I was pacing in my room, heart racing. The walls felt too close, the silence too loud.
Cecilia should be done by now.
I had told her to poison the food and make it look natural. Lisa would die quietly, and I’d finally be free of that stupid girl always lurking around. I didn’t understand what the triplets saw in her. She was weak, always quiet, and didn’t belong here.
I paused and looked at the hourglass on my table. Why haven’t I heard anything yet?
Then, suddenly, screams.
Followed by running footsteps and panicked voices echoing down the hallway.
My heart dropped to my stomach.
I ran to the window and peeped through the curtain. I couldn’t see much from this angle, but the noise was growing.
"What the hell is going on?" I whispered and grabbed my robe, stepping out of the room.
I passed by a maid who looked pale and frightened.
"What’s going on?" I demanded.
The maid stammered, "S-Someone’s dead. Petra... I think... blood..."
I pushed past her before she finished.
As I reached the hallway, I heard Kael’s voice, deep and commanding.
"Lisa, calm down. Breathe. What happened?"
I froze for a second.
I moved closer and saw the triplets standing in front of her. Lisa looked like she’d seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide, and her hands were shaking. She was trying to speak, but her lips barely moved.
"I-I... I think..." she stammered, "Cecilia tried to poison me."
I gasped quietly and pressed myself against the wall so they wouldn’t see me yet.
Damon chuckled in disbelief. "Why would Cecilia poison you? Are you dreaming?"
"Maybe she misunderstood something," Rowan added with a shrug.
She bowed low. "My lords."
She didn’t even look at Lisa. She was clearly trying to stay calm, but her hands were trembling.
Kael’s voice was sharp. "Cecilia. Is what Lisa said true?"
Cecilia glanced at Lisa, then back at them. "I... I..."
Damon narrowed his eyes. "Did someone send you? Who told you to poison her?"
I clenched my teeth, my nails digging into my palms.
She’s going to expose me.
She was stuttering, shaking, blinking too fast. She looked like someone on the verge of confessing.
I couldn’t let her speak.
I stepped out, ignoring the pounding in my chest.
"What’s going on here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
Everyone turned. Lisa’s eyes widened in fear. The triplets looked confused.
Rowan blinked. "Belinda? What are you doing here?"
"I heard noise. Decided to check," I replied simply.
I walked forward slowly, my eyes on Cecilia.
She looked at me, her lips parted like she wanted to say something.
My heart thudded. She was going to ruin everything.
As I passed one of the guards, I reached out and snatched the sword from his sheath.
"What the...my Lady?" he called, alarmed.
Everyone turned sharply.
"Belinda...?" Kael started.
I walked straight to Cecilia, raised the sword, and in one swift move, slashed her neck open.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Cecilia’s eyes widened in shock. She dropped to her knees, clutching her throat, and collapsed to the floor, dead.
One of the maids fainted.
The entire hallway froze.
Rowan shouted, "What the hell did you just do?!"
I dropped the sword and faced them calmly.
"She poisoned someone. The rules are clear. If you kill, you must be killed."
Kael looked furious. "We hadn’t even investigated properly...!"
"She confessed with her silence," I cut in. "Look at her face. She was caught. She would have poisoned Lisa if Petra hadn’t eaten the food first."
Damon folded his arms. "You didn’t even give us a chance to ask her questions."
"There was nothing to ask!" I shouted. "What more do you need? A girl is dead! Lisa could have died too! I was only protecting the pack."
Lisa stepped back, her face white. "You... you killed her just like that."
I turned to her and narrowed my eyes, my voice cold and sharp. "Would you have rather I let her kill you next?"
Her lips trembled, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "You don’t care about me."
A hollow laugh escaped my throat, short and bitter. "Oh, don’t start playing the victim now."
Before I could say more, Kael stepped in, his face tense. "That’s enough. Belinda, we’ll deal with this properly. You shouldn’t have taken matters into your own hands."
I stared at him, stunned. "Properly?" My voice shook with disbelief. "You call letting a traitor stand in front of you proper? I ended it. She tried to poison someone in this palace..."
"And we would have questioned her to find out why," Kael cut in. "Now we have no answers."
I laughed again, more bitter this time. "Oh, now you’re defending her? A maid? A measly human, like Petra said. And yet you’re all standing here, acting like she’s royalty."
Rowan, who had been silent, stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "That ’measly human’ was almost murdered in our palace. Don’t forget that and even though we didn’t acknowledge her, she is still our responsibility."
I clenched my fists. "You think I don’t see what’s happening? You’re all slowly getting soft because of her. She’s playing you. Making you think she’s sweet and innocent."
Damon shook his head. "This isn’t about her. It’s about what just happened. You killed Cecilia before we could question her. That looks suspicious."
I glared at him. "Suspicious?! I did what needed to be done!"
Kael’s eyes narrowed. "Or were you trying to silence her?"
My heart skipped. "What?"
"She looked like she wanted to confess something," he said coldly. "And then you killed her."
Lisa’s eyes locked with mine. "You sent her, didn’t you?"
I turned away. "Don’t be ridiculous."
"Why else would you be waiting around to kill her?" she whispered. "You were afraid."
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "I only followed the rules. If you people want to start bending them now because of some outsider, then maybe I’m the only one still loyal to this pack."
Rowan sighed, rubbing his temple. "This is a mess."
Damon called one of the guards. "Clean this up. Take Cecilia’s body to the clinic and get the guards to investigate the whole incident. We’ll need to open an inquiry."
Lisa was still staring at me. I hated that look. Like she finally saw me for who I really was.
Let her stay far away.