Chapter 16: [16] In Her Father’s House
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The heels of Alyssa’s boots struck the cobblestones like gunshots, each step punctuating the rage that boiled beneath her pristine Navy uniform. The sound echoed off the narrow buildings of this wretched district, where common fishermen and their grubby wives scurried about their pathetic lives. How dare they witness her humiliation? How dare he speak to her like some street beggar?
Her riding crop slapped against her thigh in perfect rhythm with her march. The sting felt good—almost as good as it would feel when she wrapped it around that red-haired bastard’s throat.
"Lady Alyssa!"
Two Navy lieutenants appeared from a side street, their white uniforms crisp despite the humid air. They jogged to catch up with her furious pace, sweat already beading on their foreheads. Lieutenant Morris—thin as a rail with nervous eyes—reached her first. His companion, Lieutenant Kane, followed close behind.
"My lady, we heard shouting from the restaurant district," Morris panted, falling into step beside her. "Is everything—"
"Everything is not alright!" Alyssa whirled on them, her blonde hair whipping across her face. "There’s a man in this disgusting hovel of a town who thinks he can disrespect me. Me! Do you understand what that means?"
The two lieutenants exchanged glances. Kane cleared his throat. "Of course, my lady. We’ll handle—"
"You’ll find him. Now." Alyssa jabbed her riding crop toward the restaurant district. "Red hair. Tall. Arrogant smile."
Morris fidgeted with his collar. "My lady, if we might ask what this man—"
"He insulted me in front of a room full of peasants!" The words burst from her lips, but even as she said them, something else twisted in her stomach. The memory of his hand catching her wrist—iron-strong fingers that could have crushed her bones but held her just firmly enough to make her breath catch. "He grabbed me. Threatened me."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Called my father weak."