Nyssa pov

    As soon as I stepped into the living room, I felt every pair of eyes on me.

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    Everyone had turned to look, Cassain, Zayn, and at least fifteen maids, all staring at me. But my gaze was fixed on him.

    The man sitting at the center of the room had his eyes locked on me, expression cold as always, not a hint of emotion in them. I would have thought the furious look I’d seen a moment ago was just an illusion, but it wasn’t–no, not when I could still feel the way his hand had tightened around my neck as he strangled me.

    But now, watching him, there was no flicker of emotion in his gaze. His expression was almost empty, cold, as we stared at each other. For a brief moment, it felt as though the whole world had stilled. My heart pounded hard against my chest, my body warm, fuzzy, and giddy as I gazed at the man I had always wanted to see.

    Then, in the very next moment, Darius looked away without a shift in expression, his eyes lowering to stare vacantly at nothing, his fingers idly toying with the coin in his grip.

    And just like that, hepletely ignored me, as though I didn’t even exist.

    Like he always did, only this time, it bothered me.

    Normally, I would’ve rolled my eyes and brushed it off, but now? Now I felt offended. The corner of my lips curved into a sneer as I red at him, a low scoff escaping at the audacity of him still pretending I wasn’t there.

    The nerve of this man!

    Of course, I hadn’t expected him to apologize for what happened earlier, but he didn’t have to act like I was invisible. My sneer deepened, and I noticed the maids had already lowered their heads, careful not to stare. Cassian, standing behind Darius, and Zaynb, /bseated nearby, exchanged a quick nce. I caught the way Cassian swallowed hard before he turned to me with a nervous smile, gesturing toward a seat far away from Darius.

    “Well, bmiss/b,” he began carefully, “these are all the new maids who’ve just started working here. You must not be feeling too well… perhaps you should take your seat and-‘

    Before he could finish, I nodded and cut in with a small smile, my voice steady.

    “Yes, you’re right. I’m not feeling well, so I should sit.”

    And without a second thought, I walked straight to where Darius was sitting and dropped into the seat right beside him, so close there was barely an inch of space left between us.

    Almost instantly, the air thickened, heavy with tension, and I caught the way everyone in the room froze in shock. Even Darius’s hand stilled mid–twirl with the coin, his eyes flickering toward me, brows narrowing in

    confusion.

    I only smiled brighter, inching even closer to him, testing the limits. For a fleeting moment, the urge to lean in and hug him surged through me but I knew better. If I tried that, I’d probably end up flying into the

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    nearest wall.

    :

    “W–what are you doing-” Cassian stammered, clearly flustered on my behalf.

    But I cut him off, turning to Darius instead.

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    “As you can see, I’m not feeling well, so I need to sit. And this is the nearest couch, so I’ll be sitting here,” I said shamelessly, even though everyone knew I could’ve taken one small step to the empty seat beside us.

    Darius’s frown deepened as his eyes lingered on me for a moment. But instead of saying anything, like I half- expected, he simply looked away and resumed twirling his coin nonchntly, ignoring me. Again.

    But I didn’t let it bother me. Instead, I shifted my gaze to the maids standing before us, their heads bowed, shoulders trembling ever so slightly in fear, no doubt because they were in front of Darius.

    There were at least ten of them, most taller than the other maids who worked in the packhouse.

    My gaze swept over them casually, my head tilted slightly as I studied their forms in silence. It only took a few seconds, just enough time for me to pick out the culprit.

    The one who hade into my room and lured me into the that chamber under the pretext that Darius wanted to see me.

    Finding her was easier than I thought it would be.

    Since all the maids kept their heads bowed, I didn’t need to walk up to each of them. I hadn’t seen her face clearly that day anyway, but that wasn’t what I relied on. No, I remembered her posture, the slope of her shoulders, the way she had bowed earlier… little things that gave her away.

    I knew exactly who she was.

    “The king has granted you permission to deal with the maid who led you into the forbidden room,” Cassian announced, his voice firm. “So please, pick who you believe it is, and we will investigate to confirm. So-”

    He turned to the maids. “Everyone, raise your heads.”

    The maids instantly obeyed, lifting their heads and fixing their gazes forward. Even though their bodies trembled in fear, not one dared ito /idisobey.

    “And please step forward one by one so she can-

    “There’s no need for that, Cassian,” I cut him off with a grin, turning my gaze his way.

    He blinked in confusion, and I finished calmly, “I already know who the maid is.”

    The moment those words left my lips, every head snapped toward me, surprise shing across their faces that I’d managed to figure it out iso /ieasily. But really, it hadn’t been difficult at all.

    Even Darius stilled, the coin no longer spinning between his fingers. He took a slow, deep breath before leaning back in his seat, crossing his arms and legs as his eyes swept over the maids in front of him. Almost instantly, they all lowered their heads, none daring to meet his gaze. And then, in a cold, razor–sharp voice, he

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    spoke.

    “Then pick.” His tone was low, detached, and he didn’t spare me a nce. “Who is it?”

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    I arched ia /ibrow at his words, a slow smile tugging at my lips as I replied, “Of course, I will, my king.”

    Leaning back in my seat as well, I let my eyes drift over the line of trembling maids before tilting my head, my smirk deepening.

    “But first,” I drawled, “let’s give the culprit a chance at redemption.” My voice sharpened just slightly, cutting through the thick silence. “If you’re the one who did it… step forward and reveal yourself.”