Chapter 138: The Fortune Telling.
"Oh?" The room collectively gasped, some intrigued, others bristling.
As the fans were passed around, the responses varied. Many of the women, feigning courtesy, accepted them with forced smiles and murmurs of thanks.
When the maid reached Irene, she waved the gift away with a dismissive gesture. "No, thank you. I’m always cold," she lied, her tone dripping with false indifference.
The maid moved on to Audrey Velthorne, who took the fan but couldn’t resist a cutting remark. "I have no evil to ward off," she said with a sly smile, earning a few chuckles from the table.
Genevieve’s turn came next. She accepted the fan, turning it over in her hands as if examining its worth. For a brief moment, Salviana thought she might keep it, but Genevieve suddenly flung it to the ground.
The dramatic gesture was punctuated by her abrupt rise from her seat. "I don’t need trinkets," she snapped, her voice sharp as a blade. With an indignant huff, she stormed out of the hall, her skirts billowing behind her.
The room fell into an uneasy silence before the chatter resumed, though the biting jabs directed at Salviana grew notably fewer.
Some of the ladies began using their fans, fluttering them gracefully as they engaged in polite conversation. Others merely pressed their lips together, holding the fans in stiff hands, unwilling to show any satisfaction with Salviana’s gift.
As random topics emerged, Salviana found herself observing the room. She noted the absence of Queen Sansa Velthorne and her sister, Diana Reed. Their strict presence was often a commanding force in such gatherings, and their absence piqued Salviana’s curiosity.
Her gaze then shifted to a quieter figure seated at the far end of the table—Rose. She wasn’t officially a Velthorne yet but was inexplicably included in the gathering. Rose seemed withdrawn, her posture stiff, and her eyes avoiding Salviana’s altogether.
Salviana’s lips pressed into a faint line. Now that she had confirmed Rose wasn’t the one who had kissed her husband, guilt began to creep in. She had likely treated Rose with coldness or dismissal without cause.