Nia’s Pov
I frowned, watching her retreat. The fear on her face had been impossible to miss. It wasn’t just nervousness, it was the kind of quiet fear people had around someone who could destroy them without trying. But Clara wasn’t a high-ranking officer, her father was an elder, yes, but it didn’t exactly mean much. She was respected, sure, but not powerful enough to command that kind of fear.
It made no sense.
“You didn’t have to be mean to her,” I said finally as we stepped into the small room.
Clara let out a low chuckle, the sound sharp and almost amused. She shrugged off her jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair. “Mean?” she repeated, turning to look at me with a hint of a smirk. “I wasn’t mean to her. I was just reminding her of her place, something you clearly don’t underst
