Chapter 275: The Veil of Secrets

**Thelma Zane’s Perspective** I bit my lip, feeling a little embarrassed. "But eating helps me relax, Mother," I said in my defense. My mother gave me an exasperated yet affectionate look. "You're not a child anymore, Thelma. Are you going through some kind of growth spurt?" she teased, her voice caught between amusement and disbelief. After a brief sigh, she called Bertha, one of the kitchen attendants, and instructed her to bring me three small blueberry cookies. "Here, take these," my mother said, handing me the treats. "But this is the last snack for now. You’ll need to wait until dinner. Learning to control your impulses is an important part of growing up." I quickly devoured the cookies and returned to flipping through the endless routine reports in front of me. Despite my best efforts, my focus wavered. It suddenly dawned on me that tomorrow was Sunday, the day of the weekly gathering held by the followers of the New Moon Goddess. Though the term "gathering" seeme