Chapter 40

Chapter 40 Dinner with his stepmother

CA SSANDRA

Erika was preparing to leave for the evening when we heard a knock at the door. It was the end of the day, so I was surprised by the sound.

Who was there at this hour?

“I’ll get it,” Erika said in a helpful tone, and before I could stop her and do it myself, the maid went to the chamber door. On the other side stood-a se rvant dressed in the royal family’s colors.

“Hello,” I addressed him, and I took a step forward. “Can I help you?”

“Lady Adalyn and Mistress Margaret sent me to deliver a message,” the se rvant said politely. “They wish to invite you to dinner, Miss Ca ssandra, as a token of their gratitude for curing the Alpha King and Prince Marco.”

I was instantly taken aback.

Adalyn and Margaret wanted my company?

This was a trap. It had to be. Why else would the pair of vicious and vengeful women seek out my company?

The room fell silent as I considered my options..

There was no part of me that wanted to go through with this. And yet, despite my suspicions, I knew I couldn’t deny their invitation. The se rvant wasn’t asking me if I wanted to come, he was simply the messenger sent to retrieve me.

Adalyn and Margaret wanted something from me, that much was certain, and I knew they were both capable of going to great lengths to get their way, sol needed to cooperate.

“Can you watch Finnick for just a while longer?” I requested and Erika nodded wholeheartedly.

“Of course, Miss Ca ssandra,” she said, and then she gestured forward. “Now, go along. It’s best not to keep your company waiting.”

Her words alone were vague, but her inflection and tone said what we both were thinking- Adalyn wasn’t someone to toy with.

“Give me one moment, please,” I asked the se rvant, and after he nodded. politely, I rushed over to the small dresser beside the bed. I stared into the mirror and made sure I was presentable. After I ran a quick comb through my long hair, I deemed myself worthy and walked back over to the door.

“Please behave for Erika,” I instructed Finnick, and I gave him a small smile. “I’l be back later this evening.”

Finnick nodded politely. “Yes, Mommy.”

After I ruffled his curly hair, I turned back to the se rvant. He held the door open for me,and then we stepped out into the hall. The moment the door closed behind us, a lump formed in my throat. This was definitely terrifying.

But I took a deep breath and forced myself to find some calmness. I had to stay strong and keep my wits about me.

The ser vant quietly led me to a dining room on the first floor. I was a little surprised that we weren’t dining in the larger chamber, but I wasn’t about to complain. I normally ate with Finnick in our chambers, so this was an interesting change of scenery, even if it was with the Alpha King’s wife and stepmother.

The se rvant held the doors open for me, and the moment I set foot in the room, I could feel an awkwardness in the air.

Despite the smaller size, the room was beautiful. The floors were a pale marble with streaks of black and gold, and there was a glittering chandelier hung high above us.

Adalyn and Margaret sat on one side of the long, black marble table at the center of the room. When my eyes met theirs, a shiver traveled down my spine. Their steel-like gazes were chilling and uncomfortable in ways I couldn’t fathom.

What was going on?

Why was I here?

“Healer Ca ssandra,” Margaret greeted me in a sickly-sweet tone. “So nice of you to join us.”

“Good evening,” I said politely as the se rvant guided me to the seat opposite of Adalyn. “Thank you for inviting me to join you.”

“It was no trouble at all,” Margaret replied with a slight tilt of her head. “It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for our family. Treating my son and grandson in such a short amount of time. They’re lucky to have had you around.”

“It was nothing,” I murmured.

Margaret waved her hand in the air. “Nonsense. Don’t be, dismissive, healer. Your quick thinking saved both of their lives.”

As the Alpha King’s stepmother continued on, I could feel Adalyn glaring at me from across the table. I was certain she wanted to interrogate me and ask what L was doing in Asher’s study every day, but there was no chance of that happening with Margaret in the room. The older woman was too much of a force to allow that kind of indecency, especially at dinner.

“Thank you so much for the kind words,” I sair when Margaret finished and sipped at her wine. “Being able to provide care for the royal family is a great honor.”

Another se rvant, a v

girl, came by and refilled Margaret’s gla*s, and then came around and filled mine and Adalyn’s. I wasn’t much for wine, but I politely smiled anyway when she approached.

“Thank you,” I whispered. The se rvant nodded and then quietly snuck out of the chamber when Margaret waved her hand.

Asher’s stepmother watched me for a moment, and then smiled a strange smile.

“So, Healer Ca ssandra,” she began slowly as she swished her wine around gently in the gla*s. “Why did my son bring you all the way here to Anemond?”

So that was it.

Margaret wanted to use me to get information about Asher.

“The Alpha King brought me here to make sure Prince Marco would be fine after the treatment I gave him in Wild Crawler territory,” I explained, but Margaret and Adalyn didn’t seem satisfied by my reply.

“Liar,” Adalyn blurted, and her amber eyes narrowed. “There’s more to it than that, there has to be.”

I had two choices. I could succumb to my inner fear or I could stand my ground.

So, I smiled nicely, like I hadn’t heard her words.

“There was a strong possibility that Prince Marco hadn’t fully recovered from the viper’s bite,” I said in a sweet tone, and I straightened my posture. “The Alpha King and I were worried there may be left over toxins in the young prince’s b*dy-”

Adalyn suddenly gasped, and her skin turned white as a sheet. Her full, red-painted lower l*p trembled and she struggled to contain herself.

“No!” she insisted. “No, you’re lying!”

“Adalyn!” Margaret hissed at her outburst, and then she turned to me. “Now, tell me, Ca ssandra, what are you and your a*sistant doing in the laboratory?”

I didn’t miss a beat. “We’re using the lab to test the venoms and also creating serums to treat that sort of thing moving forward. The King was concerned about the vipers and wanted to make sure that there would be cures and aids in the future. to treat anyone who may get bitten.”

“Interesting,” Margaret mused. “Going forward…. Is that a possibility?”

“We don’t know,” I said simply. It wasn’t a lie, not exactly. Becky and I were working on antidotes and cures for the snakes’ bites, but that wasn’t the only research being conducted. However, I had to continue to keep the Alpha King’s condition a secret.

Margaret leaned forward. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she studied me, and her l*ps drew into a thin line.

“Healer Ca ssandra,” she said my name with a tone of malice. “I hope you’ understand that you need to be utterly honest with me. Any lies that come from your l*ps may cause consequences. Severe consequences.”