. If I find anything out, I will tell you immediately."

Such a good liar. She was probably watching all of us and reporting everything back to Dante.

"That would be appreciated," I said, going back to my meal.

Anna twisted the napkin in her hands. "Actually, Luna, I wanted to make a suggestion."

So now she would use my title. How convenient.

"Go on," I said, cutting my toast into neat pieces.

"I think you should find a way to sever your bond with Silas."

I stopped cutting. That was not what I expected. I set down my knife and looked at her.

"Sever my bond with just Silas?" I asked.

"Yes." Anna took a step closer. "Think about it. Right now, you are connected to him through the mate bond. That means he can feel your emotions. Sense when you are lying. He will always be one step ahead of you because of that connection."

She was not completely wrong about that. The mate bond did make hiding things harder. But the way she was pushing this made alarm bells go off in my head.

"But once you sever the bond with him," Anna kept going, "you could go forward with your plans without fear. He would not be able to sense you anymore. You would have the advantage."

I picked up my tea and took a slow drink while I watched her. "How exactly would I sever the bond with just Silas when I am connected to three brothers?"

Anna's eyes got brighter. "There are ways. Rituals. I have been reading about them. You can reject individual mates without affecting the others."

"Have you now." I set my cup down carefully. "And how would these rituals work?"

"Well, first you would need to..." She stopped herself, like she realized she was being too eager. "I mean, I could tell you the process. I have learned quite a bit about mate bonds and rejections. I even know how to face rejection from all three without anyone getting seriously hurt."

There it was. The real reason she suddenly cared so much about helping me.

I crossed my arms and looked directly at her. "You want to know how to sever mate bonds."

Anna's face turned red. "I just want to help you..."

"Is there a particular reason you are so interested in bond severance, Anna?" I asked.

She opened her mouth but before any words came out, I heard footsteps in the hallway.

We both turned toward the door as Tracy walked in.