#Chapter 48: Emily

Elara I bit back a curse under my breath as Grace saw me and immediately announced my presence. For a moment, I considered slipping away and pretending I hadn’t heard her. But I knew that it would only make things worse, so I forced a pleasant smile and stepped into the room. But as soon as I did, I regretted it. Both Grace and the woman’s gazes snapped to me, and I could feel their judgment hanging in the air. Both of them were fully dressed, poised and proper, and here I was—standing there in my dressing gown, my hair still in a messy braid over one shoulder, having just woken up. Hell, I hadn’t even brushed my teeth yet that morning. “Ah, there she is,” Grace said, her smile as tight and cold as ever. “Elara, this is Emily. She is the daughter of an old family friend of ours.” Emily looked me up and down, and I could practically smell her disdain in the air. Her eyes swept over me like I was something unpleasant she had just found on the bottom of her shoe.