Andrea stormed into her mother Lyanna's grand chamber, her face twisted in anger and humiliation. The room was filled with relics of Amazonian power—ancient weapons, enchanted ornaments, and maps of territories long conquered—but none of it calmed Andrea's boiling rage.
"Mother!" Andrea shouted, slamming the heavy oak door behind her.
Lyanna, seated elegantly at her desk, barely glanced up from the scroll she was reading. Her sharp, calculating eyes took in her daughter's flushed face and trembling hands, and she raised an eyebrow.
"What is it now, Andrea?" Lyanna asked, her voice calm and cool, a sharp contrast to her daughter's fury.
"It's Alice!" Andrea spat, pacing the room. "That girl has humiliated me for the last time. She thinks she's untouchable, beating me in front of everyone and acting like she owns the school! And Demian..."
Andrea's voice faltered, her tone shifting from rage to frustration. "Demian didn't even defend me. He just stood there. He looks at her like she's... different. Like she's someone important."
Lyanna's expression hardened, though she kept her composure. She set the scroll aside and folded her hands neatly on the desk.
"Demian feels something for her?" she asked, her tone low but dangerous.
Andrea nodded, her eyes welling with frustrated tears. "I'm supposed to be his queen, Mother. The Amazons are the most powerful race, and I'm their leader. Why would he even glance at someone like Alice?"
Lyanna rose gracefully, her commanding presence filling the room. She walked over to Andrea and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders.
"My darling Andrea," Lyanna began, her voice soft yet steely, "you are destined for greatness. You are the leader of the Amazons, and you will be queen. No one—not Alice, not anyone—will take what is rightfully yours."
Andrea looked up at her mother, her tears subsiding. "But what if Demian chooses her? What if she..."
"Enough!" Lyanna interrupted sharply, her tone laced with authority. "Demian will not choose her. He is bound to you, whether he realizes it or not."
Andrea nodded, but her mother could see the doubt lingering in her eyes. Lyanna's grip on her daughter's shoulders tightened.
"As for Alice," Lyanna continued, her voice dropping to a whisper, "I will handle her. If she dares to stand in your way, she will regret it. You don't need to trouble yourself with her anymore."
Andrea's lips curled into a triumphant smile. "You'll take care of her?"
Lyanna released her daughter and walked back to her desk, picking up a small crystal orb etched with runes. She gazed into it, her mind already plotting.
"Trust me, Andrea," Lyanna said, her tone cold and final. "Alice will not be a problem for long. Whatever she is, I will find out—and I will eliminate her if I must."
Andrea's confidence returned, and she hugged her mother tightly. "Thank you, Mother. I know I can always count on you."
As Andrea left the room, Lyanna stared into the crystal orb, her mind racing. The rumors about Alice had been persistent—her unnatural strength, her fearlessness, the enchanted bracelet she always wore. If Alice truly wasn't a witch, then what was she?
Lyanna's lips curved into a sinister smile. "Alice," she whispered, "you don't know who you're dealing with."
In the quiet of the chamber, Lyanna began to prepare for the confrontation ahead. Whatever Alice's secret was, Lyanna would uncover it—and ensure that her daughter's future remained unchallenged.
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