The corridor had fallen so silent that the sound of King Aden's footsteps seemed to echo like thunder.
The maids who had been lingering fled at once, skirts rustling as they vanished down the side passageways. Only a few guards remained.
Lumina sat on the floor, her hair disheveled, her chest rising and falling with quick breaths.
Aurelia stood a short distance away, her hands trembling, eyes darting between her father and Lumina as if searching for a way out.
Then King Aden's voice broke the silence. "A question deserves an answer. What is happening here, and why do I feel power lingering in this hall?"
"Your Highness!" Aurelia cried, her voice pitching with false innocence.
But Lumina cut her off before she could continue in a pitiful voice.
"Your Highness, forgive the sight you have stumbled upon. Princess Aurelia was only trying to teach me a lesson… because I outsmarted her."
