Lily POV
I had expected this challenge to reveal secrets. I had not expected it to reveal character. The distinction proved far more valuable.
When Mr. Bennett uncovered the first pair of cloches, I immediately understood the punishment. Interesting. Not pain. Not injury. Humiliation.
Ayla visibly struggled.
Dally did not complain once. He looked at the writhing larvae for perhaps three seconds, muttered something apologetic in Spanish under his breath, and began eating. Methodically. Steadily. Without bargaining. Without asking whether there had been some mistake. He had accepted the consequence before the first bite ever reached his mouth. I found myself watching him more than the punishment itself.
That intrigued me.
Most people believed integrity announced itself in grand gestur
