Meredith.
After training with Draven and eating breakfast the next morning, I decided to take Deidra with me into the garden.
The flowers in my vase upstairs had already wilted, and instead of letting the maids do it, I wanted to pick new ones myself. There was something more satisfying about it.
So, we strolled between the rows of blooms, sunlight slipping through the leaves, while Deidra carried the basket and I cut the stalks I liked best.
When we were done, I turned to her, "I want to grab some herbs as well, the kind that freshens the air."
Her lips curved immediately. "My lady, you want to add herbs to the flowers?"
"Yes," I said, scanning the rows. "If I can find the right one, that will be better."
There were too many pots to check one by one, and it would take so much time, so I closed my eyes and breathed in.
Almost immediately, a sharp, clean scent cut through the others, and I followed it until I found what I wanted.
"Here," I said, pointing. "There is only one type here. But back home in Stormveil, there are always more varieties to choose from."
Just then, Deidra crouched to take a look at the herbs from a closer range. "At least we found one."
I agreed with her. Then I plucked a few leaves, the much I wanted, and dropped them into the basket.
Finally, we headed back towards the house.
On the way, Deidra asked the question I knew had been on her mind, and the others, for days.
"My lady, do you know the real reason the Alpha sent Miss Fellowes back to Stormveil?"
The corners of my lips curved into a small smile. "Wanda betrayed him. I heard she gave information to her father, then Draven found out about it, hence, the reason he sent her away."
Deidra let out a quick laugh. "Good. That woman was too evil and mean, always throwing her weight around."
I didn’t bother adding anything. I wasn’t in the mood to talk about Wanda. And besides, this was a still morning. I would not entertain any topic that would ruin my mood in the long run.
---
At the sit-out, Deidra set the basket on the table. Then, I started cutting stalks shorter for the vase while she went to fetch some water.
I worked in the silence for some time, the snip of scissors keeping rhythm until I heard Mabel’s voice close by.
"She thinks she is smart," she said, her tone laced with amusement, followed by a chuckle. She
I stilled for a second, the scissors halfway through a stem, still in my hand as my eyes flicked toward the open walkway. My pulse didn’t race, but every part of me went alert.
Mabel sounded like she was mocking someone. The edge in her tone made my skin prickle, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was talking about me.
A moment later, she stepped into the sit-out, a little smile tugging at her lips. Her phone was lifted in her hand, tilted just enough for me to know she was on a video call.
Then our eyes met.
"Oh, Meredith is here," she said lightly, as though I had just walked into her room instead of her walking right into my own space.
Then she turned back to her phone. "Seems like she is busy."
From the device, a voice I knew all too well replied, smooth and commanding: "Let me see her."
Mabel didn’t hesitate. She flipped the phone so the screen faced me, and there she was.
Monique, our elder sister.
Her face filled the screen, sharp and beautiful as ever, with that same an unreadable, part smile, and part judgment.
For a heartbeat, I gripped the scissors tighter. But the next moment after I stilled myself, I turned my eyes back to the flowers on the table.
I had no interest in greeting her, not any interest in pretending we were still sisters when every one of them had treated me like an enemy all my life.
I clipped another stalk cleanly, deliberately ignoring the way her gaze bore into me from the screen.
"Meredith."
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