Chapter 162: A rat among foxes.

As the family rose to leave the long dining table, chairs scraping against the floor, Lita suddenly cleared her throat. "Before we leave," she said, her voice trembling but firm, "let us pray. It is a tradition in my home, and I would love to introduce it to all of you."

Everyone froze, startled. She had always been rude, ill-mannered and unworthy. Yet now she bowed her head, hands clasped.

Lita’s words spilled into the quiet: "May our wise divine maiden Trinity and her army of soul maidens protect the veil. May our wise mother-in-law be blessed with strength. May the hot tempered Loveline find peace in her heart. May our grand patriarch live long and guide us. And my husband, may he return home to fulfill our blessed union."

She spoke of the family and clan, weaving reverence into every line. But around the table, eyes stayed open. Some frowned, others sneered. A cousin stiffed a giggle, another smirked behind his hand.

"And may all Somnivores die. Amen." Lita finished.

The prayer ended in silence, heavy and awkward. She lifted her head, cheeks flushed. Without explaining her actions, she carried on with her duties. Once her morning chores were wrapped up, Lita made her way to her mother-in-law’s private office.

She knocked softly on the door, trembling slightly like a small rat trapped in a corner. When she stepped inside, her head was hung so low her chin almost touched her chest.

"M-Mother__" Lita squeaked, her voice full of panic. "I__ I have something very important to report!"

Sabrina was sitting behind her desk, looking like an empress. She raised an eyebrow, laying down her brush. "What is it? Speak."

Lita suddenly fell directly to her knees, hitting the floor hard! Tears burst out of her eyes like a broken dam as she began to wail aloud.

"Oh, Mother! Please forgive me! I have spoken to the Lord and he gave me guidance. He told me to come clean to you." Lita cried out, clutching her chest. "The day I went out to the mall__ I__I secretly visited the Mystic Sanctum to pray for my husband and make my offering to the divine maiden!"

Sabrina’s eyes flashed instantly. She already had this information from her spies at the sanctum, and she had been wondering why Jimmy had omitted that tiny detail in his written report.

So, Jimmy hid it for her? Sabrina realized her eyes hardening. That sly idiot, what had he got in return? She wanted to ask directly but chose to see what Lita would say.

Lita covered her face, sobbing so hard her shoulders shook pathetically. "Oh Mother, I was so terrified! I didn’t know what to do! I begged Jimmy to give me time so I could report this matter to you myself__ because it’s just too sensitive!" 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Sabrina’s interest was instantly piqued. She pushed her chair back, stood up, and slowly walked around her desk, leaning casually against the front edge. She crossed her arms, looking down at the shivering girl on the floor.

"Is that so?" Sabrina asked, her voice dangerously smooth. "And what exactly went down in the Mystic Sanctum?"

Lita looked up, her red, tear-streaked eyes full of pure terror. "The__the Divine Maiden! She asked me to commit sacrilege! Something I could never, ever do! The grand Kaelion family took me in when I was just a dirt-poor low-born! How could I betray you?!"

Sabrina leaned in slightly. "What did she ask you to do?"

"She__ she asked me to be her spy inside the Kaelion house!" Lita spilled out in a panicked rush.

Sabrina immediately crouched down, her sharp eyes locked directly onto Lita’s teary face, searching for any sign of a lie. "And what__ did you answer her?"

Lita pressed her forehead flat against the cold floor, stretching her hands out in front of her in a full, desperate bow, begging for her life.

"I was so scared, Mother! I feared death! I feared becoming a mortal enemy to the Divine Soul Maiden!" Lita squeaked, her voice trembling violently. "So__ so I said yes! But I swear on my life, I was never planning to actually spy for her! I would never do such a horrible thing to you! I have agonized over it and took it to the lord in prayer. I came to you because He told me you would be fair."

Silence filled the office for three whole seconds.

Then, Sabrina chuckled. The chuckle grew into a soft laugh, and then into a loud, booming burst of pure laughter!

Sabrina stood back up to her full height, her face beaming with deep satisfaction. "Stand up, girl."

Lita slowly got up, wiping her tears with her sleeves, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"You are going to spy for the Divine Maiden like she asked," Sabrina said lightly, a cruel, clever smile spreading across her lips. "You will tell her whatever I tell you to report! From this day on__ you are going to be my spy!"

Lita’s eyes flew wide open in absolute shock, her jaw dropping as if her mind had just been completely blown. "Y-You... you want me to spy on the divine maiden instead?!"

Sabrina nodded proudly, feeling like the ultimate master strategist. "Exactly! Whatever Trinity is planning, whatever she knows__ I want to know about it first! So go there as often as you want and ingratiate yourself in her circle. You have my full support."

Lita bowed her head deeply once again, her voice full of pure reverence. "You have my absolute loyalty, Mother! I will do whatever you command!"

Sabrina smiled brightly. She finally had this useless peasant girl exactly where she wanted her__ trapped tightly right under her thumb. The girl might be low-born, but at least she was smart enough to recognize who held the real power between the two!

"Good. You may leave," Sabrina waved her hand dismissively.

"Yes, Mother," Lita squeaked timidly.

She slowly backed out of the office, bowing repeatedly until the doors clicked shut behind her.

The moment she turned around in the quiet hallway, the terrified look on Lita’s face vanished into thin air. She wiped the remaining tears from her wet cheeks with the back of her hand, a small, wickedly sharp smile spreading across her lips.

So I will be a double spy? she thought, her eyes flashing with cold, hidden intelligence. Keep dreaming, you horrible witch. I’ll play you and the Divine Maiden against each other until I figure out who’s actually useful to me or at least, you destroy each other. Either way, I will win something in the end.

Lita looked at her watch. It was around 11:00 AM!

"Shoot, I’m late!" she gasped under her breath.

She turned on her heels and sprinted toward the estate’s private Prayer Shrine. The Divine Maiden had given her another crucial secret: the Grand Patriarch always visited this exact shrine every single Wednesday at 11:00 AM on the dot to pray for the soul of his late wife. Next time, she would have to include the dead in her daily breakfast prayer.