CHAPTER 331: DINNER III

"Have you no regard? Or have your victories in the last fights clouded your senses?" Adam’s voice carried the kind of quiet authority that made every head turn sharply in his direction. His tone wasn’t raised, but the warning beneath it was unmistakable — cold, clipped, and edged with disbelief.

They had all realized I wasn’t going to stand. Good.

I lifted the teacup again, unhurried, letting the delicate porcelain brush my lips as if I hadn’t just been accused of sacrilege. The tea had cooled slightly, but the sip was deliberate–a statement.

Then I turned my head, tilting it slightly, feigning mild surprise. "Not at all, King," I said evenly. "However, seeing as you were the ones who invited me, I didn’t think it was necessary. Aren’t we just here to dine and talk? Why waste time on frivolities? Aren’t you just tired of it?"

A sharp inhale cut through the air.

"What nonsense!" Lilian screamed, her voice high and shrill enough to echo off the gilded walls. She took a furious step forward, her gown swishing around her feet, but Daniel caught her wrist before she could embarrass them all.

To do what, I wasn’t sure. But I almost wished he hadn’t stopped her. I would have loved to see how she’d look sprouting rabbit ears — it would have suited her.

"I don’t tolerate disrespect, Sage, no matter who you are," Adam said flatly, the weight of his command filling the space. Still, he moved forward and sat at the head of the table with that infuriating calmness only men born into power could master.

"But like you said, I was the one who invited you — a mistake, I can see now. Could have just sent my beta to you with whatever it was I wanted you to hear."

"So, why didn’t you?"

Claire’s voice dripped venom as she glared daggers at me. "You don’t speak to him like that! He’s a king!"

Isla laughed.

It wasn’t a snicker or a scoff — it was full-bodied, ringing, unapologetic laughter that stunned the entire table into silence. The sound echoed beautifully through the high-ceilinged dining room, light and mocking all at once.

I didn’t join in, but I smiled faintly, watching the ripple of shock pass over their faces. The royals, so used to deference, suddenly looked unsure, as if laughter — pure and unrestrained — was the one language they didn’t understand.

Anything at all to confound these people who believed we breathed through their noses.

"Be careful, Isla," Noah said with a lazy smile, though there was tension beneath his casual tone. "You’d do well to remember you don’t occupy the same position as Sage. She can get away — well, almost — with any disparaging comment she makes, because, well, we can’t punish a contestant... at least not yet. Until after the finals when..."

"Is that a threat?" I cut in, raising a brow.

Noah blinked, clearly startled at being interrupted mid-sentence by a so-called commoner. His mouth shut before he could recover.

"Okay, that’s it." Naomi’s voice trembled with barely restrained rage. "Enough of the disrespect!" She slammed her palm onto the table, rattling the fine china. The fire in her eyes burned — a devious fire I hadn’t seen back when we were friends. Claire had fanned it, no doubt, and now it burned hotter, darker, fouler.

"We can do away with them," she hissed to Adam, her voice sharp with spite. "We can tell our watchers an accident occurred or something. Surely, we can’t sit with this... she’s not even wearing the dresses we sent them!"

Ah. There it was.

I chuckled softly. "You should be careful with what you say, Naomi. And what is this about watchers?"

Rachel had told me the contests were broadcast — a rumor whispered behind closed doors. Streams only accessible through private channels. Betting pools that were "unconfirmed." But Naomi’s slip confirmed it.

The table stiffened. Naomi didn’t even notice the glare Noah threw her — not until she caught Adam’s, darker and heavier. She immediately clamped down..

So Rachel had been right. There were betting sessions. Which meant this "festival" wasn’t just tradition. It was a business. A very profitable one. The royals were sitting on an empire built from blood and spectacle. Greedy snots.

"Let there be decorum," Adam said finally, his voice ending every exchange in the room. The command rolled over them like a storm cloud.

He turned to me. "You shouldn’t be concerned about threats, but you should be careful with the way you treat us — you and your friend. There is only so much I can take. We are not equals. You are only a contestant, here for money."

The women at the table raised their noses in unison, as if they’d rehearsed it. A perfect little gesture of disdain.

Isla and I looked at each other — and then we both chuckled softly.

Daniel’s face twisted. He slammed his hand on the table. "Any more of that laughter, and you both are out of here!"

So, naturally, we chuckled again. Any more of the slams, and the table will break!

As if on cue, we met his glare — eyes gleaming, daring him to act on his threat.

He froze. His mouth opened slightly, but no sound came. The veins in his neck pulsed with frustration, and his hand tightened around his cup until I thought it might shatter. The air around him trembled with his barely-contained fury.

Lilian’s hand flew to his arm, as if that small touch might anchor him.

Claire’s eyes darted from his face to Adam’s, searching for someone to take charge.

Naomi was all fire and outrage, muttering curses under her breath.

And Noah — oh, Noah was laughing. Not openly, but with a grin that tugged at the corner of his lips, amused now at the chaos unraveling before him.

"Are you seeing it, Adam?" Claire finally burst out, pointing a shaking finger at us. "Are you seeing these peasants drunk on power?"

Adam didn’t answer immediately. He just stared — at me, at Isla, at the audacity that had settled into our bones. His expression was unreadable, but his silence was louder than any reprimand.

"And why do you think we’re peasants?" Isla asked suddenly, her voice calm, sharp, deadly precise.

I leaned back, crossing my arms, a picture of boredom.

"What else would you two be?" Claire sneered. "Royals?"

Isla and I raised our brows in unison.

The room went deathly still.

"Impossible," Lilian muttered, forcing a laugh that fell flat. But she went silent the moment she noticed we weren’t laughing with her.

I cocked my head lazily, letting my gaze drift across each of their faces before landing on Adam. He still hadn’t spoken, though his expression had tightened slightly — a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

"Do you think we’re lying too?" I asked him quietly.

"Which kingdom are you from? Which community?" His voice was calm, but his eyes searched mine, probing for deceit.

I shrugged, smiling faintly. "I’ll let you know when I’m ready."

Daniel swore under his breath. Claire’s glare burned hotter.

"Don’t tell me you believe her, Adam. She might be lying!" She snapped.

"Oh, shut up, woman," I singsonged lightly, watching her face pale. "In case you’ve forgotten, you’re not Luna yet. Neither are you two," I added, nodding toward Naomi and Lilian, "who think the sun rises from your asses."

Naomi’s fury finally spilled past control. "And what is that supposed to mean, fool?"

I shrugged the insult away, lifting my cup again. "That you shouldn’t antagonize me." I took a sip — the tea was cold now, but I savored it anyway. "You should be afraid, rather. Or maybe more respectful. Seeing as I only joined this contest out of boredom — surely, that says a lot about me, doesn’t it? I do crazy things when I’m bored."

Naomi opened her mouth to retort, but no words came. Her throat worked soundlessly. She understood me well. I winked.

Noah leaned forward slightly, curiosity flickering in his gaze. "Is she also a royal? Are you sisters?"

"She is," I said, glancing at Isla. "But we’re not sisters. Just good friends who understand each other well enough."

Noah smiled — openly now — and studied me with the kind of interest that made Naomi’s jaw tighten.

"You’re an interesting woman, Sage," he said softly, lifting his cup to his lips.

If eyes could kill, Naomi’s would have slit my throat right there. Lilian, on the other hand, clung tighter to Daniel’s arm, as if I were some witch capable of stealing her man with a single look.

I smiled faintly, letting the silence thicken, the tension coil tighter.

It was a dangerous game, yes — but one I was born to play.