Capítulo 6: Betrayal and Loyalty
Chapter Five: Betrayal and Loyalty
The night was calm in the imperial palace, but the atmosphere in the formal dining hall was thick with tension, as if every word and every glance concealed something unspoken. Olivia sat next to her husband, Duke Matthias, her features deliberately composed, masking a storm of conflicting thoughts beneath. On the other side of the table sat the first prince, her half-brother, with his usual air of pride and a smile that always hinted at hidden intentions.
The beginning of the dinner was silent, the only sound being the clink of cutlery on silver plates. Olivia tried to keep her focus on the food in front of her, while she could feel the prince's gaze piercing through her, sharp and unwavering. Then, as expected, the prince broke the silence.
His voice was cold but heavy with implication. "I've heard troubling news. It seems there's a traitor among us, someone leaking sensitive information to the neighboring empire."
The Duke raised an eyebrow slightly, and Olivia gently placed her spoon down, though she kept her gaze fixed on her plate. The prince continued, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the air. "And sadly, it seems this person is closer to us than we could have imagined."
The prince slowly shifted his gaze between the three of them, before it lingered on Olivia for longer than necessary, as if testing her patience. He continued, his tone growing more pointed, "I wonder how your father could remain... innocent in this equation, don't you think?"
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall froze. The Duke stopped chewing and glanced at his wife, as if evaluating her reaction. But Olivia, to everyone's surprise, remained completely still. She did not flare up, nor did she defend herself or meet his gaze. She calmly returned to eating, as though the prince's words had no impact on her.
This calmness threw everyone off balance, but it was exactly what Olivia needed. After dinner, she excused herself and left the hall quietly, heading to her room.
Confronting the Past
In her room, Olivia sat by the window, lost in thought. She wasn't foolish enough to miss the prince's subtle hints. It was clear that he was pointing at her, testing her reactions. But what disturbed her more was the realization that perhaps the prince wasn't entirely wrong.
She thought back to her past. Her father, the man who had once been her only refuge in life, had betrayed her in ways she never expected. How many times had she helped him without question, how many times had she trusted him despite everyone's warnings? Now, it seemed history was repeating itself. But this time, she would not be the naïve girl used as a pawn in a game too grand for her to understand.
"If my father is the traitor..." she murmured to herself, "I won't let him ruin my life this time. I will expose his truth, even if it means standing against him."
An Unexpected Visit
The next day, just as she was preparing to go out to the garden, Olivia was surprised by a servant knocking on her door to inform her of a visit from her father. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment, but she steeled herself and went to meet him.
In the parlor, her father stood next to Matthias, his face lit with a smile. He seemed like the perfect affectionate father, patting her shoulder and talking proudly about her, ignoring everything that had happened in the past. Matthias, who had never liked her father, remained silent, watching the scene without comment.
But after the Duke left, the atmosphere changed in an instant. As soon as the door closed behind Matthias, her father's expression shifted. He grabbed her hair roughly and pulled her toward him.
"Why didn't you tell me the prince was coming yesterday?" he whispered angrily.
Olivia was taken aback, but she hid her pain and replied in a steady voice, "I didn't know, no one told me."
He narrowed his eyes, as if trying to gauge her sincerity. Then, in a low, commanding voice, he said, "I want you to keep an eye on your husband and the crown prince. Sneak into their office, and find out their plan to identify the traitor."
He suddenly released her hair and returned to his affectionate demeanor as the Duke re-entered the room. He moved toward her to embrace her as if he were the ideal father, while she struggled to maintain her composure, offering a confident smile.
The Decision for Revenge
When her father finally left, Olivia sat alone again. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, feeling her fingers trace the lingering pain on her scalp where her father had grabbed her. But it wasn't just pain that she felt; there was also a burning anger.
"I was just a tool for him in my past life, and I won't be that again," she whispered to herself.
In that moment, she made a decision: she would play the game on her own terms. She would sneak around as her father had asked, but not for his benefit. She would discover the plan of her husband and the crown prince, but she would help Matthias uncover the real traitor. And most importantly, she would make her father regret every betrayal he had ever inflicted on her, in both the past and the present.
She smiled to herself, a small smile, but it wasn't a smile of happiness; it was a smile of war.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder