Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 235: Elara’s Plan

Tiana's POV

My heart jumped when he asked that question. Was he really asking about my hair? That could only mean he suspected that I was someone trying to disguise myself.

Without thinking, my hand moved to the tips of my freshly dyed strands. I touched them gently, feeling the roughness. I hoped that the burning from the herbs I used to color it would hide the fear I felt inside.

"Yes, it doesn't look like a natural colour."

I tried to stay calm and looked him in the eyes. I forced a small smile, even though I didn’t feel like smiling at all. “It’s nothing special,” I said softly. “Just some dye and spending a lot of time in the sun. It's only slightly darker than this. I am a natural blonde."

He didn’t look away. His eyes stayed locked on mine, and I could tell he was thinking hard. That suspicious look returned, even sharper this time. He tilted his head slightly like he was trying to figure me out. Like I was some puzzle he couldn’t quite solve.

“Just some dye?” he repeated slowly as if he was testing the word. “A lot of time in the sun? Really? What kind of commander would go through all that effort? What are you hiding?”

My stomach tightened, but I kept a smile on my face and let out a light laugh, pretending I wasn’t bothered. “That’s what you’re worried about? My hair? Maybe you should be asking why you and your men are keeping me here instead of checking the proof I already gave you.”

Corvin didn’t even blink. “You still haven’t answered my question, Talia.” His voice dropped lower, and it sounded dangerous now. “What are you hiding? You look just like her.” His eyes moved back to my hair and then my face. He looked at me so deeply that it felt like he could see through all the layers I’d padded in my clothes.

I froze when he mentioned her. He was talking about Erika. The woman who had died. The woman whose face I was now wearing. I knew he wasn’t really seeing me. He was seeing her. And I couldn’t let him figure it out.

I let out a slow breath and tried to sound casual. “I think you’ve got the wrong person. I don’t know who you’re talking about.” I tried to keep my voice from trembling because Corvin made me nervous.

“You’re lying,” he said. His voice was cold and serious. “I don’t know what your game is, but something about you doesn’t make sense.” His eyes flicked toward the guards, and I saw them shift nervously. They were waiting, maybe for his signal.

I stepped a little closer, just enough to feel the heat between us. “So, what now?” I asked, my voice calm but cold. “You think I’m pretending to be someone I’m not? You think I just put on a costume and walked in here pretending to be a commander? If that’s really what you think, then you’re making a huge mistake. And you’re going to regret it.”

His lips tightened into a thin, angry line. “You think I don’t have the power to do whatever I want to you, Talia?”

I leaned in a little more, speaking just above a whisper. “I think you’re making a serious error, Corvin. This isn’t a game you want to play. I’ve told you who I am. I gave you the proof. If you still don’t believe me, that’s on you. But if I don’t get back to Shadowclaw soon, my people will come looking. And when Roman finds out, you’ll be in deep trouble. You really don’t want him as an enemy.”

I knew things should be the other way round with Roman being afraid of making Corvin his enemy but I had to try my luck and do anything for this man to believe me.

He was thinking now and I could see something new in his eyes as if he was remembering something.

“If I let you go,” he said more quietly, “and you turn out to be a fake, what do you think will happen then? Do you think Roman will protect you? Because I can tell you, he won’t. You’ll be my problem to deal with.”

I shook my head slowly. I almost felt sorry for him. “You really don’t understand, do you? I’m not a criminal. I’m not some nobody playing dress-up. I wouldn’t be standing here like this if I didn’t have power backing me up. Roman trusts me. That should be enough.”

I took another small step back, giving him space like I was trying to be respectful, but really, I just needed to stay in control. “But you? You’re crossing a dangerous line by keeping me here. Think about it. You’ve imprisoned a commander of Shadowclaw. Do you really think Roman’s going to be okay with that? He’s not the forgiving type.”

I saw his jaw tighten. Anger flared in his eyes again, but behind it, I could see a calculative look that was enough to show me he still respected Roman and they were possibly allies without him having intentions to betray him. Perhaps, the person they were both going to betray was my father.

From The way he looked, I could immediately tell that he knew nothing about Elara's affair with Victor. Then I wondered why Elara would do something that could sabotage her father, then it clicked.

When her mother died he had not mourned her and she was bitter about it.

My attention was still focused on Corvin's face.

“I’m not scared of Roman,” Corvin muttered, but his voice wasn’t strong. There was hesitation in it, like even he wasn’t sure.

“You should be,” I said with an ice-cold voice. “You really should be.”

He took a small step back, his eyes scanning me again, “You’re not who you say you are,” he said at last, "And I’m not letting you go until I get the real story.”

I felt my breath catch for a second but instead of showing my annoyance and fear, I gave him a small, mocking smile. “You can try to keep me here, Corvin. But it won’t last. Sooner or later, you’ll have to answer for this. I don’t want it to end badly between us, but I’ll do whatever I have to.”