Chapter 691. Treacherous Woods
Mauve gripped her cutlery with enough force to break it. If she had thought the second meal was uncomfortable, this one was practically unbearable. She tried to stab a piece of meat and missed. Thankfully, it didn’t fly off the plate. With Lord Garth looking like he would come apart any minute, she didn’t want to be the last straw, considering he was in a foul mood because of her.
Jael turned his gaze to her, and Mauve felt her eyes water. She managed a small smile, and he turned away. Could he not feel the tension in the air? It was like a hundred arrows were aimed her way. Not once had she glanced in the Garths’ direction since walking into the dining hall. She didn’t need to; she could feel the tension even from the entrance.
Lord Garth had reluctantly stood up as they walked in, and he was the last to sit down. He didn’t speak to Jael and just ate his food, fuming. His mate tried to release some of the tension, but she gave up even before the meal started. Sabrina didn’t seem to be in a good mood either.
The only person completely unbothered in the family was Helana. She spoke in her usual chirpy voice and demanded the salt. Her father was the closest to it, but he didn’t budge; a servant had to hand it to her. She didn’t bat an eyelid at this and just ate on.
It was pretty clear the conversation had not gone smoothly. Mauve had not had the opportunity to ask Jael, as he only returned to her room when it was almost time for the second meal. She had tried to get some information out of him, but he had simply shrugged.
Lady Jevera ate with her nose in the air. Lord Levaton seemed to look brighter, and Mauve wondered if seeing the Garths in misery brought the Levatons some light. If she weren’t the reason for this, she might have found some amusement in it.
Lady Marceline and Francine had joined for the last meal, with the two of them sitting right next to each other, chatting, but it was pretty clear their conversation wasn’t going smoothly either. No one could properly converse with the fuming Lord Garth.
Mauve had actually expected some resistance from Lady Francine, but there seemed to be none. However, she had neither addressed Mauve nor held her stare, and Mauve was fine with that. Compared to Lord Garth’s act, she would take this.
Suddenly, Lady Marceline dropped her cutlery onto the plate. The loud clang had Lord Alaric grasping his ears. The poor Lord was quite close and had gotten the full force of it.