Charlotte watched her with widened eyes, stunned into silence. She had not expected Serena to burst into tears like that. Her mouth hung open unceremoniously as she stared, her arms hanging loose at her sides while the other woman hastily swiped at her face.
"It’s not fair," she croaked. Thɪs chapter is updated by NovєlFіre.net
Charlotte chewed on her tongue, she had no plan for what would have happened if Serena resorted to tears. Is this how she was going to manipulate her like she did Darius? The more Charlotte gawked at her, the more her apprehension faded away. It was replaced by some sort of hollow guilt, she understood that she hurt her feelings.
"Stop that crying," Charlotte said through gritted teeth.
Serena tilted her head to the ceiling and rubbed her eyes. She just wished the ground would open up and swallow her in this moment. A hiccup bubbled out from her throat.
"I am sorry," she murmured.
Charlotte groaned and then rose from the ground. She folded her arms and tapped her foot on the ground. She exhaled slowly to calm herself, she just saw Serena as some petulant child who resorted to tears when they were overwhelmed.
Charlotte rolled her neck until it popped, then let her head fall back with a low groan. This is who the general sent? A rogue, supposedly hardened and capable, yet here she was, crying over a few harsh words. Either Serena was an expert manipulator, or something didn’t add up. She’d held her own during their scuffle earlier. That wasn’t fake.
The constant sniffling was starting to irritate Charlotte, she huffed and walked to the desk. Her eyes scanned it, looking for some throwaway rag. She found one on the side and snatched it up. Her footfalls were loud as she walked to Serena.
"Here," Charlotte announced, holding out the cloth.
Serena looked down at it and took it from her hand, making sure their fingers did not brush. She wiped her face and cleared her throat. "Thank you."
"Why are you crying?" Charlotte asked.
Serena bit her lip and cleaned the last of her tears. She looked down at the floor and exhaled in an attempt to calm her nerves. The reason was too embarrassing to voice out, but Charlotte had hurt her feelings. She wished she was not so sensitive these days. She was a healer, she had seen so many things that would leave people in a paralysed state.
She found herself in Ironshade and was moved to tears over very trivial matters. No one cared about her tears. It really would not change the situation she had found herself in. Serena found herself raising her chin to meet Charlotte’s expectant gaze.
"Never mind about that. Apologies, you had to see me at my low," Serena said.
"You are one strange wolf, but if you do not want me to pry, I will not," Charlotte said with a shrug.
For that, Serena was quietly grateful. She brushed past Charlotte, her shoulder barely missing hers, and returned to her desk. The chair creaked as she sat. She ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back from her face, then let them drop to her lap with a sigh. She glanced to see Charlotte silently watching her.
"Well, this is awkward," the other woman murmured, scratching the back of her neck. "But that can wait. Can you fight?"
Serena lifted a brow, she quickly held up the cloth to her nose and sneezed. Could she fight? She was not sure, she knew she could defend herself to some degree. Picking fights was when she was much, much younger, before that ritual had been done on her.
She winced and held her head, sometimes thoughts about it sent a sharp pain to the front of her head. After then, her father had remarked that she had become docile. He did not seem particularly happy about it, but her mother said it was for the best.
"I am not sure," Serena answered.
"It is either a yes or no. Say you are thrown in a place where you have to fight for your life, are you coming out of it successful or not? By any means necessary," Charlotte said in an impatient tone.
The memory of that rogue’s warm, sticky blood on her hands in the cold snow flashed in her mind. She swallowed hard. She had been already thrust into a situation like that before. It was a dark time for her in the coming weeks.
"I will live," Serena said.
She could swear there was a genuine smile on Charlotte’s face when she heard the answer. "Good, that is what your people are known for," the other woman said.
"I see," Serena said.
Charlotte snapped her fingers. "That is not enough, this is a war we are fighting, Serena."
She shifted and settled back on the bed, one arm slung behind her head. "Let me put it into perspective for you, since you think this is all unfair. Rogues are the bane of our existence. They’ve stolen children from their beds, left families in tatters. There are entire villages abandoned, ghost towns because of them."
"They are not my people," Serena snapped.
Charlotte waved her off with a lazy flick of her wrist. "It does not matter. No one’s going to stop and ask for your life story. You’re a rogue. That’s the stain you wear. And now we have one in our walls, playing pretend and eating food others would kill for. If you haven’t realized it yet, this is a test. A massive one."
Serena clenched the cloth in her hands and lowered her gaze. The weight of her circumstances pressed down, heavy and suffocating. How could she blame them for their hatred, their grief? It wasn’t her fault, but it wasn’t theirs either. Still... was there truly no way to wash the mark from her skin? No way to be seen beyond the title they threw on her?
Was saving Emmett worth it?
Her breath hitched. How could I think that? She bit the inside of her cheek, guilt burning. Even now, knowing what she knew, she would do it all over again.
"I imagine it is," Serena said at last, voice tight but composed.
Charlotte leaned forward, her expression unreadable in the dim light. "Good. Then I’ll let you in on a little secret."
She smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "If you fail, make peace with the goddess. Because I will strike you down."