Chapter 14
Lina's POV
I didn't respond immediately. I just stood there, staring at her with a raised brow. She had finally decided to stop putting innocent little sister act, which i never got to witness in my previous life.
"Get out," I said flatly.
Vivian tilted her head, clearly amused. "That's not a very nice way to talk to your little sister, big sis."
I scoffed and shut the door behind me with more force than necessary. "You don't get to call me that. I know how much you hate me and wish to ruin me Vivian."
She finally sat up properly, resting her elbows on her knees. Up close, she looked the same as always,beautiful, flawless, and dangerous in the way only someone who had never faced consequences could be.
Her eyes flicked over me slowly, taking in my rumpled and bloodied clothes, the faint dirt on my sleeves, and the tiredness I hadn't bothered hiding.
"You smell different," she said casually.
My spine stiffened. "Excuse me?" Where her senses that keen? How could she tell.
She smiled wider, clearly enjoying my reaction. "Don't worry. I won't tell." She leaned back again, placing her hands behind her head. "You've been out for quite a while. I was starting to think you ran away."
"If that was an option, I would've taken it long ago," I shot back. "Why are you here, Vivian?"
Her expression shifted then, not drastically, but enough that I noticed. The lazy amusement faded, replaced with something sharper.
"You weren't at the servant quarters," she said. "You weren't in the kitchens either. So I got curious."
That explained it. She hadn't come to torment me for fun this time. She'd been looking for me.
"I took a walk," I said evenly. "Is that a crime now?"
"With you? Everything is," she replied lightly. Then her gaze hardened. "You left the palace grounds."
My heart skipped, but I didn't let it show. "And?"
"And that's forbidden," she said. "Especially for someone in your position."
I huffed, pulling down my dress as I searched through my clothes to find something new to wear. "If you're here to report me, just do it. You don't need an audience."
She laughed softly. "Oh no. That would be boring." She stood up and walked toward me slowly. "I want to know who you met."
I frowned, little psychopath."What are you talking about?"
She stopped inches away from me, close enough that I could feel her breath behind me even though I wasn't facing her. Then to my shock, I felt her fingers trace my bare back, slowly...in a way that sent shivers down my spine. "Don't insult me by pretending sis," she said quietly. "It wouldn't be nice to have this pretty back of your scarred again would it?"
I almost laughed. This little brat thought she could threaten me?
I sighed, dropping the dress I was holding and turning to face her. My expression turned cold, almost mocking."Look Vivian, you're the only sister I have, and I don't plan on hating you. Just...give up, you're too young for this. Rivalry, hatred, plotting against me... I'll ruin you if you really wanna test me."
I could see the blood drain off her face. She clearly wasn't expecting this reaction from me. "Lina, you...you have nothing now. You can't do anything, I'll make everyone hate you." She huffed, her control slipping.
"Sweetheart, everyone already hates me, it's nothing new." I said with a small laugh. "Now tell me, why have you come? You must have come here to add salt to my wound. So go on, I'm waiting."
She sighed in surrender, then huffed with a slight pout of her lips. "You seem different." She said quietly, then bent down to pick the dress I'd dropped and handed it to me. "Get dressed and I'll tell you what brought me here, I hate having to keep looking at your perfect body."
I let out a small laugh, she was cute. I have no idea why I just couldn't hate her. I'd grown to cherish her over the years, even though I no know her act of love to me was a pretence, I still chose to believe not all of it was an act.
She just took our Mom's selfish nature, wanting every good thing for herself, and got jealous when someone else possessed something she couldn't have.
I got dressed quickly, then turned to her. "Go on."
"It's Louis." She started..."I heard from Mom that he is getting engaged to princess of the Banewolf pack."
My muscle tensed at the mention of Banewolf pack. Seems our pack and theirs had finally decided to call a truce through marriage. This hadn't happened in my previous life.
"I overheard your talk with Brielle, and figured you might have something Louis, so I just came to..." She continued,
"Came to rub it in my face that I'd never have him, right?" I said with a slight smirk. She really was childish.
Vivian clicked her tongue. "You always make everything about yourself."
I laughed under my breath. "That's funny. Considering you came all the way here just to talk about him."
"I hate you." She muttered, squeezing the edge of her dress awkwardly.
"I know." I replied.
Vivian huffed, then turned to leave...but suddenly stopped in her tracks. "About you leaving the palace.." she turned around and smiled, "it's our little secret." She whispered.
"Just get out."
Vivian rolled her eyes, then said "watch out sis. I won't leave you in peace." And she walked out.
I sighed, exhaustion weighing on me. I got dressed, then lay down to rest.
For several days, I remained in the servants quarters without any obvious drama coming up. Kain or Brielle seemed to have forgotten their promises to make my life a living hell, or that was what I concluded being that they no longer bothered me.
I had just rounded up lunch in the kitchen and was gathering the dishes and clearing up the table when the door creaked open behind me. My heart instantly skipped a bit as I sensed who had just entered, I didn't need to look to know it was him. Damn it, why hadn't Carla informed me he was approaching.
I hurriedly turned around, and there he was.
"Your highness...what are you..." I choked out but Louis hardly gave me a chance to complete my words. He grabbed me by my wrist, pulling me along to follow him. Fuck! Just when I thought I finally found some peace.