"But it was drastically different that time."
A light, almost imperceptible smile graced Aideen's lips as she took a momentary pause to compose her emotions before continuing.
"What do you mean by that?" Tillian asked, freezing on the spot and awaiting her reply with an evident hint of anxiety.
The princess fidgeted with a wavy lock of her long, dark red hair and spoke again,
"I was playing alone with my puppy outside my mother's greenhouse. It was early in the morning, so Valon was supposed to attend his usual alchemy classes. However, much to my shock, he still came, as if someone had informed him that there was yet another precious living being he could torture. He was very upset that morning... He said that my hiding the puppy from him was akin to treason because, as a member of the Royal Family, he was supposed to be informed about everything new or out of the normal order happening within the palace's territory, including, or rather especially, my desolate quarters.
