Chapter 16 - their high horses

Chapter 16: 16 - their high horses 16 ~Lisa’s POV Milo gave a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Don’t worry about me. I won’t get into trouble. I’m good at being invisible when I want to be. And besides," he grinned, "those Alphas need someone to knock them off their high horses." I blinked, surprised at his boldness, and despite everything, a small laugh slipped from my lips. It was the first time I had laughed in days. And it felt strange... like a crack of sunlight in a room full of dust. He smiled at that. "There, that’s better. You should laugh more often. It makes you look less like you’re about to break." "Careful," I murmured, shaking my head slightly. "If someone hears you, you’ll be the next one scrubbing the dungeon floors." He shrugged, leaning against the counter. "Wouldn’t be the worst thing. At least I wouldn’t have to serve that she-wolf Belinda." At the mention of her name, my smile faded. Milo noticed. "She’s here again, isn’t she?" he asked, his face tightening. Before I could answer, the kitchen door swung open. A group of maids walked in, giggling loudly. Their eyes fell on Milo and me immediately. "Well, well," one of them said, her voice dripping with mockery. "Looks like our little human pet found herself a pet of her own." The others laughed. Another stepped forward with a cruel grin. "You two look cute together. The rejected ones always find each other." I lowered my head, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of seeing my reaction. Milo didn’t flinch. Their laughter rang out as they walked past us. Before I could say anything, another maid came into the kitchen, her expression tense. "Lisa, lady Belinda’s in the palace. She wants you to bring her wine. She’s with the Alphas." My heart sank. I had planned to avoid the triplets as much as I could. I wanted to stay away from their world, their eyes, their anger. But it seemed fate, or life, had other plans. Milo noticed the change in my face and reached for my arm. "It’s going to be okay. Just do what you have to do. I’ll come check on you later." I nodded slowly, not trusting myself to speak. I turned to leave, but Milo stopped me once more. "Don’t let them break you," he said softly. "That’s what they want. Walk in there like you belong." His words were kind, and I appreciated them, but I knew it wouldn’t make a difference. No matter how I walked, they would always see me as the human girl, the outsider. I nodded slowly, whispering, "Thank you." He gave my arm a small squeeze and then walked away, leaving me standing there with my thoughts. I turned to the maids, hoping they’d help. "Please," I asked quietly, "what kind of wine does lady Belinda usually take?" They ignored me. One even rolled her eyes. Another turned away with a smirk, busying herself with a stack of dishes. No help. Fine. I wiped my hands on my apron and made my way toward the wine cellar. It was cooler down there, the air damp and quiet. I walked past the rows of bottles until I found a deep red wine that looked expensive enough to please Belinda. I found a clean cup, placed everything carefully on a tray, and took a deep breath. Then I turned and headed for the Alphas’ room. My hands trembled slightly as I walked, but I didn’t stop. When I got to the Alphas’ room, my fingers tightened around the tray. I paused in front of the door and tried to steady my breath. My heart was racing, my palms were damp with sweat. I didn’t want to be here. Not again. Not in front of them. But I had no choice. I knocked softly. "Come in," Kael’s voice said from inside, sharp and bored. I pushed the door open slowly and stepped in. The room was warm, lit by golden lamps and filled with a heavy scent, something between spice and smoke. The triplets were sitting around the table, lounging like kings. Belinda sat between Damon and Rowan, her hand brushing Rowan’s arm as she laughed at something I didn’t catch. I lowered my head. "Good evening, Alphas. Lady Belinda." No one answered. I kept my eyes on the floor, and walked carefully toward the table. I just needed to drop the wine and leave quietly. If I was lucky, they wouldn’t even look at me. But as I bent slightly to set the tray down, Rowan’s voice cut through the silence like a knife. "I actually thought you died." I froze. His words slammed into me, and for a second, I thought I’d drop the tray. He leaned back in his seat with a lazy smirk. "You were gone so long, I assumed the floor finally swallowed you. Or maybe..." he paused, his grin deepening, "you got smart and ran off." Belinda let out a sharp scoff, her voice full of fake pity. "Too dumb to run. Too weak to die." Their words stung more than I wanted to admit. I kept my head down, carefully placing the tray on the table like I didn’t hear them. Like their voices weren’t peeling layers off my skin. I wanted to vanish. But I couldn’t. Not here. Not yet. I straightened slowly, keeping my eyes lowered, waiting for the next blow, whether it’d be words or something worse. I reached for the wine, my fingers brushing the smooth glass bottle, ready to open it and pour. But before I could, Belinda’s voice rang out, sharp and disgusted. "Wait," she said, lifting her hand like she was stopping a servant she’d just remembered existed. "Is that the cup you brought for me?" I paused, glancing at the cup on the tray. It was clean, or at least I thought it was. It had no stain, no crack, nothing wrong. "Yes... my lady," I said quietly. She wrinkled her nose and leaned back, crossing one leg over the other like she was royalty sitting on a throne. "It’s filthy. Look at it," she said with a scoff. "Do I look like someone who drinks from the same glass as a maid?" The triplets didn’t say anything. Not yet. Kael just swirled the liquid in his own glass like he was bored. Damon didn’t even glance my way. Rowan smiled lazily, his eyes half-lidded like he was enjoying the scene. My throat tightened. I could feel the weight of their silence pressing down on me.Correct content is on Belinda leaned forward a bit. "Go and bring me another one," she said, her voice slow and cold. "And if you ever come to serve me again with something so beneath me, I’ll make sure you regret it."