Chapter 29
Beneath the blanket, Deborah’s clothes were a bit thin–but still just standard sleepwear. Nothing looked out of place.
A few guards quickly turned away, not daring to glance again. They were here to catch an intruder, not to embarrass anyone. Luann let the blanket fall back into place, but after a moment’s hesitation, her expression hardened again. “Search the room.”
The guards moved at once, flipping open cabinets, checking under furniture–combing through every inch as if even a fly wouldn’t be allowed to
escape.
Zyla shrank back to the side of the bed, staying close to Deborah and shielding her. As for the rest… if things got broken, so be it. Clearly, this was serious. Though she still had no idea what exactly had happened.
Even Luann was rifling through Deborah’s bed.
Deborah had no choice but to climb out. She wrapped herself in the robe Zyla brought over and stood silently to the side. Nothing suspicious turned up.
Finally, Luann’s eyes fell on her. “Princess Deborah, may I inspect your clothing?”
“Why?” Deborah frowned, clearly unhappy
Luann’s voice was calm, but firm. “I’m only following orders, I hope you’ll understand.”
Deborah glanced at the guards nearby.
Luann turned and ordered, “Everyone out.”
The guards exited immediately, and Zyla quickly shut the door behind them. Only then did Luann step forward and carefully check Deborah’s clothing, inside and out.
When she finished, her expression softened slightly. “My apologies, Princess Deborah. I hope you can forgive me.”
Deborah exhaled slowly, her voice tired. “Forget it. I don’t exactly have the power to refuse, do I? Whether I forgive you or not probably doesn’t matter anyway.”
Luann opened her mouth, as if to speak, but in the end simply offered another quiet “I’m sorry” before leaving with the others.
Outside, the noise continued–footsteps, shouts, furniture being dragged and overturned. It was chaos. Zyla stayed quiet, not daring to speak or ask questions.
The two of them sat in silence on the only chair in the room that hadn’t been turned upside down.
No one knew how long it took, but eventually every corner of Moonpool Chamber had been searched. Nothing suspicious was found. Luann finally left with the guards to continue their sweep elsewhere.
“My lady…” Zyla looked at Deborah, hesitating. She wanted to ask something but wasn’t sure if she should.
Deborah hadn’t been in the room earlier–she knew that. And now, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this whole incident… might actually have something to do with her.
“Don’t ask,” Deborah said quietly, eyes fixed on the closed window.
Now she understood–Damian had forced her to take off her nightclothes so he could take them with him. She hadn’t realized how serious things
were.
If she’d simply changed and hidden the outfit somewhere in her room… Given how thorough Luann and the others had been, no matter where she stashed it, it would’ve been found.
Damian hadn’t been humiliating her. He’d been protecting her.
She thought, ‘His methods are harsh–way too harsh–but still, can’t he have just said something? What, does he not have a mouth? That infuriating, cold–blooded man.’
Deborah walked over to the window and threw it open. Her gaze fell in the direction of Skyrift Hall.
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Chapter 29
The voice she had heard earlier in that lit room… it had been Emily. She was sure of it.
“Why did you marry her and bring her here?”
“What if she finds out the secret?”
She wondered, “The person speaking with her–was it Simon?‘
She’d known him for a year, but only after they were married did she realize: she didn’t know Simon at all. Not really. More than once, she had mistaken another man for her husband.
She thought, ‘Simon… what is he hiding? Why hasn’t he come to see me even once since our wedding night?‘
Suddenly, Deborah turned and headed for the door.
Startled, Zyla jumped to her feet and hurried after her. “My lady, where are you going?”
Deborah pressed her lips together, eyes steady and resolute. Without looking back, she said, “I’m going to find Prince Damian.”
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