Chapter 207
Janet balled her fists.
Westin proposed to Agnes before?
Yet he kept telling her that Agnes was not his loved one.
What a liar.
Agnes chided gently, âDonât say that, Kalinda. Westin never proposed to me.â
âBut he wanted to, apparently. If the elders hadnât forced him to marry a werewolf, he would definitely propose to you.â.
âNo, he wonât.â Agnes said in a flat voice, âKeavy was his best friend. Even thought Keavy was dead for a long time, Westin still respected him too much to do that.â
Janet rubbed her chin.
The relationship between Westin and Agnes seemed even more complicated than she thought.
She remembered Westin telling her once that Agnes was mated already..
Now it sounded that Agnesâs mate was this man named Keavy, who was the best friend of Westin.
But he was dead already.
âHonestly, Agnes, havenât you considered remarrying?â that Issa girl asked, âHow many years have it been since Keavy-â
Agnes sighed, â5 years.â
âYet you are at the prime of your years! You canât waste it. Just whisper to us. If you want that lowborn werewolf gone, there are many ways to make that happenâ¦â Janet let out a cold laugh.
She wrenched the door open and marched into the room.
Soft, ambient light bathed the room, filtering through heavy velvet curtains that framed tall windows.
A grand piano occupied a corner, its dark wood gleaming under the glow of an ornate chandelier.
In the center of the room stood a coffee table. Set on top were carefully curated art books, delicate porcelain figurines, and a vase of fresh flowers.
Plush armchairs and sofas, upholstered in a soft fabric that invited touch, surrounded that coffee table.
Agnes and her chaperons were sitting in the armchairs and sofas right now.
Kalinda straightened her back the second Janet stepped in. She looked tensed.
âYou should knock! Where is your-â she hissed.
âMy curtsey? You already knew that I have none,â Janet chuckled icily. âAnd are you atraid of me hearing anything?â
Kalinda huffed, âI am not afraid of anything! I can say that to your face: You are the third woman in Agnes and the Kingâs relationship!â
âKalinda!â Agnes cried in fume.
Janet raised an eyebrow, looking at Agnes.
âKeavy is your husband?â she asked Agnes.
Agnes bit her lips, a sad look on her face.
She took off a locket from her neck and handed it to Janet, âMy mate, my husband, at proud soldier of Shadow House, and alsoâ¦.the Kingâs best friend.â
Janet opened the locket.
There was a picture inside, of Westin, Keavy, and Agnes. They were all grinning
brightly at the camera.
âHow did he die?â Janet asked quietly.
Kalinda growled. âHey!â
âThat is alright. I donât mind.â Agnes shook her head, tears forming in her eyes.
âHe died of food poisoning. A borrible tragedy. He is the only man I ever
loved⦠Yes, the King and I grew up together. I wonât deny that we are close. But there
is nothing romantic between us. I swear, Lady Janet.â
Janet stared at her, pondering
Agnesâs expression looked sincere.
â¦But food poisoning?
Janet couldnât help but found that odd. And a bit too convenient.
Maybe there was something more that she had yet to discover.
âAre you ready to begin your training?â Agnes asked
Sure,â Janet said, handing the locket back to her.
Now was not a good time to dig too deep into Agnesâs dirt. She had plenty of time afterward.
âGreat,â Agnes beamed.
She invited Janet to sit with them by the coffee table and began the lecture.
She started off with dining etiquette.
A lady should always sit upright with proper posture at the dining table. Avoid slouching or leaning too far back
Agnes even asked the maid to place a needle on the cushion behind Janetâs back. If Janet got sloppy and leaned back at any time, that needle would prick her.
She asked Janet to stay in that posture for at least 20 minutes.
All the girls were staring at Janet, waiting to taunt her when she got pricked by a needle.
Yet 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and then 30 minutes had passed.
Janet still held her posture elegantly, without any sign of getting tired.
The girls were disappointed.
Even Agnes found that amazing.
