Chapter 288: The Green Tea
"You went into my room?" Lara’s voice was sharp, laced with accusation. Her eyes narrowed, glittering with restrained fury.
Mira blinked, her expression shifting like a mask sliding into place. "Sister," she said, voice dripping with feigned innocence, "am I not allowed in your room anymore?" Her tone trembled, wounded and wistful. "You’ve changed so much, Lara. I barely recognize you. You’re not my little sister anymore."
Lara didn’t flinch. Instead, a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.
The heavy silence shattered as General Odin strode into the room, his presence commanding. Freya was at his side, followed closely by Reya and the imposing Norse brothers, their boots echoing on the stone floor.
"What is going on here?" Odin asked, his voice firm, eyes scanning the tense scene.
Mira stepped forward with practiced grace, her eyes glistening. "Father, Mother," she began, her voice quivering with carefully measured sorrow, "the wolf pups bit and scratched me. I had no choice but to have them caged and beaten." Slowly, she lifted the hem of her silk dress, revealing red welts and raw scratches down her calf. "Look what they did to me."
Freya’s brows knitted, but her voice remained steady. "Those wolves are Lara’s pets. It wasn’t your place to punish them, Mira. You should have let her handle it."
A smile tugged at the corner of Lara’s mouth. She glanced at her mother, and her heart warmed a little bit more.
Mira felt her heart clench, her breath catch. The blood pounded in her ears. How could Freya, her mother, say that—to her? She was the one injured, the one bleeding, yet she was the one being scolded? Shame and fury tangled in her chest, a toxic brew threatening to spill. She felt she was wronged.