Chapter4

"My name is-"

I didn't get to finish my sentence before the sound of footsteps echoed again.

The King, the Queen, and the Duke of Roses entered the hall together.

I immediately felt a shift in the gazes fixed upon me, the sheer hatred in Elaina's eyes, the poorly concealed terror in Roderick's, and the Queen's peculiar, scrutinizing stare.

The King frowned, sweeping his gaze across the various expressions in the room. "Weren't you supposed to meet the Duke's daughter and help her with an entrance exam? Did something happen?"

No one answered.

I made a mental note of that. This "entrance exam" was actually arranged by the King himself. How interesting. Was a newly retrieved daughter of the Rose Duchy really worth the King's personal involvement?

The Queen smoothly intervened, her tone gentle. "Perhaps the children were just a little boisterous meeting for the first time. Was there some sort of misunderstanding?"

This was exactly the opening Elaina had been waiting for. Her eyes immediately turned red, and her voice trembled. "I just wanted to kindly remind my sister of a few academy rules, but she..." She didn't finish her sentence, letting the tears fall first.

The King's gaze landed on me. "So this is the biological daughter the Duke brought back?"

The Duke of Roses hurriedly stepped forward and bowed. "My daughter has been outside without proper discipline for too long. I will arrange for the strictest etiquette tutor, Alan, to instruct her once we return."

Elaina kept her head down but exchanged a quick glance with Clara, a fleeting smile of triumph in her eyes.

The name Alan sounded familiar; I had heard minstrels mention him during my travels. He was the etiquette instructor to the previous king, notorious for using a whip to enforce the rules. It was said that absolutely no one dared to cross him.

The King ignored the Duke and turned his attention to Roderick. "What is the matter with you? Are you having another episode?"

Roderick forced a stiff smile. "No, I am completely fine, Father."

Yet the cold sweat on his forehead hadn't even dried. He deliberately avoided looking in my direction, as if ignoring me would somehow erase the pathetic display he had just put on.

Picking up on his demeanor, the Queen looked at me again, studying me for a moment. "The Duke's newly found daughter is quite beautiful."

She turned back to the King and said suddenly, "Your Majesty, why don't we arrange a marriage between her and our Roderick?"

I chuckled softly and lifted my eyes, shooting Roderick a meaningful look.

The color drained from his face instantly. His knuckles turned a ghastly white as his nails dug desperately into his palms.

"I refuse!"

The words were practically shouted.

The King's brow darkened. "Roderick, why?"

Catching onto the anomaly, the Queen asked, "Do you two know each other?"

A hush fell over the room as everyone held their breath.

Elaina's head snapped up, and Clara's group all stared at Roderick.

His mouth opened, but no words came out at first.

Admitting it meant publicly confessing that he had been completely bested by a young girl dressed as an apprentice, a humiliation he couldn't afford. But denying it? He knew exactly what the consequences would be.

The residual curse mark lingering on his arm burned fiercely at that very moment, hot enough to melt right through his bones.

I gave him a faint, placid smile.

His voice caught in his throat, and it took him a long while to squeeze out the words. "Y-yes... we know each other."

The King looked even more perplexed. "If you know her, why are you so nervous?"

Roderick forced the sentence through gritted teeth. "She is from the Holy Church."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those around us shifted drastically.

The King narrowed his eyes. "Which priest of the Holy Church does she study under?"

The veins on Roderick's forehead bulged. He clearly didn't want to answer, but the King's gaze was nailed to him, leaving no room for evasion.

Elaina's breathing grew increasingly rapid, and the faces of Clara and the others turned pale.

Roderick stared fixedly at the floor. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse with undeniable dread.

"She is..."