âHave you had any ladyâs training before?â she asked.
Janet shrugged, âNo. But I have had military training. I can stay in the bush perfectly
still for more than a day waiting to snipe an enemy.â
The girlsâ faces changed, looking afraid.
They all knew that Janet was a Gamma.
Although they were all Lycans, they had never held a sword in their entire lives, let alone getting blood on their hands. Unlike Janet.
Agnes gulped, nervously, âThatâ¦That is great. Well, shall we practice walking? Since
you already mastered dining etiquette.â
They all stood up and lined up by the wall.
Agnes demonstrated how an upperâclass Lycan lady walked.
Each step should be taken with a measured and graceful gait. Head held high, with shoulders back. No slouching or dragging feet.
The most important part was walking in a perfectly straight line.
Agnes had the servants bring in a balance beam, like the one used in gymnastics.
She asked Janet to change into her high heels and walked from one end to another on the beam.
Janet frowned this time.
She was not very good with high heels.
âIs that really necessary?â she asked, âI know how to walk.â
Kalinda had been waiting to insult Janet. She immediately raised her voice and cried, âBut you walk like a peasant! No man will want to dance with you at the ball if you donât work on this.â
Janet rolled her eyes.
She picked up her skirt and stepped onto the balance beam.
She made a step. Her body swayed at once. Yet she regained her balance at once. She took another small step, looking carefully at her feet-
BANG!
A sharp pain came from her back
âKeep your back straight and shoulders back,â Agnes said, holding a wooden stick. Janet glared at her, âDo not hit me again.â
Agnes blinked, innocently, âMy apology. I just want to fastâforward your learning process-â
Is this how you did your ladyâs training?â Janet asked icily, âWith people hitting you constantly?â
Agnes smiled, âNo. But we are Lycans. We are born with grace. And I thought you have a thicker skin as a soldier than the rest of us and you can handle a few minor slapsâ¦Or was I wrong?â
The girls snickered.
Janet took a deep breath, ignored her, and continued walking
She didnât make it to 3 steps far before sensing another lashing coming her way. Janet turned abruptly and seized the stick just in time.
âI said-â
Janet stared at Agnesâs horrorâstricken face and hissed:
DO NOT HIT ME AGAIN
Agnesâs chest heaved. A mixed expression of fear and anger flickered across her
eyes.
She tried to pull her stick back from Janetâs grip but failed.
It felt as though the stick was jammed into a rock!
The crowd around them was agitated.
Issa snapped, âLet go of Lady Agnes!â
âYou cheap lowborn! What are you doing!â Kalinda cried, âIs that how you treat a nice lady who was trying to help you? I wonder what the King sees in you! You rude, illâmannered, inferior-â
âShut it!â Janet snapped.
She snatched the stick from Agnes and dumped it on the floor.
Then she kicked off her high heels, stepping down from the balance beam.
âLet me tell you what your King sees in me,â she let out an icy laugh, staring at Kalinda.
There was a golden crossbow hanging on the wall on top of the fireplace. A gorgeous decoration.
Janet marched over and took the crossbow down.
All the girls froze in their spots. After seconds of stifling silence, people started screaming.
âWhat are you doing!â Kalinda shrieked, crouching down and covering her head with both hands.
âGuards! Guards! She is trying to kill us!â Issa yelled.
Janet rolled her eyes and walked to the window.
She pushed the window wide open. Fresh breeze gushed in, expelling the thick sweet smell of scented candles.
âSee that flag?â Janet pointed at the distance.
Roughly 200 meters away, a red flag was hanging on one of the turrets, fluttering in
the wind.
The girls clustered together, looking at her fearfully.
Janet raised the crossbow and aimed at that flag.
SWOOSH!
The arrow flew out, across the air and shot on the rope that bound the red flag.
The flag fell at once.
Janet turned around calmly and scanned those astonished faces.
âThat is what you Kingâsee in me,â she said with a mocking smile. âNow, is any one of you like to have a try?â