One Year To Burn

Chapter 6

Venessa’s POV

His scent flooded my senses, wrapping around me like a memory I could never escape. The emotions it stirred were almost unbearable. I had loved him once deeply, painfully in a life long past. And though that life had ended, my heart hadn’t forgotten. It still ached for him, the same way it always had.

I stripped the sheets from the bed, trying to distract myself, when I felt his gaze on me.

“What are you doing?” he asked, voice laced with concern.

“I need to wash these,” I murmured, keeping my tone steady. “They’re stained.”

He didn’t respond, just watched me silently.

“Do you have anything you want me to wash?” I asked, glancing his way. He shook his head.

I gathered the dirty laundry and began tidying the room, carefully avoiding the dresser and vanity table. He stayed there, unmoving, until I finished. Just as I was about to leave, his voice stopped me.

“Were you seeing someone before you came here?”

I turned, shaking my head. I could afford to be honest about that much.

“It’s always been my mother and me,” I said softly. “We provided herbal treatments to people when needed, but our lives didn’t leave room for anything else. Dating wasn’t part of it.”

He nodded, his expression unreadable. “I hope you find this place comfortable.”

I dipped my head politely and left, burying myself in work for the rest of the day.

That evening, Tonya and I went to tend the garden. The moment we arrived, Rayon called out to me. I approached with my head bowed.

“When are you off duty?” he asked, his voice carrying a playful lilt.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Denzel’s voice cut in sharply. “She’s new. She won’t be going off yet.”

I didn’t look at him.

“That’s unfair, Alpha,” Rayon challenged. “Everyone else gets time off. I’d like to take her out.”

Denzel said nothing, but his silence was heavy.

“How about this evening?” Rayon offered, undeterred. “I’ll speak to Alesha to free her schedule.”

“Thank you,” I said quietly.

“I’ll send you something to wear,” he added, smiling before walking away.

I wasn’t interested in Rayon, but he seemed kind and it would be nice to have a friend. Everyone liked him. Surely that meant something.

“Denzel’s mad, Venessa,” Nyla whispered beside me, smirking.

I ignored her and kept working.

An hour later, the bell rang. My stomach twisted. It was time the moment they’d been planning for. The missing pendant. I had cleaned Luna Jalisa’s room that day, which meant suspicion would fall squarely on me. But I knew Jalisa would wait to accuse me until after she staged her tragic “miscarriage.” It made for better theatrics.

Tonya and I hurried to the summoning hall. Jalisa was already on stage, crying into Denzel’s chest. Tyrell stood nearby while Alesha addressed the crowd.

“Luna Jalisa’s royal pendant has been stolen,” Alesha announced solemnly. “If the culprit is among us, I beg you to return it. This heirloom was passed down by her late mother, Queen Shereen. Please do not sell or pawn it. The Luna is with child and should not be under this kind of stress.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Denzel’s shocked expression told me he hadn’t known.

“As her midwife,” Alesha continued, “I discovered her condition only an hour ago right after she fainted from the distress. Please, return the item. You have one day. After that, we will act accordingly.”

Whispers broke out immediately.

“It was the new girl who cleaned her room today,” one worker growled.

“Do not point fingers, Luan,” Alesha warned sharply. Her voice carried false righteousness, as if she were defending me but I knew better. This was part of her setup. And I couldn’t wait to watch her plan fall apart.

We were dismissed early that day. Rayon sent me a dress for our outing, and I met him as promised. He was kind, charming, and easy to talk to. We went into town, shared a meal, and for a while, I almost forgot where I was. But Denzel kept calling him, over and over, interrupting the peace. Whatever the calls were about, they made it hard to enjoy the evening.

When we returned, the day had ended quietly.

The Next Day

Morning came heavy with tension. The pendant hadn’t been returned, and by noon, news spread that Luna Jalisa had suffered a miscarriage. Alesha ever the actress confirmed it.

The household was distraught. Jalisa and Denzel had been married three years without conceiving, and now grief hung thick in the air.

I went about my duties until Tonya linked me in a panic. They’re searching rooms, she warned. They’re calling you.

My pulse quickened as I ran to the servant quarters. Everyone was gathered there. Denzel, Tyrell, and Rayon stood at the front.

Rayon stepped toward me, his expression apologetic. “I’m sorry, Venessa, but we have to do this. The Luna’s miscarriage has shaken everyone. The pendant must be found. If you hadn’t been in her room, this wouldn’t be necessary. I tried to make them handle it privately, but she insisted.”

I nodded silently, feeling the sting of a hundred judgmental eyes.

“No one’s ever stolen here before,” someone muttered. “It has to be her.”

I ignored them and forced tears to my eyes. “If nothing is found in my room,” I said, voice trembling, “then every worker who’s been near the Luna’s chambers should also be searched. Otherwise, it’s unfair and malicious because I’m an outsider.”

Rayon hugged me tightly, murmuring something comforting. The gesture embarrassed me, but I knew he meant well.

“Before we begin,” he said gently, “was anyone else in the room with you, Venessa?”

I shook my head. “No. I was alone.”

A wave of whispers followed.

Someone shouted an insult, but Denzel silenced her immediately. His voice carried the authority of a true Alpha.

“Search her in the bathroom,” Denzel ordered when Alesha demanded I strip. “She deserves privacy.”

Relief washed through me as I nodded and went into the bathroom. Alesha followed, irritated. I removed my clothes and wrapped myself in a towel before stepping out.

“Did you find anything?” Denzel asked.

Alesha shook her head, hiding her disappointment. She hadn’t expected to find anything humiliating me was her real goal.

The guards began tearing through my things. Clothes and undergarments were thrown across the floor. They flipped my mattress, checked beneath the bed, and finally, Alesha reached for a folded blue cloth.

She held it up triumphantly for all to see and slowly opened it. Her smug smile vanished the instant she realized it was empty.

I almost laughed.

“There’s nothing here,” Denzel said coldly, glaring at her.

“Maybe she hid it somewhere else or sold it,” Alesha stammered.

“Enough,” Denzel snapped. “Three people have access to my chambers you, Kadian, and Venessa. Venessa’s been there once. Unless you’re suggesting Gamma Rayon helped her hide it?”

Alesha blanched.

“Search the other two rooms,” one servant suggested, and Denzel nodded.

We searched Kadian’s room first nothing. Then Alesha’s. She stood tall, confident, until a guard pulled the pendant from beneath her belongings. Gasps echoed through the hall.

“It’s a setup!” she screamed.

But the guard sniffed the pendant and spoke clearly, “Only your scent and the Luna’s.”

“Arrest her,” Denzel ordered.

The crowd scattered. I went back to my room, trembling with relief. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I looked around at the chaos left behind.

It didn’t matter that I’d been innocent all along fear still lingered in my bones. But tonight, I wasn’t in a cell. Not like in my past life. And that alone was enough to make me thankful.