The silence in the dining hall was so much that Mira could even hear her own heart pounding in her chest.
Every eye was now locked on her while her fork was still in the air with a piece of food stuck to its end.
She didn’t need a prophecy to tell her now that Lorena Sanders’ father had done sothing to these people. It was now glaring.
She remained still. She couldn’t move. Heck, she couldn’t even breathe. It felt like any sound she made, any little movent at all, was going to be used as proof of whatever they thought she was guilty of.
Lucas’ voice finally cut through the quiet, but in her direction, like he hadn’t heard what the woman had said to her. "Eat your food, Lorena. You’re not a child we would be begging to eat now, are you?"
Mira finally lowered her fork as she rolled her eyes. Of course he acts like he didn’t hear the woman. He’s probably even happy to hear her say that. Her suffering is his joy, after all.
She glared at him as she finally found her voice, even if it was shaky. "I’m not hungry."
But as if wanting to disgrace her, her stomach let out a very loud and long growl at that exact mont. The sound even echoed in the silent room, causing a few people to snicker.
Soone even whispered, "Listen to that lying hungry bitch."
Yet Lucas did nothing to chastise them.
She wanted to curl into a ball and just disappear. If only that was possible.
If only.
She instead looked down at her plate, and she could not help but admit that the food did in fact sll amazing. Her body was even trembling with hunger.
What she could have eaten ended up being a slop brought in by that darn maid.
I don’t trust anything in this house, not after everything I’ve learned now, Mira thought as her fear spiked to the roof. That maid just had to be the exact one to serve again, and she could have done anything to this al too.
But then she glanced around her. Everyone was warming from the sa serving dishes.
They wouldn’t have poisoned everyone just for her, would they?
The sll of the at and spices was too much, so soon enough, her hunger won as she stabbed a piece of food and put it in her mouth, then forced herself to chew on it.
It turned out delicious, like she had predicted, so she took another bite, then another, and then another. She was eating even faster now, like soone who had been starved.
She focused on her food while avoiding the eyes that she knew were still watching her.
She concluded that she was just being paranoid because she was feeling nothing. She was, in fact, enjoying it more.
Suddenly, though, Lucas pushed his chair back and stood, causing the room to fall silent once again.
All the talking stopped, and all movent ceased. Before Mira could even look up, his hand closed around her upper arms, and he pulled her up to stand beside him.
He didn’t look at her. Instead, his eyes scanned the room as they moved slowly from one face to another, as if making sure that he had every single person’s attention.
"I know that you were all... surprised," he began in a low voice, even though he seed sure that his voice was getting to everyone in the room. "When I called for this al, because we don’t usually gather like this for breakfast. Only dinners."
He paused again while Mira could only manage to look down and not at the anger she knew she would find in people’s faces.
"I asked for you all," Lucas continued, "because there is a new reality in this house, and our estate. One you would all need to understand. One that you will all accept."
His fingers tightened on her arm like a silent warning telling her to stay still.
"This," he said finally, looking down at her, "is Lorena Sanders."
A low growl collectively went through the room, but as soon as Lucas’ head snapped back up, the sound instantly died.
"She is my wife," he stated as if leaving no room for argunt. "By law and by vow, she belongs to . And she will be living in this house from this day forward."
Even though Mira didn’t look up, she could miss the clenched fists under the table, even from Callis.
"This is no longer up for discussion," Lucas said as his voice dropped to a commanding tone. "It is no longer a request. It is my will, and you will do well to rember that fact."
He finally released her arm, even though Mira still felt like he was holding on to her.
He then turned slightly to the grim faces at their own personal table. "Everyone in this room is my family. My blood. Their safety, their comfort, and everything else all cos first before anything else. Before anyone else."
He was introducing her to them. Mira just assimilated as she forced herself to look at the cold and angry faces staring back at her.
Yeah, right? Family indeed. More like a group of executioners waiting for their turn to feast on her.
His eyes locked back on Mira, and the ssage this ti looked like it was for her alone. "You will show them respect. You will obey them. In this house, their word is my word too. Do you understand?"
Mira said nothing, not even a nod. She just stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language.
And maybe he indeed was.
And he wasn’t done. "They all live in this estate and walk these halls. So you’ll see them almost every day. I suggest you find a way to get used to it."
Get used to it? Mira scread inwardly. Get used to living in the den of lions who hate ? Really?
They finally sat back down, but Mira started to feel a sharp twisting pain that made her suck in her breath.
The food that had tasted so good a mont ago now felt like rock in her stomach as a bead of sweat ran down her face.
When another sharp pain ca, her hands began to shake.
No, no, no, no! I was wrong. The maids really did it. They really poisoned ! I am so stupid!
She tried to sit still, to act normal, but the cramps just got even worse. Lucas seed to still be talking, but his words were now like a blur to her ears, as all she could focus on was the terrible pain inside of her.
This was it. She was really going to die because she was stupid enough to eat sothing the sa maid who gave her trash had given her.
Without a second thought, Mira shoved her chair back, causing it to screech loudly against the floor. She clamped a hand over her mouth with her eyes wide with panic.
She didn’t look back as she turned and bolted for the heavy dining hall doors and shoved them open. Her vision was starting to blur as she stumbled into the hallway.
She had to get out. She had to vomit all that food quickly.
Else, she was really going to die.
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