𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝑰𝑿

「尋問」

Deafening silence filled the room as the tension grew heavier and heavier by the second. It wasn't like he had never fought her about it before. Now that it was only him in the room with her, it felt frightening all the same. She was seated across the table from the Older Prince, giving her some kind of distance if a fight ever broke up between them, although he could easily go on top of the table and grab her.

After the mention of today's activities, she was not excited yet she wanted to justify what she did. That alone had given her enough courage and reassurance to let herself be in a room alone with him.

"You do know why I had Louise pull my younger brother off to a different room, do you?" Ethan questions her with a raised brow, breaking the silence that engulfed them. It was like slicing thick butter with a sharp knife. It wasn't satisfying at all to her.

She nodded her head in response, "Yes, Your Royal Highness." She hung her head slightly and closed her eyes then sat back up straight. She knew why they just had to be separated for the interrogation, for all he could know she was threatening Ian to telling the truth or they had already gone through their scripts for each scenario. Now that they were alone separately, maybe they had a chance to spot that she had indeed done something.

"First thing of all, I want to know.." He trails off, placing his elbows on the desk and leaning his top closer over the table, his fingertips touching each other as he sighs out, "What happened that started all of this." He finishes. She nodded and cleared her throat, holding her chin high to prove her innocence on the matter.

"I had been walking out of the forest after visiting my Eldest Brother, not until I heard rustling and saw The Young Prince trip then fall. Once I saw the nasty wound, I hurried back home with him-" She was cut off abruptly by his hand, gesturing a palm as he stopped her mid-sentence.

"Hurried back home? You didn't bother to check if anyone was along with him?" He asks, his tone sharp and his narrowed eyes on her figure.

"Would you rather I left him in the cold? Even If I had the idea of returning home to grab supplies, would I surely have come back to him still sitting there? probably not kidnapped or mauled by a wolf already." She retorts, her brows raised as if to prove a point, which indeed she had.

His mouth hung low as if to express his lack of response. Slumping back down his chair, he gestures for her to go on, "Continue." He had not expected for her to state such possibilities since his focus was solely on Ian's protection- well, from her- he blindly ignored the obvious response already staring right in front of him.

Smiling internally with his speechlessness, she continued as he said, "I took care of him; Cleaned him, Taught him how to help me for supper and fed it to him, Gave him clothes and shelter for the night." She explained while he stared at her intensely, raven-like eyes as if waiting for a chance for her to mess, In which he took the opportunity to, yet again...

"All this whilst unknowing of his royalty?" He asks, skepticism in his tone. His brow raised and his piercing glare poked right through her.

She nodded in return, "He was like any child I ever saw at the kingdom, though I do admit he was quite handsome." She adds a small smile. He indeed had looked too pale, his skin felt smooth like he had been doused in fresh goat milk.

Furrowing his brows and shaking his head, he shut his eyes in frustration before letting out another heavy breath. Sensing his disbelief and faint skepticism, she took it upon herself to add, "I would've helped him either way, even if he weren't a prince. I had no way of knowing his status." She explained with a small smile on her face.