CHAPTER 226: THEN DO NOT STAND IN THE WAY

"Livia, please let up a bit," Serena protested again, her fingers digging into the edge of the dressing table as the corset ties dug painfully into her back. Livia had been going at this for quite some time now. She had come into the room and dumped the clothes as soon as she saw Charlotte in the corner of the room lounging like a cat.

Livia looked uncomposed before she threw herself furiously into her work and dressed Serena up haphazardly. Serena wondered how the zips had not broken from the Livia was pulling on them.

The other woman grumbled under her breath, muttering words Serena couldn’t catch but her narrowed eyes flicked toward Charlotte like sharpened knives.

Charlotte sat on a low cushioned bench near the hearth, arms crossed, gaze locked on the fire, as if it might give her patience. Her legs were tucked neatly, her posture deceptively composed.

"You are trying to crush my ribs," Serena said through a breathless laugh, trying to ease the tension.

"I am merely ensuring you look as presentable as possible," Livia said, lips tight. "Not all of us can lounge in trousers like a traveling bard."

Charlotte arched a brow but said nothing.

Serena, caught in the middle, shifted on her feet. "You know, the talks are the main thing, not whether or not my waist can fit through the eye of a needle."

Livia gave a final sharp tug and stepped back. "I am done."

It was quiet for a long beat. The fire crackled. Serena ran a hand along her skirts, eyeing both women. "You two are unusually quiet today."

Neither answered. The blonde fiddled with her fingers and looked at the others, none of them looked at the other but it was obvious they were staring through their peripherals.

Serena turned toward Charlotte. "Did I miss something?"

Charlotte’s mouth twitched, not quite a smile. "It is nothing worth repeating."

Livia made a low sound in her throat, turning away and fiddling with a hair comb on the table. "Indeed. Let the past stay dead and buried."

Charlotte’s eyes flared, and she rose from the bench. "If it were buried, you would not keep dragging its bones out to gnaw on."

Livia scoffed. "You think I enjoy this?"

"I think you enjoy blaming me for everything," Charlotte snapped. "It is easier than asking yourself why I left."

Serena’s breath caught in her throat, she wondered if Livia would slip up and refer to Charlotte by her actual name. She had inquired of it but Livia was confused when she heard Charlotte, however when Serena described the other woman to Charlotte she seemed to have had an idea but brushed it off.

Livia’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. "You left because it was convenient. Because you always needed something more. Something else."

"I left because you never came after me!" Charlotte’s voice cracked. "You stood there, you let it happen. You made me feel like it did not matter."

"I did matter!" Livia shouted. "I waited, I waited like a fool, day after day, thinking you would at least send word, or a letter, or-"

"You had people," Charlotte said, quieter now. "You had this pack, your duties, your loyalty to your cousin and family. I had no one."

They stared at each other, breathing hard.

Serena cleared her throat, holding her hands up in a placating gesture. "Ladies, we can have this discussion...gently, over wine perhaps? This is hardly the moment-"

Livia turned on her. "Do not speak to me about gentleness."

Charlotte gave a bitter laugh. "And what would you know of this, Serena?"

Serena froze, blinking at both of them. She suddenly regretted getting in between these women. "I- well-"

"No, go on," Charlotte said, stepping forward. "Tell us what wisdom you have prepared, o’ mighty ambassador. Remind us how to be civil. Or perhaps just suggest we both smile and pretend nothing happened?"

Serena’s mouth opened and closed. For once, she had no clever retort, no compromise to propose to them. She dropped her hands and sighed. "Fine. Rip each other apart, then."

Livia narrowed her eyes. "Do you think I enjoy standing in this room with her?"

Charlotte folded her arms. "Do you think I came back for you?"

"Of course not," Livia said coldly. "You came back to haunt me."

Serena stepped away from them both, collecting her gloves from the end of the dressing table. She turned toward the mirror, adjusting her necklace just to keep her hands busy. Her heart was pounding. This tension was too loud for her to ignore, too deep for her to smooth over.

She did not envy either of them. A knock came at the door, thankfully it was the right time for that sort of thing to happen.

"Ladies," the young woman’s voice rang through. "The Council is assembled. Your presence is required in the east chamber."

Serena nearly sagged with relief. "Finally," she murmured, moving first toward the door. "Shall we?"

Neither Charlotte nor Livia responded at first. They stared at each other, a hundred unspoken words still trapped between them, but the moment had passed. The stewardess waited, and appearances had to be upheld.

Serena adjusted her expression and turned back to face them. "You may hate each other after this is done, but right now, you are both wearing Ironshade and Crimsonclaw colours and we have guests from Dawnbreak. Please."

There was a long pause.

Then Livia stepped forward, her jaw still set, but her posture cooling into something stately.

Charlotte followed, her mouth a thin, hard line, her shoulders straight. Serena waited until both stood at her side, then she opened the door, letting the stewardess lead the way down the corridor. She kept her chin lifted, her steps composed.

But as they walked, she quietly murmured, "If either of you stab each other before the day ends, I am not cleaning up the mess."

That earned her a faint snort from Charlotte.

And from Livia, a clipped, "Then do not stand in the way."

Serena rolled her eyes and kept walking. At least they weren’t quiet anymore.