Page 80 of Somber Prince

“It’s really nice here.” Elaine smiled, relaxing on the cushions.

We finished eating. The servants had already cleared the table, leaving just a pot of tea with a tray of desserts.

I bit into a piece of jellied fruit puree and let it slowly melt in my mouth, savoring it just like I used to do when Rha shared lunch with me. He wasn’t even here this time, but searching for pleasure in every moment had already become a habit for me.

Elaine poured some cream into her cup, then stirred a spoonful of honey in it. “I like the sound of the water. It’s soothing.”

“That’s why Rha chose to have his bedroom here. He appreciates the peace and quiet of this place.”

Melanie popped a sugar-roasted almond into her mouth, then crushed it between her teeth. “And how much do you appreciate him?”

The annoyance at her tone of voice rose in me again.

“Why does it matter?”

“Because I’m afraid you like the man you have every reason to hate,” she huffed.

If I really wanted to, I could dig up plenty of reasons to hate Rha. Only none of them seemed enough to harbor anger against him or thirst for revenge. I didn’t hate him, not anymore.

Was it wrong?

I didn’t know.

But Melanie’s accusing tone and stern expression implied that it was.

“What do you want me to do?” I shrugged. “Slit his throat in his sleep? No can do. We don’t share a bed. I’ve never even been to his bedroom.”

“The problem is that you wouldn’t do it even if you had a chance,” she said. “I can never count on you for anything.”

“Honestly. Is that what you want? For me to assassinate the prince?” If so, she’d come to the wrong woman.

She narrowed her eyes at me, giving me a calculating look. “What I want is to figure out how much I can trust you.”

“Trust me with what?”

Was Melanie really plotting an assassination?

A cold shiver ran down my spine at the thought. If so, she shouldn’t trust me at all. Because not only would I not help her, but I’d also actively try to stop anyone who’d attempt to hurt Rha. And if that was wrong of me, so be it. He did not deserve to die.

Melanie mulled over something, chewing on her bottom lip. Shoving aside the dessert platter, she leaned over the table toward me. “What if I found a way for us to leave here? To go back home? Can I count on you to come with us?”

My breath hitched in my throat. “Do you know the way home? How?”

She shook her head. “I asked you first, Dawn. Can I count on you, or would you rather stay here as the prince’s pampered pleasure toy?”

My sister didn’t know what I knew.

“We can’t return home, Melanie. Not to the same time where we were taken from. Time changes when one crosses from this world to ours unless the same portal is used. There can be years or even centuries between when they took us and when we’d come back.”

Elaine frowned. “How do you know that?”

Melanie just scoffed. “Is that what he told you? And you believed him?”

“Why would he lie to me?”

“Because it’s in his interests to keep you happy. Remember? You said so yourself. He’d say whatever you wish to hear, just to keep his favorite little Vessel filled with joy for whenever he wishes to take a sip for himself.”

“Lying to me wouldn’t make me happy.”

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