The attack
Hadeon stared at the maid with cool, calculating eyes, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "A little birdie told me that something happened during my absence. Why don't you share with me what you shared with Mallory?"
The maid, though staring at the ground, spoke with surprising confidence, "Lord Hadeon, I feel she doesn't belong next to you. She's not even a serphant. She doesn't fit as a human."
Hadeon's fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk, the sound echoing ominously. "Remind me when I gave you the power to decide for me," he said, his voice dangerously smooth. "Perhaps your brain rusted during your recent time in the coffin. Looking to go back inside for good?"
Ivy's confidence wavered, her eyebrows furrowing. "But, milord—"
In an instant, a quill flew across the room, its edge grazing Ivy's cheek and drawing a thin line of blood. She stood in shock, her hand instinctively reaching for the wound.