Belleah's silence clung to the chamber like a bad omen.
Aria did not raise her voice.
She didn't need to.
She simply walked slowly toward Belleah, every step deliberate, every breath controlled—like a queen approaching a criminal who had already sealed her own fate.
Belleah backed up instinctively.
Her spine hit the pillar behind her.
Trapped.
Aria stopped just a short distance away, lowering her chin slightly so her eyes met Belleah's trembling gaze.
"You're not answering," Aria murmured.
Her voice was soft—unnervingly so.
Belleah swallowed.
"I… I don't know what to say, Your Highness."
Aria raised an eyebrow.
"Strange. You seemed quite talkative earlier when you swore innocence."
Belleah's cheeks flushed in humiliation and fear.
Aria let the silence stretch—until Belleah's breathing became uneven.
Then she leaned close, lowering her voice to a whisper only Belleah could hear:
"Let me ask you again… How long have you been entering my room without my knowledge?"
