Chapter 25 125

Chapter 25 125
Selene 

Everything that happened died down quickly, on my end. Cassius was with me all through my stay at the healer's place. He was not necessarily by my side every second or hour. But I had his support and that caused the healer to always treat me and that also prevented Gracia from coming in to cause trouble for me. Alpha Dain was not yet still back and that also meant no sex. 

“Thank you for your help.” It had been three days and I was recovering quickly only due to the healer’s expertise. I was finally leaving the room on discharge and returning to the slave quarters. Returning to be the slave that I was forced to be.

“I did not do it for you human!” He fired straight at me and I swallowed.” “I only did this for the sake of the beta Cassius, so do not think that I would act so lowly and take care of a mere slave like you. You are not worth—” His voice trailed off when the door to the room opened and a lady walked in. 

The healer’s tone cut off as the door slid open. His lips shut so fast that the rest of his insult died in his throat. I turned toward the doorway and froze.

She stepped inside with the effortless grace of someone born into power. Her gown was soft blue silk that caught the light, and her hair fell in a smooth curtain down her back. Even without being told, I would have known exactly who she was. The gentle set of her face, the elegance, the confidence that did not need to be loud. This could only be Dain’s younger sister. Princess Gia.

The healer immediately straightened and lowered his head. The shift was almost funny. One moment he was spitting at me, the next he was bowing low like a loyal priest before an altar.

“Princess Gia,” he said, his voice suddenly respectful, almost warm. “Your presence is an honor.”

Her gaze drifted briefly over him before settling on me. Her eyes were soft. Not like Gracia’s sharp and cruel stare. Not like the way many of the nobles looked at slaves, as if we were nothing but dirt under their polished shoes. Gia’s gaze felt like a gentle brush of wind across my skin. Kind. Curious. Almost protective.

“Is she ready to leave?” Gia asked.

“Yes, Princess. She has recovered well,” the healer said, still bowing slightly.

Gia nodded, then stepped closer to me. Her hands were clasped in front of her, fingers slender and unhurried, as if she had no reason to fear anything in this world. Her scent was light, something sweet and calming, and it eased a part of my tension without permission.

“You are Selene,” she said.

I swallowed, wondering how she heard of me.. “Yes, Princess.”

Her lips curved slightly, not quite a smile, but close. “I heard you were injured. Cassius insisted you be treated properly.”

My heart fluttered with an emotion I refused to name. Cassius had been the reason I was allowed to rest. The reason the healer had not left bruises on me with careless handling. The reason Gracia had been kept away. If he had not stepped in, I knew exactly what would have happened.

“Yes. He helped me,” I said quietly.

Gia’s eyes sparkled in an amused way. “He more than helped you. My sister has been storming around the palace for two days. Every little thing sets her off. Even the servants have started avoiding the corridor where she walks. She is angry because Cassius cares just a little too much about you.”

Heat climbed up my neck. “I did not ask him to.”

“I know.” Her voice was soft and certain. “That is the best part.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

Gia turned away from the healer, giving me her full attention. “Gracia is used to control. She has always believed that everything and everyone must bend to her. She believes Cassius belongs at her feet. She does not understand why he would ever look at someone else, especially someone she sees as beneath her.” Gia tilted her head slightly. “It bothers her that you exist. And it bothers her even more that you do not break the way others do.”

I stood still, unsure how to respond. Compliments were strange to me. I had learned to survive by hiding, not by shining.

Gia stepped closer. Her fingers reached out as if she wanted to touch my arm, but she stopped just before making contact, as if respecting the fact that I might flinch. That alone made me admire her even more.

“You are stronger than you look,” she said. “And you do not pretend to be anything other than what you are. I like that.”

No one in this palace had ever said something like that to me. The sudden warmth in my chest was unfamiliar and unsettling.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Behind us, the healer kept pretending he was invisible. His earlier hostility had vanished. He looked nervous. Good. He should be.

Gia drifted toward the window with a calmness that felt almost unreal in this place. She lifted the curtain lightly between her fingers, studying the fabric as if it held something interesting. Then she looked back at me with a thoughtful expression.

“Word has been spreading,” she said. “The palace has turned your little incident into entertainment. Some claim you pushed back when Gracia tried to degrade you. Others insist Cassius intervened because he could not tolerate watching her hurt you. A few even say you stared her down and she lost her temper.” She let out a soft, amused breath. “So tell me. Which one is true?”

I swallowed. “None of them. I only tried not to make things worse.”

Gia stepped closer, her expression thoughtful. “And that is exactly why the rumors grew. When someone stays calm instead of crying or begging, people notice. Especially in a place like this. It irritates the ones who expect fear.”

“That is usually how trouble begins,” Gia replied, stepping closer. “One small act of courage. Then another. And eventually, people start to notice someone they were never supposed to notice.”

I lowered my gaze. “I just want to survive here.”

“I know,” she murmured, her voice dipping softer than before. “But surviving around my sister is something very few people manage for long.”

My head lifted just enough for me to meet her eyes. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I do not hate you,” she said simply. “And because I see things in this palace that others pretend not to see. Cassius is loyal to a fault, and that loyalty makes Gracia feel threatened. She has been jealous since we were children. Jealous of anyone who receives attention she believes belongs to her.”

Gia paused close to me. Her steady eyes held no malice. Only honesty. “You did nothing wrong. But people have been punished for far less.”

A cold shiver rippled down my spine. Gia turned toward the door, then paused and glanced back. “Selene.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Be careful,” she said. “My sister hides her cruelty behind beauty, but she is dangerous. And you are becoming the one thing she cannot tolerate. A reason for someone she values to look away from her.”

Her words sank into me like a stone settling deep in water.

“Thank you for the warning,” I whispered.

Gia nodded once, firm but kind. “Stay alert. And trust your instincts. They may be the only thing that keeps you safe.”

She left the room with the same soft grace she entered, her presence fading like warm light slipping behind a cloud. Only her scent and her warning remained, lingering in the cold air.