"Do you need something?" Damon repeated his question.
Clara was smiling reluctantly, bashfully hiding a shopping bag behind her. She shook her head. "It's nothing... Lee just left some of her things in my room."
"What did I leave in your room?" Leah walked up from behind and opened the door wider, still only clutching the sheet.
Clara's smile faltered, looking at all the marks on her body, but she was quick to mask her expression.
Damon's brow hiked up.
He had told her to dress up, but somehow she looked more disheveled... Shaking his head, he let the women be as he went into the closet.
Clara smiled sweetly, tilting her head. "It's just... didn't you say you were gonna wear this dress for Daye? I really wanted to help you in."
Leah pursed her lips before smiling. "Yeah, sure, come in."
After all, Clara deserved a good view of Damon's artwork on her body.
In her last lifetime, Clara had come when he was in the walk-in closet getting ready. Clueless and nervous, Leah had happily invited her in.
Leah took a minute in the shower and came out clutching a towel. When she dropped the towel, Clara felt her heart churn in jealousy; even Leah's eyes widened, turning several shades of red.
The hickeys went from her neck to her knees. What a beast!
"You must have had a night." Clara's cold voice got her out of her thoughts.
"Huh?" Leah pretended to put on a bashful smile. "Prince Damon... turned out to be a very passionate man."
Smiling tightly, Clara came behind her to help her with the zipper. "... Is he now?"
Seeing her face twist, Leah's smile widened. She turned around and held her hands.
"Yes, he is! Clay, unlike how he usually acts, he was so sweet! He treated me like I was glass, but then he turned..." She bit her lip, seeing Clara's face darken, and inched close to whisper, "... so beastly! I couldn't even breathe."
Not taking notice of her face flushing with rage, Leah turned around to see how the dress looked on her. "You will know too when you get married."
Clara clenched her fist in jealousy. She wanted to claw the throat of that slut. It was because of the drink she spiked that Leah got into Damon's bed at all!
Leah turned to her with a bottle of concealer. "Can you help me with my back, Clay?"
Stretching her lips, she nodded. Leah held up her hair, enjoying the look of Clara biting her lips enough to draw blood.
Soon, they heard him coming out. He was dressed casually.
Looking at him, Clara turned around, scrunching her nose. "Don't you smell something off here, Daye?"
Damon looked up at her but said nothing.
"Really?" Leah turned to the mirror to conceal the marks on her front. "I can't tell, probably because I don't have a lycan's senses."
Feeling anxious that he wasn't probing, she randomly started looking around as if trying to find the source. "How can you not? It's such a strong scent—"
Looking under the bed, Clara's jaw clenched. The bottle wasn't there! She was about to stand up when her eyes fell on the glass in the clattered stuff on the floor.
Picking it up, she smelled it, only to scream and throw it on the bed.
"It's wolfsbane! Oh..." She glanced between them and her grey eyes widened in horror. "Leah, I didn't mean to! What should I do?"
Glancing at the bed, Damon recognized the glass he had drunk from the night before.
As if she was afraid that Damon might get the wrong idea, Clara quickly tried to hide it.
"Daye, please don't get the wrong idea. This is probably not what it looks like. Lee might just be playing a joke..."
"What joke?" Leah walked up from behind and picked up the glass to smell it. The glass strongly smelled of a fruity perfume.
With all the scents in the enclosed room, no wonder he didn't realize.
Clara smiled reluctantly and said, "Lee... You were the one who served Daye yesterday. You even forbade the servants to enter your room later."
Damon's glare fell on Leah, who looked cluelessly between them.
"Yes, because I had changed into my nightgown. What is this about? Did someone try to kill the prince with wolfsbane?"
Although she said that, Leah had already pieced the situation together.
"Of course not! It was probably used for..."
"For what, Clay?" She looked up at Clara in confusion.
Though wolfsbane is toxic to werewolves, its rare use as an aphrodisiac for lycans was not well-known.
Clara was surprised but reacted quickly. "I don't know! How would I know what kind of reasons it could be used for?"
"This kind of reason?" Leah pursed her lips, looking between them before throwing the glass on the bed as if in disgust. She looked accusatorily at her husband and Clara. "What are you trying to say?"
"I..." Clara gritted her teeth in annoyance.
As if feeling anxious, Leah shook her by the arms. "Just say it!"
"As an aphrodisiac!" Clara made a face full of guilt. "You served Daye and no one entered the room, so..."
She turned away as if she couldn't say it.
"You are saying..." Leah said slowly, making sure Damon heard her loud and clear, "I drugged my husband with wolfsbane to sleep with him on our wedding night?"
"I..."
"Why would I need to?"
Clara's mouth gaped like a fish. She looked at Leah in astonishment.
"Lee, I didn't—"
"Why do you think I feel the need to 'coax' my husband in this way? Did I prepare anything? Shouldn't you be questioning the person who prepared the suite? I heard you helped in picking everything, so shouldn't I be questioning you?"
This woman—when did she become so smart? Not only did she not fall for the trap, she also managed to set Clara up.
Feeling cold sweat falling from her forehead, her eyes fell on the hickeys Leah still had to cover. Clara gritted her teeth and decided to burn all the bridges. "You begged me to do it for you! I helped because you are my best friend! How can you accuse me now? Besides, what would anyone else gain from..."
Clara deliberately turned her eyes away, leaving it unsaid that Leah was the only one with the motive, and blaming her friend was too much for her.
Damon turned to Leah sharply, but unlike before, Leah glared back.
Of course, he didn't believe her over his childhood sweetheart. She was just a woman who came out of nowhere to ruin their love.
Leah felt like she had tried fighting a futile battle.
It was obvious. Between her and Clara, he would always choose Clara.
Clara's sobs interrupted their attempts at burning holes into each other.
"I'm so sorry if I hurt you... I just came today because I thought I could be that close with your wife too..." She then looked to Damon and clumsily wiped her tears. "Daye, I'm really sorry. I thought even if you married another woman, we could still be like before. I didn't realize..."
Leah's heart sank. She was lost for words.
Clara, delicate with her flowing golden hair and glassy grey eyes, could make any man's heart throb. Hell, even she could feel her own heart wavering.
Clara seemed to be apologizing while skillfully blaming Leah. Sniffing her nose, Clara picked the glass up. "I was in charge of preparing your room, so it's my fault that something this... vulgar happened to you, Daye! If anyone in the court knew, they would blame it on Leah... so I will take care of it right away."
The more she said, the better a victim she became, and the worse a villain Leah became.
Bending down, Clara tried to clear up the clutter when she heard a chilly voice. "Get up."
Damon pulled her up and took the glass from Clara, pushing it into Leah's hands.
"Wash it."
"Daye, I can do it..." Clara looked sullen, her eyes wide.
Leah rolled her eyes, turning away.
She was impressed. Clara's acting was no joke; no wonder she had to live twice to compete at her game.