"How long is he going to ignore me?" Cedric asked.
His demeanor was far more composed than during their previous conversation.
Genevieve parted her lips, searching for words, but uncertainty paralyzed her. She could simply remain silent, let Cedric cling to his delusions that this punishment would fade once the king's temper cooled.
Cedric still believed he'd return to the palace eventually. Though stripped of his royal beta status, the palace remained his only sanctuary, the sole place he could call home.
But Cedric would remain here indefinitely, trapped among the warriors. Perhaps not confined to a cell, yet this place had become his prison nonetheless.
Genevieve could simply walk away without uttering a word, freeing herself from the burden of delivering this crushing news.
Still, she couldn't allow Cedric's hope to flourish only to be shattered later.
