Chapter 26

What should I say? I had already written the ending of my story. But I felt that if I told him, "A concubine that your father killed, pulling Agapi's ankle into her trap as she wept drenched in blood, blaming every visitor for their silence," we would all be killed. Not because I accused his father or because he killed his mistresses, but because of a desire awakened by the mere mention of the word "murder."

"A crow, Your Majesty; it was a crow." The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow in bewilderment and astonishment. "Don't the crow caw, Yuana?" I felt my heart skip a beat, and Laverna seemed to have stopped breathing. I replied firmly, just as I had before he mentioned my name, "It can mimic, Your highness." His personal knight immediately confirmed, "Oh, I think I have heard this before."

The Crown Prince frowned in displeasure; he did not believe in that answer. It was evident that those eyes desired a thrilling ending. However, he continued on his path calmly. Perhaps our bodies froze, or the respect within us grew, as we remained bowed until I felt that the prince had already fallen asleep in his palace.

Laverna and I sat in silence and did not speak. Tait remained in her position, paying reverence to the air, water, and spring. After an hour, Tait woke up, and we proceeded quietly along the path. Tait recounted her dreams numerous times, occasionally striking her face, as if in response to her absurd dream. Then she spoke to us with a laugh, "You won't believe what I dreamt! I dreamt that," then she continued, whispering, "The prince was standing beside us." But the silence among us answered her, no matter how much she tried to deny it.

Perhaps it was her instinct to survive, for Tait already knew that this was no ordinary encounter as it had been before. Silence engulfed us, and no one spoke afterward. Agadi accompanied us to my chamber after exchanging a few sentences.