Chapter 353: We are in the same boat
When Luke returned to the village and approached Baldon’s home, he knew things were about to heat up.
The whole family was gathered outside the house. Kalish stood with his mate and son, while Baldon stood alongside Roxanne and Thea.
There were several guards around as well, mostly who came with the foreign lord. All of them looked tense and ready to scatter around and search for their lady.
The concern in the taller chief’s eyes swiftly turned to alarm when he saw Luke approaching with his beloved daughter wrapped in a thick rug, her eyes closed and her body limp. She was clearly unconscious.
Soon, Luke arrived by their side and the first question was raised.
"What happened to her?" the lady asked first, her brows drawing together.
Kalish stepped forward and carefully took Ilya from Luke before he explained, "After we finished sparring, she was bitten by a snake and fainted. But don’t worry. I applied an ointment and gave her a potion. She should recover by tomorrow morning."
Naturally, he lied. Informing them about the fox would cause Baldon to send people to hunt it down. Luke didn’t want that.
Kalish’s frown deepened.
His daughter was reckless enough to let a snake bite her?
Something about the situation did not sit right with him. Her complexion suggested anything but a simple snake bite. A venom potent enough to render her unconscious should have left her pale and struggling for breath.
And then there was the potion.
There was no way Luke could have used something so precious and difficult to obtain on a girl he had only recently met. Kalish knew exactly how scarce such medicine was.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Luke.
There was clearly more to the story than he was being told.
"You hurt her." Kalish’s son stepped forward, his voice filled with accusation. "You’re nothing but a savage beast who can’t get enough of hurting others! Just admit it!"
"Enough." Kalish frowned, his voice leaving no room for argument as he admonished his son.
Turning toward Luke, who had clearly not taken the accusation lightly, Kalish said, "You brought my daughter safely back to me. And the fact that she showed you her magical abilities suggests that she trusts you. So I will respect her choice. Thank you for your thoughtfulness."
Luke smirked.
The man was clearly hinting that the only reason he wasn’t accusing Luke himself was that he wanted to hear Ilya’s side of the story first.
Well, Luke couldn’t blame him. Not only has Ilya spent her evening fighting with all her might against him, but she has also returned unconscious. That surely must have raised alarms.
Well, fuck it.
"I hope she recovers soon."
With that, Luke slipped his hands into his pockets. He spared Roxanne a brief glance before turning away and walking off, leaving the others behind.
Baldon hurriedly stepped forward. "We should get her inside and let her rest. A medic should look at her injuries."
Kalish offered no resistance. He and the others carried Ilya back into the house.
Roxanne remained outside for a moment, watching Baldon and the others disappear inside.
She took a deep breath. Then, just as she was about to turn and walk in another direction, a voice came from her left.
"And where do you think you’re going?"
Roxanne’s brows twitched as she turned toward the short woman.
"Why does it concern you?"
Thea ignored the question.
"You’re going to meet Luke, aren’t you?" she said, her tone edged with accusation. "How daring of you. Leaving your guests and your mate behind at a time like this just to meet someone else?"
Roxanne’s eyes turned icy as she stepped closer to Thea. Lowering her voice, she muttered, "We’re both in the same boat when it comes to Luke, Thea. If I’m shameless, then so are you."
Thea visibly tensed at those words, but as always, she refused to let her composure waver. She glared back at Roxanne.
"What do you even mean?" she scoffed. "You’re just playing word games with me and using your usu—"
"I wasn’t sleeping back then."
Thea’s eyes widened for the briefest moment.
Her lips remained parted as the color slowly drained from her face.
She couldn’t mean...
Could she?
"You..." Thea tried to say something, but suddenly every word felt dangerous. As though anything she said could be twisted and used against her, she chose each one with painful caution.
She didn’t need to.
Roxanne already knew everything, and she made sure Thea understood that.
"I was awake that morning, Thea. I heard what happened between you and Luke. I know how long you’ve been trying to seduce him, and how you finally got what you wanted," she faintly smirked and added.
"I have heard your voice, full of lust and devotion towards a man who isn’t your mate. Once Baldon heard that his sweet little pigeon can sing sweetly for someone else too...how do you think he would react?"
Thea was stunned into silence.
Not a single word came out.
Her usual confident facade had crumbled before the one woman she had always refused to show her vulnerable side to.
Yet here she stood, stripped of her smugness, deprived of the very advantage she had always used to corner Roxanne whenever they argued.
Luke was the only person who, when brought into an argument, always silenced Roxanne. However, now, the same man was being used against Thea. And she couldn’t say anything to refute her.
Roxanne leaned closer, her voice calm but merciless.
"We’re both in the same boat now, Thea. The difference is, you’re playing with fire while I’ve embraced it."
Thea remained silent for a few moments, and then, clenching her fists, she somehow regained some courage to speak.
"So you’ve made your choice to betray our lord, huh?" she said, her voice trembling despite her attempt to sound composed. "I never thought someone of high-born blood would turn out like this. You truly are shameless."
Roxanne’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
"At least I’m honest about my desires. I know what I want."
She paused, letting her words sink in.
"You, on the other hand, want to experience everything at once. You keep riding multiple carts, convinced you can balance them all."
Roxanne stepped closer, her expression turning cold.
"And one day..." she murmured, her voice dropping into a heavy whisper, "you’ll fall so hard that there won’t be anyone left to save you from drowning in blood and chaos."
Thea’s body trembled faintly.
Anger, disbelief, and fear flickered across her eyes as she stared at Roxanne.
Roxanne said nothing more. She simply turned away.
There was someone she wanted to see.
Just as she took a few steps, Thea cried out, "This won’t end well... not for you... nor him. So stop while you still have the time. It will be the best for everyone."
Roxanne didn’t stop or falter. She had already made her decision, and she would follow it to her grave.
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A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you haven’t joined the discord server send a friend request to hayden_greyhart. You will get the link.
And yes, please check my new story.