Chapter 27: Respect the scarf!
As Ruelle approached, Alanna’s gaze landed on her, the vampiress’s lips curling into a malicious smile. Her lackeys stood on either side of the vampiress, who asked mockingly,
"And what do we have here? Come to apologise? Hoping to grovel your way into our good graces?" She let out a small, dismissive laugh, her eyes glittering with the promise of humiliation.
Ruelle had walked here out of pure rush of adrenaline, but now that she stood before the vampiress, the memory of the bullying flashed in her mind. The thudding in her chest echoed in her ears, but she forced to stay calm. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides, the knuckles white from the pressure.
Don’t show fear. You can’t show fear, Ruelle said to herself before saying, "That scarf is mine. Where did you get it?"
For a moment, Alanna simply stared, as though the question itself was beneath her. Then, with a slow and intentional motion, she ran her fingers over the soft fabric.
"This?" she drawled languidly, yet mocking. "I don’t think so. It is a gift I received." Her eyebrows arched in feigned curiosity, daring Ruelle to continue.
June. It was as if the girl continued to fall to new lows she couldn’t imagine one could, thought Ruelle to herself.
Alanna’s smile widened as she took a step forward, closing the distance between them ever so slightly. The crowd around them had grown quiet, watching, waiting. "You’re not about to make a scene, are you? It would be such a pity to see you humiliate yourself here, of all places."
"I don’t think you would want everyone here to know that an Elite such as yourself resorts to stealing from a mere Groundling, Ruelle replied, and she noticed for a split second, the confidence in Alanna’s eyes flickered, her expression hardening into something darker, sharper.