Chapter 72: A Lady Before A Thief

Evanna took another moment to psyche herself up. They were, after all, quite frightening to be around. Even now, with their attention on the table, she could already feel the unease resting in her stomach at their marble, cool features. Taking a final deep breath in, Evanna straightened her already stiff shoulders and clutched the sides of her dress slightly as she entered the stunningly bright room.

On her arrival, the prince’s head turned to her with one side of his lips pulling up. The king, however, only stared at her with no expression on his face. Evanna dipped into a curtsy at the far end of the table, "Your Majesty-"

"Enough. I do not have all day. Come sit so we may eat," The king interrupted. Although he was curt, the king still had enough manners to wait until she stood behind her chair, by his right side and across from prince Arawn, before he sat down.

Taking her seat, she kept her gaze fixed on the empty plate before her. The last time she sat with the pair, a servant’s hand had been cut off in front of her. She hoped this would not be the case this morning.

"Did you sleep well, Evanna?"

She looked up to see the prince looking at her intently, a glint of amusement flickering behind his eyes. Without trying to read too much into his odd ways, she played it safe, keeping her answer short and replied politely, "Yes, your highness. And yourself?"

"Not as well as I hoped for, considering we have our thief now in close quarters," Arawn hummed back before sticking his fork into the food the servants placed in front of him.

"And why is that, Arawn?" The king’s quick question was as sharp as a knife, making Evanna pause from eating her own meal. His tone of voice showed disapproval of the prince’s decision. Plus, she, too, wanted to hear his explanation for putting her in a room next to him. She was, after all, a thief, a criminal and really should be in a cell to rot or, in the elven world, a limb at least removed.

Evanna was aware that her position was very bizarre; she clearly should not be sitting in the finest materials, eating the most lavish of meals next to the elven king and prince of Direwood. Nevertheless, she lifted her gaze from her food and stared at the prince, who moved his own gaze away from the king and met her stare, locking her in place.

"Because father, our little thief here is, in fact, a lady. Isn’t that correct, Lady Evanna?" Arawn’s stony stare did not blink or move from her face. He watched as the colour drained from Evanna’s face, and her eyes widened at his discovery.

With a small gulp, an action the prince never missed as his eyes lingered on her throat, she replied quietly, almost timidly, "What makes you say I am of noble birth? I have given no indication of such a life."

The king chuckled under his breath. The deep sound made Evanna snap her eyes to his silver orbs in surprise. The king actually laughed. Evanna had to stop herself from looking at the servants in the room to confirm it was not in her head.

"Even I can tell you are more than a thief." The king turned his head back to his son, his long hair swishing from the action, "But how do you not know that she is an actress or.." he looked back at her, his gaze wandering the length of her body and back to her face, making her feel all the more uncomfortable and shift in her seat. "not a courtesan."

Evanna gaped at his words and watched as a smirk crawled onto his face. She immediately looked down and moved her food around on the plate, acting as though it was more important than listening to the men talk trash about her. Or more so, the king talk trash about her. Evanna was one for sticking up for herself, she did it on a daily basis at home, but this was different. She was their prisoner, and any wrong move could warrant her death or the torture of an innocent servant.

"Evanna carries herself as a lady. Her hands and face also show no signs of hardships." The prince replied through clenched teeth. Evanna looked at him, stunned by his defensive attitude and by how observant he is. He glared at the king, who seemed oblivious to his son’s fiery gaze, nor did he shrivel back like Evanna guessed most people did. But, he was the king and father to Arawn; he seemed just as cold as the prince.

It was then, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She thought the frostiness was from the tense atmosphere spewing between them, but Evanna watched in stunned silence as ice began to form from beneath Arawn’s fingertips and spreading out across the table. Her mouth dropped open, and she looked between the prince and king. Without glancing at the table, the king sighed, "Enough!"

With the king’s command, the ice abruptly evaporated, and Arawn leaned back and snapped his ice-filled gaze back to Evanna. She immediately looked back at her food and muttered, "Yes. I was a lady before I became a thief." However, she did not raise her head back up after clarifying she was not an actress or a courtesan.

For the remaining part of the meal, a silence ascended them with only the sounds of their cutlery scraping against the plates. The elven king was the first to leave, standing up abruptly and throwing his napkin on his plate without so much as a word. Evanna turned her head slightly, watching the king’s long strides and back disappearing through another door that led somewhere she did not know.

"So, are you going to tell me why you became a thief?"

Evanna’s attention snapped back to Arawn and the glint of mischievousness behind his eyes. It made her feel on edge for what he may have planned if she did not answer him truthfully.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read