Alina’s POV

"Look at you, my handsome boy," I cooed softly, running a gentle finger down Leo’s chubby cheek. He let out a tiny, breathless giggle, his bright eyes locking onto mine as his little hands batted at the air.

My heart swelled with an aching, fierce devotion. I leaned closer to his cradle, my voice dropping into a fierce whisper. "I promise you, Leo... I will make absolutely sure you never have to experience the horrible, traumatic childhood that I went through. That is my ultimate goal for you, my sweet boy. I will protect you with my life."

"Oh, please. Look at you, acting like you’re some kind of super-mom."

A sharp, jagged laugh shattered the quiet of the nursery. My muscles instantly locked. I slowly stood up, placing Leo back into the safety of his cradle, before turning around to find Ilya leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You know, Alina, I always wonder what exactly Lucian sees in you," Ilya sneered, walking into the room with a slow, predatory stride. "But looking at you now... I have never truly gotten my answer."

I offered her a faint, chilling smile. The memory of the white-hot agony she had inflicted on me—the sensation of her dark magic actively sizzling and burning through the flesh of my face—came crashing through my mind. But I didn’t flinch. I kept my expression entirely unbothered.

"You know... Lucian and my marriage is happening in exactly three days," Ilya declared proudly, raising her chin to flaunt the timeline.

"Congratulations," I replied flatly.

The smug, triumphant smile on Ilya’s face faded away immediately. She blinked, caught entirely off guard by my complete lack of emotion. Her jaw tightened. "Aren’t you even a little bit worried, you pathetic maid?"

"And why exactly should I be worried?" I asked, tilting my head as I took a step toward her. "I mean, it has been your life’s absolute dream to marry Lucian, hasn’t it? Why on earth should I strip you of your pathetic little dream?"

Pure annoyance flashed across Ilya’s features, her chest heaving.

I let out a soft, mocking hum, checking my nails. "I just hope you have the absolute perfect wedding gown picked out for your big day. It would be a shame if you looked desperate."

Ilya’s eyes narrowed into icy slits, a sudden wave of suspicion washing over her. "What exactly do you plan on doing, Alina? What are you plotting?"

A sassy, amused laugh escaped my lips. "Me? Plan?" I scoffed, tossing my hair over my shoulder. "I could never. I have much better things to do with myself and my time, Ilya." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Internal satisfaction hummed within my veins. She’s slipping, I thought, watching the subtle tremor of doubt in her posture. She’s losing her footing, and I absolutely love to see it.

"No matter what you are planning behind my back, it won’t work!" Ilya hissed, trying to reclaim her dominant stance.

"You really shouldn’t get yourself so worked up," I advised smoothly, pointing a finger toward her face. "Your wedding is right around the corner, and you already have so many ugly wrinkles forming on your forehead. You should really get that fixed."

"Lucian will fall in love with me!" she screamed, her composure cracking completely under my taunts. "And you will be left with absolutely nothing!"

"I was perfectly fine without Lucian for my entire life, Ilya," I countered, my voice dropping into a deadly calm. "And absolutely nothing is going to change that now."

"I truly, deeply hate you," Ilya whispered, her face twisting with pure malice.

"Hate is such an incredibly strong word for someone who doesn’t even give a flying fuck about you," I shot back.

"How dare you speak to me in that manner?!"

"How dare you step foot inside this nursery in the first place?!" I roared back, entirely snapping.

I marched directly toward her, my aura flaring with a sudden, crushing intensity. The raw, heavy power radiating from my bloodline hit the air, forcing Ilya to instinctively take a sharp step backward. Her eyes widened.

"You tried to permanently ruin my face just so you could force Lucian to be yours," I hissed, cornering her near the threshold. "How completely pathetic can you possibly be? The power and the status you so desperately want in this clan... you are never, ever going to get it, Ilya. No matter how hard you try."

A flicker of genuine fear finally washed over Ilya’s eyes. She swallowed hard, looking at me as if she were seeing a ghost.

I leaned in closer, a dark, calculating smirk playing on my lips. "Emily sent you here to do her dirty work, didn’t she?"

Ilya’s eyes went completely wide, the color instantly draining from her face.

"The absolute biggest mistake you ever made, Ilya, was joining hands with a bitter fool like Emily," I told her, my voice dripping with pity. "Tell me... do you honestly think Emily brought you into our borders for your own good? Are you really that blind?"

Ilya opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"Emily is desperately, obsessively in love with Lucian," I revealed, the truth cutting through the air like a knife. "She would probably lay down her entire life just to be with him. So let me tell you how this little game actually ends. Once you successfully get rid of me for her... she is going to turn around and get rid of you."

"That’s... that’s a lie!" Ilya stammered, her voice shaking violently as she tried to deny it.

A wicked, echoing laugh escaped my throat. I shook my head, staring at her with pure amusement. "Come on, Ilya. I honestly expected so much better from a powerful witch like you. You seriously couldn’t see right through Emily’s transparent little plot? She is going to stab you in the back over and over again..."

I leaned in, my smirk widening into a terrifying promise. "...and I am going to be right there to witness every single bit of it firsthand."