Amanah sat at the dining room table with her father and Grand Duke Noward. The delicious smells of the Thanksgiving feast wafted into the room, making her stomach rumble. She watched her father and Noward converse quietly with each other while sipping a vintage wine. Her bothersome twin was nowhere to be seen. That suited her just fine. She had ordered the kitchen staff to forget to invite Serenah to the feast. She needed a break from her sibling's presence.
So much "goodness" was nauseating to her. She much preferred ruthless people as well as ass kissers. Both groups were useful for different reasons. That's why Nick was a good ally/minion. He was ruthless as well as an ass kisser. He was highly adaptable. The rest were ass kissers and had their place in her schemes. Keeping the pressure on Serenah was worth putting up with these lowly humans.
"…-ness?"
She blinked, turned her head, and saw Noward's questioning expression.
"My apologies. I was lost in thought," she smoothly replied.
He waved it off. "No worries. I had asked how your internship at the law firm is going."
His question poked at her façade, and for one second, she lost control of her expression as irritation rose. She was still being shut out at the law firm. No matter what she did, Mr. Lancaster kept her separated from Romeo and Serenah. They were physically in the same room, but never worked on the same projects. She and her father had tried numerous times since the start of the internship to force Mr. Lancaster to bend to their will.
As much as her father wanted to pull Serenah out of the program, he was cautious of ticking off Lancaster, who he badly needed. Thus, Amanah was stuck enviously watching from the wings as Romeo fawned over her useless, ugly twin. She would make that boy hers, whatever the cost. He was the only one worthy of her.
He was a fool who didn't see it. No matter. She would prevail. Strategy was one of her strengths. No one, except maybe her father, was better at making and executing plans successfully. Wait, Crown Prince Fidelis of the Cornibus kingdom was also a skilled strategist. That didn't matter. Since coming to this world, thinking of her mortal enemy served no purpose.
They had encountered some Cornibus residents, but they were all commoners. None of the nobility or royalty seemed to have been brought to this world. That was fine. Autem was a stupid god. He had given her and her father the perfect place to build an empire, unopposed by their lifelong enemy. All these thoughts raced through her mind in seconds.
She replied to Noward's question after a brief pause. "It is going rather well. I'm leading the other interns in production as planned. I will end the internship with the highest score," she bragged.
Her father smiled, pleased at her success. "Was there ever any doubt?" he boasted.
Amanah basked in the glow of his words. This was how things should be. Trash and useless people need not be entertained.
"I see that Princess Serenah isn't here. Is she feeling unwell?"
Amanah glared at him. Why did he have to bring up her worthless twin? She pasted a concerned expression and replied, "She said she was tired and needed to rest. I can't imagine why she'd be tired. It's not like she's doing anything worthwhile."
"I see." Noward took a sip of his wine. His amused expression grated her nerves.
Damn bastard. How dare he act smug? He was only being allowed in the castle because of Father's great plan. Otherwise, he'd be dead by now. She smirked at the thought and grinned broadly when he frowned in her direction, confused by her quicksilver mood.
"I'm sorry for my rudeness," Noward apologized. "I'm just lonely without my lovely fiancé-to-be here."
"I'm sure that won't change once you marry her," Amanah retorted maliciously. "My sister is dull, stupid, and has no redeeming qualities. You are getting the bad end of this bargain, Grand Duke."
"Maybe," he replied. "On the other hand, I don't take on losing propositions."
Her eyes narrowed at his words. Was that a threat? She saw her father's changed expression at Noward's words. He didn't like what he just heard either. He subtly nodded. Message received. They would discuss this later when Noward wasn't around.
"I appreciate you taking my sister. Maybe you can get some use out of her. I wish you luck," she sneered.
She didn't say anything as the food arrived and diverted her attention from the annoying grand duke. There were other important things to think about. She still had to make plans with Nicholas for the Winter Ball and what they would do to Serenah at the dance. Amanah licked her lips. She couldn't wait to destroy her sister's happiness. It was icing on the cake that she would gladly eat.
She finished her meal and excused herself. She had a phone call to make.