Chapter 161: A Bite Beneath the Velvet

The words looked like they were very difficult for her to say, and she almost looked as though she wanted to spit them out the moment they left her mouth.

I couldn't help but smile.

“There is no need for you to greet me. At least your mood has improved today,” I said.

She gave me a small smile, but there was nothing friendly about it.

“I am not doing this because I want to respect you,” she replied. “I am doing this because, unfortunately for the Alpha, he seems to find someone like you capable of being the Luna. So don't think I've suddenly decided to respect you.”

I remained silent, allowing her to continue.

“The only reason I am giving you this respect is because of the Alpha and your title as Luna. You know how things work in this pack. We always show respect to people who are higher in position. Trust me, if it were up to me, I would have ignored you. I wouldn't have even greeted you, but unfortunately, I have no choice.”

I stared at her for a moment.

There was a time when words like these would have hurt me. There was a time when I would have lowered my head, walked away, and pretended I hadn't heard anything because I didn't want to cause trouble.

But things were different now.

I had spent too many years allowing people to treat me as though I was beneath them simply because I didn't have anyone powerful standing behind me.

I smiled at her.

“Well, that is it. You are my maid, and yes, you have no choice. If you refuse to obey me, you will be punished,” I said calmly.

Her eyes widened.

“How dare you?” she asked.

“Uh-uh.” I shook my head, raising one finger.

“If any of those words come out of your mouth again, I promise you, you will be sent to the prison cell, and I will report everything to Alpha Kieran myself.”

Her face immediately hardened.

“You insolent girl. How dare you?”

I stared at her, and my patience began to wear thin.

“This is your last warning, maid,” I said firmly. “If you ever insult me again, it won't be funny, and I won't be laughing with you.”

She looked at me as though she couldn't believe I had spoken to her that way.

Perhaps she was still expecting the old Elara.

The girl who would remain quiet no matter how cruel people were to her.

The girl who would swallow her anger because she was afraid of making things worse.

But that girl was slowly disappearing.

All these months, I had tolerated her attitude because I thought maybe she would eventually change or grow to like me. I had tried to understand her, even when I couldn't understand the reason behind her hatred.

I had gone through months of memories in my head, thinking about every conversation we had ever shared and every interaction between us.

Still, I couldn't find a single reason why she hated me so much.

There was nothing I had ever done to her.

I looked directly into her eyes.

“When your sister's child, Helena, died, I consoled you,” I reminded her. “You came into my room and asked me questions, and I answered every single one of them. I didn't chase you away. I didn't tell you that your problems weren't mine. I listened to you.”

Her expression changed slightly, but I continued.

“You were grieving, and I understood that. I knew how much Helena meant to you, so I never blamed you for being angry. I never blamed you for being miserable. I even ignored the way you treated me because I thought you were simply hurting.”

I took a slow breath.

“But after everything that happened, I still couldn't understand why you kept treating me like I was responsible for your pain.”

She opened her mouth, but I didn't give her the chance to interrupt.

“Maybe you were the reason Helena died because you're a bad mother and a bad aunt.”

Her eyes widened in shock.

The hallway suddenly felt very quiet.

I knew the words were cruel, but at that moment, I wanted her to understand how cruel her own words had always sounded to me.

“You keep blaming me for something I had nothing to do with,” I continued. “You decided a long time ago that I was someone you could hate, and you never even bothered to ask yourself whether I deserved it.”

She clenched her hands.

“You know nothing about what happened to Helena,” she said bitterly.

“Maybe I don't,” I replied. “But neither do you know everything about me.”

She stared at me, unable to respond immediately.

I stepped closer, lowering my voice.

“I tolerated your insults because I thought your grief was the reason behind them. But don't mistake my patience for weakness. I am your Luna now, whether you like it or not.”

Her jaw tightened.

“And I don't expect you to love me. I don't even care if you like me. But you will respect me.”

I straightened my gown and looked at her one last time.

“If you can't do that, then stay away from me. But the moment you cross the line again, I won't overlook it.”

I turned away from her and continued toward the dining hall.

For once, I didn't feel guilty about standing up for myself.

Maybe I had been too patient with people who never intended to appreciate it.

And perhaps it was time they realized that being kind didn't mean I would allow them to walk all over me.