Chapter 37 Chapter 37

Chapter 37 Chapter 37
Vanessa

I should have stayed outside.

That was the first thought that hit me the moment I stepped back into the hall.

Everything felt… staged.

Too quiet.

Too focused.

Like the room had been waiting for me to return.

Alaric stood at the center near the raised platform.

Emma was slightly behind him.

The grandmother sat like a judge on a throne she never asked permission for.

And every single person in that room was looking at me.

I suddenly felt too aware of my own breathing.

“Vanessa,” Alaric said again.

My name sounded heavier the second time.

I took one step forward.

Then another.

The silence followed me like a shadow.

Emma smiled faintly.

Not warmly.

Not kindly.

Like she knew something I didn’t.

The grandmother leaned forward slightly.

“Come closer,” she said.

Not a request.

An instruction.

My stomach tightened.

I moved slowly toward the center of the room.

Each step felt louder than it should have.

When I finally stopped, I stood a few feet away from Alaric.

Not beside him.

Not near him.

Just… present.

“That seat,” Emma said softly, pointing.

I turned.

There it was.

The empty chair in the center.

Alone.

Exposed.

Waiting.

My throat tightened.

“Why is it there?” I asked quietly.

No one answered immediately.

That silence was my answer.

Alaric’s eyes flicked toward me.

Something unreadable in them.

Then the grandmother spoke.

“Sit.”

One word.

Sharp.

Final.

My hands curled slightly at my sides.

“I don’t understand what this is.”

Emma tilted her head.

“It’s simple,” she said softly. “You are being introduced properly.”

Something in her tone made my skin crawl.

Introduced.

Like I wasn’t already here.

Like I was something new.

Or something being evaluated.

“I’m already married to him,” I said quietly.

A few soft laughs came from the crowd.

Not loud.

But enough.

My cheeks burned instantly.

Alaric’s jaw tightened.

Not at them.

At me.

That realization hit harder than I expected.

“Sit down,” he repeated.

This time his voice was lower.

Colder.

Commanding.

My heart sank slightly.

Not because I was afraid of him.

But because he sounded… disappointed.

Still, I hesitated.

Just for a second too long.

And Emma saw it.

Of course she did.

She stepped forward slightly.

“Vanessa,” she said gently, almost pitying. “Don’t make this difficult.”

Something about that sentence snapped something fragile inside me.

I slowly walked to the chair.

Every step felt heavier.

Every eye heavier.

When I finally reached it, I sat down.

The moment I did—

The room shifted.

Subtle.

But undeniable.

Like that was what they were waiting for.

The grandmother smiled faintly.

“Good,” she said.

Emma exhaled softly like she had been holding her breath.

Alaric didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

Just watched.

Vanessa

The introductions started after that.

Names I didn’t remember.

Titles I didn’t care about.

People shaking hands, laughing softly, glancing at me like I was a puzzle they hadn’t decided how to solve.

Then the grandmother spoke again.

“Tell us,” she said calmly. “How are you adjusting to the family?”

My stomach dropped slightly.

I looked at Alaric instinctively.

He didn’t help.

Didn’t interrupt.

Didn’t soften it.

Emma stepped in immediately.

“She’s still learning our customs,” she said sweetly.

I frowned.

“I can answer for myself.”

A few people shifted uncomfortably.

Emma smiled wider.

“Of course you can,” she said softly. “Go ahead.”

All eyes turned back to me.

Heat crawled up my neck.

I suddenly felt exposed.

Not physically.

Socially.

Completely.

“I…” I started.

Then stopped.

Because I didn’t know what answer they wanted.

The grandmother tilted her head slightly.

“Do you feel comfortable here?”

The word comfortable felt like a joke.

I forced my voice steady.

“It’s… new.”

A few murmurs in the room.

Not approval.

Not disapproval.

Judgment.

Emma laughed softly.

“She’s being modest.”

I shot her a look.

She didn’t flinch.

Alaric finally spoke.

“Enough.”

One word.

The room quieted instantly.

But instead of relief—

It felt worse.

Because now everyone was waiting for his judgment.

And I was part of it.

The turning point came without warning.

A woman from across the table leaned forward slightly.

“So you’re the human bride,” she said lightly.

My body stiffened.

Human.

The way she said it made it sound like a flaw.

Emma smiled immediately.

“Yes,” she said before I could respond. “Isn’t it interesting?”

My fingers tightened under the table.

Alaric’s eyes flicked toward Emma.

Just briefly.

But enough.

“Careful,” he said quietly.

Not to me.

To her.

But it didn’t stop what came next.

The grandmother leaned back.

“She is fragile,” she said calmly.

My breath caught slightly.

Fragile.

Again.

That word.

Like I was glass.

Something easily broken.

“I’m not fragile,” I said before I could stop myself.

Silence.

Instant.

Sharp.

The room froze.

Even Emma’s smile faltered for half a second.

Alaric’s gaze snapped to me immediately.

Cold.

Warning.

But I was already past it.

“I’m right here,” I said quietly. “Stop talking about me like I’m not.”

A murmur spread through the room.

Not loud.

But enough.

Emma leaned in slightly toward Alaric.

“She’s emotional,” she whispered.

I heard it.

Everyone heard it.

Something shifted in Alaric’s expression.

Not anger yet.

Not protection.

Control.

I felt it before he spoke.

“Vanessa.”

My name again.

Stronger now.

He stepped forward slightly.

Just enough to claim attention.

Not me.

The room.

“Stand up.”

My heart dropped slightly.

“What?”

“Stand up.”

The command was sharper this time.

The entire room was watching.

I hesitated.

And that hesitation cost me everything.

Emma exhaled softly.

Almost relieved.

“Alaric,” she said gently. “Maybe we should—”

“Quiet.”

She stopped immediately.

I stood.

Slowly.

My legs felt unsteady.

I didn’t understand what was happening anymore.

Alaric looked at me for a long moment.

Then spoke.

Cold.

Clear.

“You will not interrupt conversations in my house.”

My throat tightened.

“I wasn’t—”

“Don’t.”

The single word cut me off instantly.

My chest tightened painfully.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to feel.

Not like this.

Not in front of everyone.

The grandmother smiled faintly.

Emma’s eyes stayed on me.

Watching.

Waiting.

Enjoying.

Alaric’s voice dropped lower.

“You will learn your place.”

Something inside me cracked at that sentence.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Just quietly.

Deeply.

I nodded once.

Barely.

And sat back down.

The humiliation wasn’t loud.

It was worse.

It was silent.

And it stayed.

I didn’t look at anyone for the rest of the gathering.

Not Emma.

Not the grandmother.

Not even Alaric.

Because if I did—

I might not be able to hold myself together.

But I felt it.

All of it.

The judgment.

The strategy.

The satisfaction.

And when I finally stood to leave later that night—

I heard Emma’s voice behind me.

Soft.

Almost kind.

“You handled that well.”

I froze.

Slowly turned.

She smiled.

And for the first time since I arrived in this house—

I understood something clearly.

This wasn’t just dislike.

This was war.

And I had just lost the first battle without even knowing it had begun.
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