CHAPTER 37. Friends for life.>>>>

It's been half an hour since Akira walked into the slave quarters to meet her friend. Her hands are still wrapped tightly around Beth, who continued to sob on her shoulder. They both sat there in silence,Akira's eyes kept growing wet, but she kept blinking the tears back. She was here to console her friend, not to join her in sobbing. She didn't need Beth to spell it out to her that she was behind Thalia's death. Once she walked in and saw Beth that way, and also the way she fell onto her shoulders sobbing—that was enough to tell Akira that her friend was the person behind the push that killed Thalia. Most importantly, she had done it for her. Akira stayed for a few more minutes before finally pulling away from the hug.

"I need to leave now so they don't notice that I left the kitchen to come up here," she said, looking at Beth's red and puffy eyes from crying.

Beth nodded, giving her a final hug before Akira left the slave quarters immediately and started to head for the kitchen.

As she walked down, she still couldn't wrap her head around what had just happened—all because of her.

Thalia was dead because of her. But it's even scarier that it was Beth who was behind the push.

She had always been scared of Thalia and couldn't even stand up for herself, so Akira couldn't help but wonder how Beth came up with the idea to push Thalia down when she couldn't convince her not to tell Madam Estelle all that she saw there.

After a long walk, Akira finally arrived at the kitchen. She swallowed hard, adjusting her dress as she walked inside.

Every eye was fixed on her once she walked in. Lyra's lips pressed into a thin line; she couldn't help it—she hated Akira. She just couldn't wrap her head around why Brevin liked her and would always defend her.

And recently, her prince Dominus has also been defending her. She bit down on her bottom lip, pain shooting through her chest at the thought that she wasn't able to pin Thalia's murder on Akira so that she could also be killed. At least that might get her closer to her prince Dominus. First, she would take over being Rex's nanny, and then Prince Dominus wouldn't ever set his eyes on Akira again. He would be left with just her to see every day.

For Lyra, that was her main plan, and she hated that it didn't really work out as she had planned.

All those accusations outside? Not that she cared about Thalia or getting justice for how she died. She just wanted to grab the opportunity, and it pained her that Brevin had to step in for Akira outside.

Her eyes narrowed at Akira, who hadn't seen her yet, and her jaw tightened, her teeth gritting together in anger. She couldn’t really explain why she hated everything about Akira. Worse, Akira was getting all the attention of the royals in just a short span of time. Not all slaves survived spilling drinks in front of the royals, and even the ones who had survived never got to see any of the royals with their tear-streaked eyes again. But for Akira, that wasn't the case; Brevin even instructed that she must always serve his family during dinner. Lyra ground her molars, her eyes sweeping over Akira. That was an automatic ticket to seeing Prince Dominus all the time.

She wished she could kill Akira and take her spot in that moment. A stupid rogue who had been brought in a few weeks back was getting closer to the prince than she, who had been there for over a decade. The kitchen noise pressed in from every corner, from the pots clanging to the knives chopping, yet for Lyra, it all dulled to a hum the second Akira walked in. For a few seconds, she felt happy, but seeing Akira right now ruined it all for her.

Just seeing Akira draw breath made Lyra angry. Her chest burned with envy and jealousy, almost choking on it.

Meanwhile, Akira, oblivious to Lyra, stood at a distance, her eyes darting around nervously as she searched for a place to join in. Not just what to join in, but also who was there. She was aware that most of the maids didn't like her, and it had even become worse since she was accused of killing Thalia. As her eyes darted around, she searched for a neutral maid to join.

Lyra hated the way Akira's nervous eyes darted around; she hated the way her lips parted. Disgust rose in Lyra's throat, bitter as bile.

Akira moved to join the other slaves, still not noticing her.

Lyra hovered near the table, wringing her hands. As soon as the younger slaves started to shout and point at Akira, their whispers rose quickly.

Akira's heartbeat doubled. She pretended not to see them but prayed silently to the moon goddess that the stares would pass. Though she was expecting it, it still felt all new to her. She wasn't the murderer, but right now, she didn't feel any pity for Thalia anymore.

“She deserved it,” she muttered more to herself than to anyone close by.

Akira joined in setting the goblets on the tray, and Lyra's jaw tightened immediately, her teeth grinding until pain shot through her temples.

She loathed the way Akira wasn't acting like the whispers and stares were affecting her. Her chest heaved, fury boiling inside her. If anything, she believed that once she took out Akira, she would become Prince Dominus's favorite object.

Next, the door creaked open, and it was Madam Estelle walking in.

“Lyra, what is still holding you?” she asked urgently as she walked inside, her eyes darting around.

Once her gaze flicked to Akira, her jaw tightened, and anger surged through her chest. But she ignored her; that wasn't important right now. “Lyra, the Alpha Council is waiting. Please take the girls with you.”

Lyra narrowed her gaze away from Akira and moved to Madam Estelle. “Is everyone in?”

“Yes… Beta—” Madam Estelle's words were cut short by the loud bang from the door.

It startled everyone, and when they looked, it was Beta Ragnar.

“What is the problem?” he roared. “Get the wines to the hall at once!”

Once Akira saw him, she froze, her fingers brushing the hem of her dress, tugging at the fabric as though it would help her feel invincible so Beta Ragnar wouldn’t see her.