The hatred in Altan's stare was intense. His animosity towards her could be manifested into a human choking at her neck. But Lina stood her ground and held his gaze. He deserved this torture. This suffering… How dare he scheme with the Elders for her hand in marriage? Did he not have the guts to tell her himself? Were the Elders preventing him?
If Altan had asked Lina sincerely, when they were alone, perhaps she would have agreed. It was all a matter of giving her freedom and not forcing her on the spot. If he had been considerate to her feelings, they wouldn't be here like this.
Without a word, Altan stormed out of the room.
"You should've treated him much better," Estella whispered to Lina a few days after delivering her the bare minimum food of stale buns and water.
Estella said the lack of necessities was because it was difficult to sneak things out of the kitchen now that all the maids were strictly watched.
