Chapter 20 Lucienne's Warning

The weight of her mother’s words hung in the air like a thick fog, suffocating, disorienting. Lila could feel the tension crackling in the room, every inch of her body on edge, waiting for the next blow. Her mother’s presence was like a storm—distant, cold, but ever-present, a reminder of everything Lila was expected to uphold: the duties of their bloodline, the rules that had governed her life since birth. Lucienne stood across the room, her posture rigid, her silvering dark hair pulled back tightly into an elegant knot. Her eyes, once warm, were now steely, her gaze piercing through Lila as if trying to unravel every secret she had been hiding.