Chapter 21

• The interrogation had lasted only twenty minutes, but it felt like an eternity. The Second sat across from me, his eyes sharp as he pressed for answers, demanding that I divulge everything about the relationship between King Lucas and me. His tone was insistent, laced with suspicion, as if every answer I gave might unravel something he needed to know.
• Unfortunately, I had nothing of substance to offer him. Every response I gave felt like it might expose something more—something that could land me in even more trouble. And the questions about the cut on my face… I didn’t want to explain how it had happened, nor did I think I should. But I also knew that withholding answers was no better than lying outright.
• Why did it matter what the King and I talked about? Why was my involvement with him so crucial to his line of questioning? The Second’s persistent prying made me uneasy, and I couldn’t help but suspect that the King had no knowledge of—or approval for—his Second’s invasive interest.