Chapter 240 CHAPTER 240

Chapter 240 CHAPTER 240
Anna sat on the edge of the stone bench, one leg bouncing restlessly, her fingers tapping against her knee in a rhythm she didn’t seem aware of. Across from her, Isabel sat with her back against the wall, her arms loosely folded, her gaze lowered but not unfocused.

She hadn’t said a word since they were thrown inside the cell.

Anna let out a small, humorless breath and leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before glancing at her again.

“You’re really going to sit there like that?” she asked. “Like none of this has anything to do with you?”

No response.

Anna tilted her head slightly, studying her. “You know, I thought you’d at least try to defend yourself. Say something. Deny it properly.” She let out a short laugh. “But this? This is just… pathetic.”

Isabel’s fingers shifted slightly where they rested against her sleeve, but she didn’t look up.

Anna pushed off the bench and took a few slow steps across the small space. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll start.”

She stopped a few feet away, folding her arms loosely. “I know you’re dying to know why I did what I did.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I had good reasons.”

Isabel’s gaze lifted just a fraction, not fully meeting hers.

Anna noticed. “Yeah,” she continued, catching that small movement. “I know how that sounds.”

She paced once, then stopped again.

“Cindy—Lisa,” she corrected herself with a small, dismissive wave, “was just… there. One day she’s working in our house, doing everything, taking orders, keeping her head down like she’s supposed to. And then suddenly…” She let out a breath through her nose. “She’s a princess.”

Her jaw tightened slightly.

“Do you know what that looks like from the outside?” she asked, glancing at Isabel. “One minute she’s nothing, the next minute she’s everything. People bowing, people apologizing, people acting like they didn’t spend years treating her like she didn’t matter.”

Isabel’s eyes stayed on her now, quiet, steady.

Anna’s lips pressed together before she continued. “And then her brother—” she shook her head lightly, a small, incredulous smile pulling at her mouth, “the king—decides that what happened to her needs punishment.”

She gave a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. “Punishment,” she repeated. “Like we committed some unforgivable crime.”

Her hand lifted briefly, then dropped again. “I’m not saying we were perfect. We weren’t. I’m not even saying what my father did was right. It wasn’t.” Her voice steadied there, but her fingers curled slightly against her arm. “But it wasn’t enough to take him away like that.”

She looked at Isabel directly now.

“They should have been thanking us,” she said. “We found her. We took her in. Do you know what would have happened if we hadn’t? She would have died out there. No one would have known who she was.”

Isabel’s brows drew together slightly, but she still didn’t interrupt.

Anna took a step closer. “Instead, we lose everything. My father gets thrown into prison, my name becomes something people spit out, and suddenly everyone decides I’m fair game.” She gave a small, tight shrug. “Funny how quickly things change.”

Silence settled between them for a second.

Then Anna exhaled and looked away briefly. “So when I got a chance to get even with her…” she said, her voice lowering just slightly, “I took it.”

She paused, like she had said enough.

Then added, almost as an afterthought, “It wasn’t like I had nothing to gain.”

Isabel’s gaze sharpened slightly at that.

Anna noticed and let out a quiet breath, a small, almost careless smile appearing. “What?” she asked. “You thought I did it out of pure emotion?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not that stupid.” Her eyes flickered briefly, then returned to Isabel. “There were people willing to make it worth my while.”

She didn’t elaborate.

The words hung there on their own.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Anna tilted her head again. “But that’s me,” she said. “What about you?”

Isabel didn’t answer.

Anna’s gaze narrowed slightly. “From everything I’ve heard, Lisa didn’t just tolerate you. She trusted you. Brought you into the palace. Treated you like…” she hesitated, then shrugged lightly, “…like family.”

Still nothing.

Anna let out a small breath. “So why?”

She stepped closer again, closing the distance between them. “Why did you do it?”

Isabel finally spoke.

“What are you talking about?”

Her voice wasn’t loud. It wasn’t defensive.

Just… steady.

Anna blinked once, then let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. “You’re serious?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Isabel said, her gaze holding hers now.

Anna stared at her for a second, then shook her head slowly. “No,” she said. “No, don’t do that.”

She pointed toward her. “I saw you. You took the necklace. Right out of her neck.”

Isabel’s expression didn’t shift, but her fingers tightened slightly against her sleeve.

“I didn’t,” she said.

Anna let out a sharp breath. “Everyone saw it.”

“I didn’t,” Isabel repeated, her voice still even, but quieter now.

The silence that followed felt heavier than before.

Anna watched her, something shifting in her expression—something between frustration and something she didn’t quite name.

“I don’t believe you. Nobody does.” she said after a moment, her voice tightening slightly. “If I were you I’d be try to figure out how to open another portal.”

Isabel didn’t react.

Anna gestured around the cell. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re our only way out.”

Still nothing.

Anna’s jaw clenched. “You think this is bad?” she continued. “This is nothing compared to what they’ll do if they decide you’re working with the witches.”

Isabel’s gaze flickered briefly at that.

Anna caught it. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “You’ve seen what they’re capable of.”

She took a step back, folding her arms again. “So if you did open that portal,” she added, her tone sharpening slightly, “now would be a very good time to do it again.”