Chapter Eighteen

Anya

I watched as my uncle Kaien stormed out of the council chambers with anger. The very thing I feared was happening before me. Celine having control of my uncle and rendering me unimportant to him. I wanted my uncle back. And I needed Celine out. That bloodsucking pest had to go, permanently. I just had to think of a way that didn’t point back to me.

Elder Vaughn sighed, rubbing his wrinkled temple. “We've tried her best. May the moon goddess help us during his reign.”

I stood up abruptly, my jaw with determination. “Not on my watch would i let him destroy what my parents worked so hard for and died to protect. He's not making her Luna. i'll make sure of that.”

Celine thought she was safe.

She thought Kaiden’s protection meant she was untouchable.

How naive.

I twirled my wine glass between my fingers, watching the crimson liquid swirl like blood. It was almost poetic. Soon, Celine’s downfall would be just as fluid, just as inevitable.

The scent of lavender and honey filled the air as a nervous maid entered my chambers,  a small bundle wrapped in cloth tight as she feared being caught. She bowed deeply, eyes cast downward.

“Did you get it?” I asked smoothly.

“Yes, my lady.” The girl’s voice was barely above a whisper.

I smirked. “Show me.”

With trembling hands, she unwrapped the cloth, revealing a delicate piece of lace, Celine’s underwear, red, the colour of scandal.

A slow, satisfied smile curled my lips.

Perfect.

Celine was already hanging by a thread, balancing between Kaiden’s favor and the council’s disapproval. She had no allies, no noble blood, no political leverage. All she had was Kaiden’s protection.

And that was about to crumble.

I set my wine glass down and took the lace between my fingers, inspecting it lazily. Kaiden must have changed her wardrobe because this was awfully nice for a common maid. “You weren’t seen, were you?”

“N-no, my lady.”

I arched a brow. “And you made sure to place the letter where Liam would find it?”

The maid nodded quickly. “I did exactly as you asked. The message was left in his study, written as if it were from Lady Celine herself.”

A pleased hum escaped my lips. Liam. He was the perfect pawn in this game.

Her father’s  Beta’s son, strong, prideful, and utterly convinced that Celine had once belonged to him. His rejection had stung, but his male ego? That was a festering wound waiting to be manipulated. And I knew Liam.

He would believe what he wanted to believe.

That Celine had never truly rejected him. That she had only said no out of fear. And now, now that she was desperate, she had reached out to him in secret, offering herself as his bride.

And what better proof than something as intimate as her clothing?

Liam was many things, reckless, arrogant, but he wasn’t stupid. He would need evidence.

I held up the lace and smiled. “Deliver this to him.”

The maid swallowed hard. “A-as a gift?”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “No, as proof. Tell him it was sent from her chambers by her directed to him. Let him think she left it behind as a token. That should be enough to win his trust.”

The maid’s hands trembled as she took the lace. “And what if he… tells Lady Celine?”

I exhaled, feigning disappointment. “Then you must be very convincing when you say you overheard her talking about him. That she regretted everything. That she longed for him.”

I tilted my head, watching the fear in the girl’s eyes. “Unless, of course, you would rather she know who really stole from her?”

The color drained from her face. “N-no, my lady. I will do as you ask.”

I smiled. “Good girl.”

I watched as she hurried out, I leaned back in my chair, pressing my fingers together in satisfaction.

The best lies were the ones people wanted to believe.

And soon, Celine wouldn’t just be an unworthy maid in the eyes of the council.

She would be a liar. A deceiver. A woman who played two men against each other.

Kaiden’s trust in her would shatter.

And when it did?

I would be waiting.

Kaiden had a hundred gifts delivered to me. 

Expensive jewels, rare silks, the finest perfumes from across the lands.

Each one a testament to his attempt at reconciliation, to fix the rift between us. To remind me that I was still his favored niece, despite Celine’s unwelcome presence in his life.

I scoffed, running my fingers along the delicate strands of a diamond necklace, the gems cool against my skin. Did he truly think bribing me would make me forget how he had dismissed me? How he had allowed that wretched woman to slither her way into his affections?

Foolish man.

Affection was fleeting. Blood was eternal. He would soon remember where his true loyalty should lie.

A sharp knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts.

“Enter.”

The maid from earlier stepped inside, bowing quickly. Her face was pale, her hands clenched tightly at her sides.

“My lady… I have news.”

I arched a brow, setting the necklace down. “Well?”

“It worked,” she whispered. “Liam was enraged when he saw the letter. He believed every word.”

A slow, satisfied smile curled my lips.

“And the lace?”

“He took it. He- he smelled it, my lady.” The maid’s face twisted in discomfort. “He said it was proof enough that Lady Celine still desired him.”

Of course he did. Men were disgustingly predictable.

“Good.” I rose from my chair, pacing toward the window, looking out over the grand courtyard below. Kaiden was there, deep in conversation with hiS Beta about the council.

“This is only the beginning,” I murmured. “Liam will not be satisfied with just a letter. He would want to hear it from her instead. His ego is wounded, and men like him seek retribution.”

The maid shifted nervously. “Do you think he will act against her?”

I turned to her with a knowing smirk. “Oh, he will. He will demand answers. And when he confronts her in front of Kaiden, it will be her word against his.”

The maid swallowed hard. “And if Lord Kaiden believes her?”

I let out a soft laugh. “He won’t. And i have the perfect way to make sure he doesn’t.”

Not when the council already disapproved of Celine. Not when doubts about her loyalty had already begun to grow in his mind. And certainly not when the woman he had raised as his own niece, stood beside him, gently voicing her concerns.

All I needed to do was nudge the scales. And it would all come flying down in Celine’s face.