“We will show the people what happens to those who stand against us,” he continued, his voice dripping with malice.“They must fear me.They must fear us.”
Each word was a dagger.
A blueprint of Amir’s suffering, of his staged, bloodied downfall.
No.
They would not have their spectacle.
Not while I still drew breath.
A fire erupted in my chest, and before I could temper the fury clawing its way through me, I shoved the study door open with enough force to send it slamming against the wall.
All eyes snapped to me.
A moment of silence, as thick as a storm cloud.
“Elizabeth!”
My father’s voice cut through the air, edged with disapproval.“Where are your manners?”
Manners?
They plotted a public execution, and he dared to chastise me for decorum?
I swallowed my revulsion, inhaled slowly, and then let my voice spill into the room—mocking, hollow, poisoned with ice.
“Forgive me,” I murmured, feigning breathlessness, my heart hammering beneath my corset.
Then, I tilted my head, eyes locked onto Mathias’ soulless gaze, mimicking his chilling words back to him.
“Yes, let’s make a spectacle out of Lord Hassan’s suffering.”
Let’s see if they could stomach the taste of their cruelty.
Lord Winston’s face twisted into something wickedly delighted, his milky eyes gleaming with sick satisfaction as if he had just witnessed a prized possession come to life.
“You’re finally coming around, my darling!This is wonderful!”
The words coiled around me like a noose.
I smiled, letting false enthusiasm coat my voice like honey over poison.
“Yes, my lord!I have seen the light.”
The endearment tasted like bile.A reminder of the role I must play.
“We will make this masquerade truly unforgettable,” I purred in a light voice, eyes gleaming with a fire they mistook for ambition.“We will strike fear into everyone.”
Father’s gaze settled on me, pleased, his eyes glinting with approval.Mathias, standing beside him, let a smirk curl on his lips.
“This is wonderful.”He exhaled, pleased.“How you’ve grown, Elizabeth!You and your husband will rule the English society.You will make a fine wife to Lord Winston.”
My stomach turned.
The very thought made my skin crawl and my hands tremble with the urge to tear him apart.
But I masked it.Smoothed it over with a serene, practiced smile.
