Lira and Varen (3)
Valeria stared at Lira, her thoughts racing. She had never been in a situation like this before—alone, dealing with someone who had just been publicly humiliated in front of a crowd. She thought back to Varen's words, the venom he had spit so effortlessly, and a seed of doubt began to take root.
If what he said was true, then Lira—no matter how composed or apologetic she appeared now—was someone without dignity. The fact that she had engaged in an affair, while already promised to another, spoke volumes about her character, at least in Valeria's eyes.
Lira might have been bowing her head now, offering compensation with all the right words, but Valeria couldn't shake the feeling of distaste.
Her instincts as a warrior and a noble warned her against accepting this offer. The girls surrounding Lira, too—there was something about them that made Valeria uncomfortable.