Chapter 23
The words were so soft, barely audible, yet they struck Lara with startling force.
She walked Shay to the back of the classroom, her steps slow, deliberate. As Shay settled into her seat, Lara couldn’t help but notice how different the child was here—shoulders drawn inward, eyes wary, every movement cautious.
When did she become so timid? Lara wondered. Was it fear? Or the quiet weight of feeling unwanted? But Ares seemed to dote on her so much.
“Alright, everyone p>
Teacher Alice’s beautiful voice carried effortlessly across the classroom, smooth and warm, like sunlight spilling through open windows. The chatter quieted at once. “We have a new classmate joining us today. He comes from the valley at the foot of Mount Marnubes and is a beneficiary of the Zuvel Foundation p>
She crossed the room with practiced grace, her steps light on the polished floor, and stopped near the toy area, where the thin boy still stood apart from the others. He hovered at the edge of the colorful chaos—blocks, wooden animals, and plush toys and dolls scattered at his feet—his hands clasped tightly in front of him, as if unsure whether he was allowed to exist in such a bright, noisy place.
Alice bent slightly and offered him her hand. He hesitated only a moment before taking it. She guided him to the front of the classroom, her touch gentle but steady, an anchor.
“Come on, introduce yourself,” she encouraged, her smile softening.
Lara watched closely. She did not seem bad at all. There was no sharpness in her eyes, no impatience lurking beneath the kindness. She seemed sincere—fair, composed, and genuinely invested in the fragile lives entrusted to her.
Lara relaxed, just a little.
The boy drew in a breath and straightened his narrow shoulders, as though summoning courage far beyond his years. When he spoke, his voice was clear, careful, and oddly formal for someone so small.
“My name is Alexander Sandro Arses. I am seven years old p>
Something inside Lara stilled.
The name echoed in her mind, not loudly, but with a weight that made her chest tighten. She stared at him, no longer seeing just a thin boy in worn-out clothes.
His eyes were the same.
Not the color—no, it was the way they held the world: guarded and observant. A flicker of memory rose unbidden—small hands clutching hers, as they ran along the riverbank to evade the human traffickers.
Her breath caught.
Lara looked at him more intently now, as though she might glimpse the ghost of someone she once knew staring back at her through his fragile frame. The classroom faded to a distant hum, colors blurring at the edges, leaving only her and the little boy.
“Everyone, this is Alexander’s first time in school,” Teacher Alice said, her tone gentle but firm, the kind that invited obedience without demanding it. “So let us take good care of him, okay p>
Her voice broke cleanly through the fog in Lara’s mind, pulling her back from the edge of memory.
“Yes, Teacher Alice,” the children replied in unison. Two dozen high-pitched voices rang out, uneven and enthusiastic, filling the room with a bright, childish echo.
But one stubborn boy, his arms crossed over his chest, murmured, “He is seven, and we are only five. Shameless p>
“Ethan, mind your words.” Teacher Alice chided gently.
“I am sorry, Teacher.” Ethan shifted on his seat and lowered his gaze.
“There, there. Alex, go sit beside Shay.” Teacher Alice lifted her hand and gestured toward the back.
The young student assistant stepped forward at once, placing a light hand on Alexander’s shoulder and guiding him down the aisle. The boy did not resist or hesitate. He moved as though accustomed to being directed, his steps measured and quiet. When he reached the empty seat beside Shay, he sat down neatly, folding his hands on his lap.
He remained perfectly still, his gaze fixed on the chalkboard at the front of the room, unblinking, as though afraid that looking elsewhere might draw unwanted attention.
Shay, seated beside him, did not speak either.
She sat unusually straight, her small back rigid against the chair. Every so often, her eyes flicked sideways—brief, guarded glances at the boy next to her—before snapping back forward again, as if she had been caught doing something improper.
Teacher Alice raised her hand once more. At the signal, the nannies lined up quietly at the back of the classroom and began filing out in an orderly fashion. Lara and Sarah followed them into the adjacent observation room, where a wide one-way mirror allowed them to watch the children without being seen.
Lara lingered on Shay for a moment longer, noting the tension in the girl’s posture, the way she became guarded as her gaze drifted to those boys sitting ahead of her.
Then Lara shifted her attention.
She turned to the nanny seated beside her and studied her face, her posture, the careful way she held her hands. “Where is the nanny who previously took care of Shay?” Lara asked, her voice calm, casual—yet probing.
“You mean my cousin, Clara?” the woman replied at once. Her tone was respectful, almost deferential. “She returned to the south to attend her father’s funeral. She asked me to look after Shay while she’s away p>
“I see,” Lara said quietly. “So you’re a temporary replacement p>
The woman nodded.
But beneath the polite agreement, something darker stirred.
Temporary? No way!
The word scraped painfully against Sarah’s thoughts. Her smile remained perfectly intact, but resentment churned beneath it, sharp and possessive.
Who decided I’m only temporary?
This position should have been hers from the beginning. It was only because she was fooled by her boyfriend, who promised her a good life in the capital, that the job went to Clara two years ago. But that scumbag sold her to an old man, and she lived a hellish existence for one and a half years.
Luckily, she escaped, and Clara helped her to get into the Zuvel mansion as a maid.
And by another stroke of luck, she became the little princess’s nanny. The job was hers now. And when her cousin returned… No, she shouldn’t return. She mustn’t.
Outwardly, Sarah remained the picture of composure—head slightly bowed, hands folded, the very model of obedience. Yet beneath that calm surface, something rippled. A fleeting distortion, like a shadow passing behind glass.
The flicker in Sarah’s eyes lasted no more than a blink, quickly smothered by practiced humility.
But Lara caught it.
And in that instant, a quiet certainty settled in her chest—one that made her look back toward the classroom, toward Shay.
Whatever that flicker meant, it was not finished yet.