Chapter 225

AURELIA'S POV Every time Father spoke to me that day, his tone was free of irritation. When the servants brought refreshments, he asked if I had been served. At dinner, Mother didn’t interrupt me when I tried to answer a simple question about the arrangements. It was like walking through a dream where the rules had shifted and I no longer knew the ground I stood on. But not everyone was pleased. Seraphina watched me with a thin smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her laughter was brittle, her compliments sharp-edged. She was careful, of course—she always was. She wouldn’t risk Father noticing her contempt. But when we were alone, her mask slipped and she revealed her true intentions. That night, as we prepared to leave the father’s office to go back home, she cornered me in the dimly lit corridor. Her lips curled as she leaned close, her voice low and sweet with venom. “You look so proud of yourself,” she whispered. “Finally getting a scrap of attention from Father, after years of being