Olivia bit her lip with such suppressed fury that a single, crimson bead of blood bloomed on her skin. She fought the rising tide of bile in her throat; she refused to let a single tear fall before this wretched woman.
Quiet, Olivia... stay calm, she hissed to her inner self. Do not cry. Do not give her the satisfaction of a victory.
She let out a long, weary sigh, her teeth still gritted. "So, that is the reason," she murmured, a hollow, glacial smile touching her lips. "Are you not afraid? Afraid that I might take this truth to the Emperor myself?"
The Empress erupted into a jagged, mocking laugh. "You? Tell the Emperor? Please, Olivia, be serious."
"And why do you think I wouldn't?"
The Empress raked her eyes over Olivia from head to toe, her expression dripping with a calculated, poisonous condescension.
