Lethia’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected to see this woman again, especially not here. The woman with those golden amber eyes that held a dangerous allure. Renar’s past.
She flinched and instinctively took a few steps back as the woman approached her. ’What was her na again?’ She racked her brain, but maybe the woman wasn’t important enough for her to rember.
"Why were you looking for ?" Lethia asked, guarded.
The woman chuckled with elegance. "I’m sorry. I saw you had a little... incident with my sister. Your dress got ruined. Would you mind following ? I could lend you another."
’Sister?Wait—’
"Are you Thania’s sister?"
Lethia’s mind reeled back to when she had a fake peace with Thania in that ga, and the girl had ntioned sothing about having a sister.
The woman nodded gently. "I’d like to apologise on behalf of my immature sister. Please, forgive her. And... we’ve t before, haven’t we? You’re Renar’s acquaintance, right? So let help you with the dress."
Every nerve in Lethia’s body scread threat. ’Acquaintance?Didn’t I clearly say Renar was mine back then?So she just brushed it off?Interesting...’
"Do you even have a dress that fits a pregnant woman?"
She should’ve asked her na, or at least said thank you, but Lethia didn’t like her one bit. Her gut scread that this woman was just another malicious she-wolf, no different from her sister.
Still, the woman kept her divine smile, calm and composed. "I have one. Sa fabric as what you’re wearing. Co now, the night air isn’t good for you."
The offer was tempting; Lethia despised dirty clothes, and her damn perfectionism practically scread at the sight of that stained ss. So really, it wouldn’t hurt to accept the offer, would it?
She took a step closer, hesitating before asking, "Sorry, I should’ve asked your na first."
The woman frowned, looking genuinely puzzled for a mont, then let out a soft chuckle. "So, Renar didn’t tell you? Didn’t you say he was your man back then?"
Lethia couldn’t bring herself to reply. The woman was already letting out that knowing smirk with a hint of mockery.
"Ah, I guess you two aren’t that deep after all. My na is Reia, the host of this gala. And tell , are you curious too about what I am to him?"
’So that’s it. She’s trying to get under my skin... She wants to see how I’ll react, doesn’t she?’
Lethia bit back a scoff. She rembered clearly how Renar had acted the last ti this woman was around. It wasn’t hard to guess they weren’t exactly on good terms.
She exhaled slowly, offering a soft smile. "I didn’t ask him, because he said it was unimportant. And I’m not the type who enjoys sniffing around in other people’s business. So... I expect others to do the sa with ."
The hushed sound of the night wind drifted between them, brushing past their shoulders as the two won locked gazes, both dissecting the other behind angelic smiles.
Lethia felt a strange chill crawl up her spine. Despite her dislike, there was a flicker of reluctant admiration in her chest.
Reia’s confidence radiated like a queen’s, and it was clear; soone like her wouldn’t be holding just any position in Lykon Haven.
Reia let out a soft, defeated chuckle and lowered her gaze. "I’m sorry if I crossed the line. I didn’t an to. It’s just... you’re an interesting person. And I kind of admire you. Your confidence, despite your known scandal, is admirable. Co on, let take responsibility for your dress. I’d love to give you that honour."
Lethia frowned, not entirely sure what Reia ant with that last line of honour, but she let it slide and simply followed her.
The venue for this Gala turned out to be Reia’s family mansion, nestled in the hills just outside the capital.
The altitude made the air colder, so the chill crawled under Lethia’s skin.
Reia explained the mansion was built on the remains of a forest that had been completely destroyed by fire.
So the unsettling cold people felt here wasn’t just from the air, but possibly from the spirits that still lingered.
Lethia raised an eyebrow as they walked down a long corridor, its walls lined with paintings of lycans, werewolves, and humans, all interacting within forests in a strange harmony.
Reia went on about the mansion’s history, none of which interested her. For an alpha-she-wolf raised in Ashenhold, Reia seed surprisingly convinced by the existence of spirits.
