DAY 48-2: SHAME

"I’m sorry, Ro! It was a joke! I was kidding!”

“It is Ronan III!” he snaps, unimpressed.

He merely watches as the knight he’d summoned dangles Leda by the collar a good distance from the ground. She wriggles for freedom, much to no avail.

“Master... Leda...” Orian croaks from his end, currently getting choked by another knight’s merciless grip.

“Ro,” Leda pleads, feeling herself beginning to lose air. “I meant it innocently! It’s my curiosity fuelling me! I only want answers!”

Ro’s face hasn’t lessened in colour. “If you meant ‘getting to know me more intimately’ as a casual means of pursuing in-depth information you should’ve began with that!”

“Like my choice of words didn’t get you all excited.”

“A-as if! There is no way I would ever get excited over a trivial human!”

“He says that but he’s red in the face,” a knight whispers.

“Yeah...”

One intimidating glower from Ro shuts them right up.

The knights lower Orian and Leda to the ground, and she heaves out in relief, glad to be on her own feet again. Those in charge of security tend to manhandle her quite often. Sure she gets herself into deserving situations, but the least they can do is treat her gentler—like they would a girl.

Or is it that? They don’t view her as one?

For some reason, Leda knows the fact that she’s human has nothing to do with why they can’t respect her femininity.

“If it was an attempt to convince me to be truthful, you would have a better shot at challenging me to a battle.”

Leda’s lips whirl downwards. She didn’t think convincing him would go so smoothly anyway. “I’m not interested in battling, Ro. I want answers.”

“For what purpose? Why all of a sudden? Just yesterday you confessed to wanting nothing more than to ‘smack my ass up and down like a volleyball,’ which my advisors have enlightened me meant rather disgusting intentions.”

Leda makes a face of repulsion, waving a hand. “I assure you I meant it in the least vulgar way possible. And I’ve learnt you’re not evil. So there’s no reason for me to feel that way anymore.”

Though honest, her sentiment once again triggers his immense displeasure.

It happens fairly quick. His fingers clenching tight enough for his knuckles to blanch. The twitch of his left eyelid.

He slams his fist onto the carpet, inducing a collision thunderous enough to make Leda’s heart leap to her throat.

“I am a fool for ever allowing you to appear before me.” He sends her the darkest, most bone-chilling glare she’s ever witnessed, and all the hairs on her skin dart up instantaneously. “Absolutely nothing has changed from yesterday. I am still the embodiment of the scumbag you have depicted. The entire royal family deserves to burn in the Rehte for ever abandoning its citizens and letting them suffer the way that they have!”

His octave raises higher and higher, filled to the brim with unparalleled rage.

“I am giving you one last chance to apologize for ever believing otherwise. I’m also commanding you to tell me why have you come such a long way to see such a pathetic kingdom—a shameful prince.”

His demeanour has shifted in such an vicious direction that’s left Leda mute. The easily flustered prince is nowhere to be found. Instead, he’s back full circle. Steely, unbudging. If she tries to joke like always, there’s no doubt she’ll get it. And if she tries to console him, it’ll be like adding gasoline to an already heated fire.

The tension is suffocating within the never-ending minute that passes, and continues to be even when the door to the hall reels inward and a sheepish attendant pokes his head inside.

“Prince Ronan III, it is already noon. The townspeople are waiting to welcome you back from your journey.”

Ro emits one final huff before he’s beckoned to his feet by the very attendant and handed a fresh set of clothes. He’s no longer looking at her, simply allowing his attendant to reassess his attire and cover him with even more bundles.

“I told you,” Leda finally sputters, chewing the inside of her cheek. “I want to help you—”

“I do not need it,” he snaps. ”Especially from someone who believes I deserve forgiveness because I am dying as well.”

Her mouth moves but no words surface. With the click of his tongue, Ro slips on a long robe and new velvety blue cape. He’s successfully shielded, no traces of his illness for his citizens to spot.

“If the reason you’re here is due to pity, I do not want you in the Edaps Kingdom.” His black look burns like ice. “Human, I will once again restate my resolution: if you and your friend are not gone from Depree before the sun descends in the west, I will place you under official arrest.”

With the sway of his cape, and the dogging of his servants after him, Ro’s gone.

She’s left alone in this empty hall with Orian, drenched in heavy emotions.

Orian worriedly moves his head to the side. “Master Leda, are you sure we shouldn’t hand him the letter?”

“Even if we do I doubt he’d come with us.” She stuffs her hands into her pockets. “At least, not now.”

“B-but if he doesn’t tag along—if we can’t do what Master Rhett asked of us—”

“He’ll surely slaughter us in cold blood.”

Orian squeals at the notion. “Wh-what should we do?”

“What else can we do?” Leda makes eye-contact with the knight peering into the room. He immediately stiffens, armour clinking together as he hides. She can only smile as she faces Orian. “Let’s get going.”

Shock etches its way onto his features. “But Master Leda! You can’t mean we’re going to visit the next kingdom! We can’t! Master Rhett says he needs all four—”

“Huh? How’d you reach that conclusion?”

Orian flinches. “Y-you said...”

She heaves loudly, shutting her eyes from the dizziness the world around her has become. She speaks, quieter this time, “First, we should try asking these knights if they have any fairy meat to spare. I’m barely keeping up as is... Then, from there, we can secure a proper disguise.”

“Disguise? Y-you can’t be—”

“I’ve made up my mind,” she asserts. “Plus, I need to fulfill my promise to Annika and Adi.”

“But, Master Leda—”

“I thought it was odd that we haven’t heard anything from the king, queen or the other princes despite being in the palace. It’s almost as if Ro is the one doing everything around here, which is odd considering he’s the youngest.”

Orian gasps at her implication, his eyes bulging from their sockets. “Then, that means...”

She grimly nods. “He’s hiding a huge secret from his citizens so he doesn’t worry them. And I have a bad feeling that the rest of his family have something to do with it and this strange illness. Even as we speak, they may already be...”

She swallows hard, banishing the notion.

“Even if he doesn’t wish for it, we’re staying in this kingdom,” she says. “We’re going to find a cure no matter what.”