"You need to understand something," Livia said as they turned away from the now-quiet entry. Her tone was clipped, her hand brushing against Serena’s arm once more. "This is not a gathering of friends. This is a court of purpose, one filled with people who want to push their own agenda, and we are players in it."
Serena said nothing. Her fingers tightened around the edge of her sleeve, and she focused on the gentle scrape of her shoes against the stone path as they walked.
"You are not just anyone here," Livia added, softer now. "You represent Crimsonclaw. You were chosen for more than charm or pleasantries. So act like it, at this point you are acting like a pup that is allowed the taste of meat for the first time."
Serena exhaled slowly, her jaw tense. "I understand."
Livia cast her a side-glance, her eyes narrowing. "Do you?"
Serena didn’t respond again. She kept her expression neutral, gaze forward, and followed the shorter woman inside the Keep.
"I do," Serena said but Livia had long closed her ears to her.
It was clear that the Manor had been rearranged since the last she had been there. A small smile played on her face, her style of decor was clearly not what the staff wanted. She clasped her hands together and followed Livia closely. There were not many people present, not like her gathering ceremony.
Of course, this was a closed-off gathering only for the trusted of both Dawnbreak and Ironshade. Those from Ironshade that were here knew not to look at her too long, lest they draw the attention of their guest. They were not to know that she was Ironshade’s wildcard.
"Stay close to me," Livia murmured, voice still laced with an edge of caution. "And watch where your eyes linger."
Serena didn’t answer but nodded once. She felt the slight burn of shame still glowing in her chest but pushed it down. The scent of roasted meat was growing stronger, and the quiet clatter of platters being laid out signaled that the banquet was soon to begin.
"Understood," Serena said.
Livia glanced back at her and then nodded. Serena tried looking out for Elen but alas she was unsuccessful in finding her face. Every now and then she would see Elder Cedar weave in between people, sharing laughter and pouring more wine. And then there was Darius who was yet to be seen.
She sighed and kept her gaze forward, she would deal with that later. Someone clinked their glasses and all the people moved towards the dining area. The Keep was truly massive, Darius did tell her it was built with the intention of housing and impressing guests.
The table that she and him had eaten at before was different, they had swapped out the light brown wooden table for one that had a deep wine colour. She let out a small gasp of awe and then turned to Livia who was already moving forward to secure a seat.
Serena followed her silently and settled next to her at the table, on the opposite side sat a grim-looking man, with many wrinkles around his eyes like someone who squinted them often.
The blonde woman gave him a nod of acknowledgement and then took the napkin placed in front of her and unfolded it and let it rest on her lap. Livia on her left side had already done the same thing and then murmured a greeting to the person who sat to her side.
Serena scanned the area discreetly and she discovered that General Silas, Elder Cedar and Riven the delegate were nowhere to be found, she took an educated guess and assumed Darius would have been with them too.
She muttered thanks to the moon goddess for sparing her from the rounds of an awkward dinner with that angry-looking man from Dawnbreak. Still, she wondered why they had taken themselves to the upper part of the Keep.
She turned her head to the right just in time to see Elen slipping in the seat next to hers with a small shy smile. The other woman looked away briefly and clumsily unfolded the napkin and set it in her lap.
"Hello... again. I mean good evening," Elen whispered.
A smile crept onto Serena’s lips at the sound of Elen’s voice. She unconsciously moved her seat closer to Elen and smiled even brighter at her. Serena’s heart was now soothed now that she saw Elen, she was afraid for the worst.
"It is okay, hello to you Elen," Serena said with a chuckle.
Livia turned her gaze to Serena who yet again was talking to that strange woman from outside. The woman sighed and shook her head, Serena was so hard of hearing sometimes and perhaps a bit stubborn. Livia decided it would be in poor taste if she interrupted the conversation again.
If this was not such a sensitive matter, she too would have liked to speak to Elen. She wondered what was the matter with the delegate when he looked so angry. Livia said a quick prayer to the goddess to guide her cousin for the remainder of the evening.
"It is nice to see you again," Elen said.
"Likewise." Serena interlaced her fingers together and then continued. "I was worried about what had happened between you and—"
"Oh," Elen said, jerking forward nearly knocking down the goblet of wine next to her. She murmured something and then looked away bashfully. "No... nothing happened. I am fine, I just should have not been out there."
Serena narrowed her eyes a little and then tilted her head. She hoped in time that Elen’s anxiety could be soothed, she seemed like a stickler for authority but she was jittery. Get full chapters from novel[f]ire.net
The blonde woman placed her hand on Elen’s and then gave her a smile. "It is okay, you are doing fine. I am sorry for keeping you that long outside."
"Please, there is no need for your apologies. It is solely my fault and I have fixed it," Elen said with a small frown.
Serena nodded and then took her hands off of hers. Elen gave her a smile and the two turned to see servers coming up with foods in their hands to serve everyone. The woman’s mind was far removed from the food coming, she looked up to the ceiling and sighed. She hoped Darius was doing okay.
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