It made Lethia question whether the image of modernised Ashenhold was just a convenient rumour.
They finally stopped in front of a heavy wooden door, its carvings forming the relief of a werewolf mid-shift. The door slid open on its own the mont Reia placed her fingertip on a scanner. Despite every corner of the building reeking of tradition and artistic grandeur, the high technology was seamlessly integrated into the mansion.
"Co in," Reia said, her voice pulling Lethia out of her thoughts as she stood frozen at the threshold.
Lethia stepped in slowly, her mouth agape. Her gaze was imdiately drawn to the massive painting that greeted her as the door opened.
The artwork stretched across the entire wall directly opposite the entrance. Her eyes darted from right to left, back again, then up and down, tracing every inch of the canvas depicting several foxes playing around with humans.
"That’s..." Lethia stamred.
"Ah... that painting was my grandfather’s favourite. Looks weird, right? How could a fox have more than one tail? He used to say they did exist centuries ago."
Lethia swallowed against the dryness in her throat, still fixated on the painting. She silently observed each fox, one by one, but none had nine tails.
"If it did exist, it should’ve been recorded in history, right?" she asked, making Reia frown.
"You looked so bored when I gave you a brief story about the mansion, and now you’re suddenly into myth?"
Reia shot her a dismissive smile while sorting through dresses on a portable wardrobe rack.
Lethia didn’t bother replying—better that than sounding stupid. Still, her eyes lingered on the painting as she sat down on the sofa.
Was it just a coincidence? None of the foxes in the painting had nine tails like Whisney claid her true form did.
Wait... the last ti she saw Whisney, she had four tails. Lethia hadn’t even witnessed the fifth one Whisney bragged about after getting intimate with Caelum. Was that fox lying?
Lethia pressed her index finger to her temple, rubbing gently. The dull ache had started ever since she’d laid eyes on the painting, and it hadn’t let up since.
"I think this dress will suit you better. You can try it."
Reia approached Lethia, holding a full-length dress with an A-line silhouette that looked simply chic.
Lethia raised an eyebrow, impressed by Reia’s taste; she’d picked sothing that she might like.
"Thank you," Lethia said, accepting the dress from Reia’s hand before heading into the bedroom attached to the suite-like space.
Lethia looked at herself in front of the mirror. Its long-sleeved bodice had a plunging V-neckline that perfectly frad her cleavage. A fitted strip above her waist made her baby bump stand out despite the flowy A-line cut. The soft mauve colour made her smile—it wasn’t too flashy, but still elegant.
She stepped out of the bedroom, only to find the living room empty. Reia was gone.
"Mmm... excuse , Miss..." Lethia looked around, calling for Reia, but got no answer. Should she wait or just head back to the hall?
Glancing around, her eyes landed on a stack of paper bags beneath Reia’s wardrobe stand. She grabbed one and carefully folded her stained ivory dress into it.
Before leaving, Lethia turned back toward the painting one last ti.
Sothing about it tugged at her gut, like it might hold so hidden aning.
Following her instinct, she pulled out her phone from her purse and snapped a few detailed photos of the painting, capturing every inch of it with care.
Looking at the painting of the four-tailed fox curled up in sleep stirred thoughts of Renar.
She took a deep breath. There was no way she could avoid Renar or Caelum now, not when she wasn’t even sure if the bead fox was still in their bodies or not.
And how was she supposed to know if the owner of the bead had disappeared like this?
Lethia stroked her belly gently as she stepped out of the room, wondering if her pup truly didn’t know anything about the fox.
Then, as she walked through the corridor, sothing snapped in her mind.
’All Tuffin n can telepathically connect with my pup, can’t they? Why not ask them to talk to the baby about the fox? But how? How the hell am I supposed to make up a story?’
Lethia let out a small giggle, her lips twitching with amusent as she imagined a few scenarios she could tell.
As she reached the intersection of the corridor, trying to decide which way to go, her gaze suddenly locked with a man standing at the opposite end of the hallway.
Renar.
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