Chapter 83: Can’t leave my side
The truth didn’t shake Gabriel’s feelings for Amelie in the slightest. If anything, it made his resolve stronger.
"Where did this High Priest live?" he asked calmly.
"The High Priest passed away... ten years ago, Your Highness," Samyra replied with a respectful bow of her head.
"I see." But Gabriel wasn’t done. "Why didn’t Mrs. Conley ever tell Amelie the truth? I assume she kept it hidden from everyone. Did the High Priest say anything more to you? You should speak now, because I am the only one who can keep Amelie safe," he said.
He caught the flicker of hesitation in Samyra’s eyes.
"I’m not trying to force it out of you," Gabriel continued. "But it’s better if you speak of your own accord. Tell me, during the ceremony, the moment Amelie was revealed to be an omega... was that the High Priest’s doing?"
Samyra hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."
"Interesting," Gabriel murmured, stepping closer. "Then answer the question you left untouched. Why?"
"To keep Amelie out of other people’s sights," Samyra said quietly.
"You mean... to limit her? Suppress her? And is that why she was treated so cruelly?" Gabriel’s anger suddenly flared. "It almost feels like Mrs. Conley deliberately mistreated her eldest daughter. Or is there more that you’re still hiding? Something you don’t have the courage to say aloud?"
Samyra’s lips pressed tightly together. Her throat felt parched. She wanted to beg him to stop asking, to leave the past buried, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.