Chapter 313: Chilling Realisation
Dressed in a gown, though she clung to her swords like a babe to candy, Evanna entered the dining hall, Axel and Ronan by her side. Cedric returned to his wife and newborn, to which Evanna had absolutely no objection. She didn’t even need Axel or Ronan to guard her, but everyone else felt better that she was protected. Ger had left to go hunt and spread his wings again; he seemed to get restless.
Arawn had yet to return, which made the princess lose her appetite. She knew it was silly, the prince used to leave for days beforehand, yet there was something niggling at the back of her mind, telling her something wasn’t right. The trees did not answer her properly; maybe they were distracted and distraught by what they saw. She would try to contact them again after dinner. Perhaps then she would feel much better.
"You seem worried... princess."
Evanna blinked a couple of times before looking up at King Thalinal. His tone of voice was a little... odd. He was smirking behind a glass of wine. "Arawn has yet to return," Evanna answered, tilting her head slightly, finding Thalinal’s amusement strange. Or perhaps Thalinal was confident about his son’s return. Arawn was incredibly gifted and had been doing this for years before Evanna arrived.
There also hadn’t been faceless on the loose either...
"Hmmm, I would not worry too much. These woods are full of ugly creatures, princess," Thalinal grinned sharply; it didn’t quite reach his eyes until he stared at himself in the glass’s reflection. His hand stroked the side of his face as though infatuated with his looks. Thalinal, like Arawn, was good-looking looking, but he’d never been so arrogant about his looks. How much wine had he drank?
Evanna frowned, looking around, but everybody else was in their own conversations. But as quick as the King was acting a little strange, it was gone. "Loraven, how are you finding the meal?" The King turned to Evanna’s mother.
Loraven conversed back, though she seemed somewhat uncomfortable, which was not like her mother at all. Evanna sliced into her meat, watching Thalinal interact with her mother, flinching when the knife and fork screeched against the plate. Thalinal immediately looked up, glaring at Evanna. "For a princess, I thought you’d have better manners," he snapped.
Evanna blinked back, confused. The King and she made up, so why did it feel as though they were on bad terms once more?