CHAPTER 109: LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS

Emma was startled when she noticed Aldric standing at her side.

"Missing Elias already?" he teased, his grin bright as always. Usually, Emma would blush and sputter an indignant denial, which Aldric found endlessly amusing. But this time she only blinked at him, silent, her face unreadable.

The grin softened into something gentler. He lowered himself onto the bench beside her, his voice coaxing now, like a father trying to cheer a troubled child. "What’s wrong, little bird? You’ve been elsewhere all morning, ever since the Prince drove you out of the princess’s chambers."

Emma fiddled with her fingers, gaze downcast.

Aldric tilted his head, weighing her mood. So, it could be innocence after all. He thought perhaps he’d have to explain the mysteries of husband and wife, but was she even listening?

"It’s something married men and women do," he began lightly, testing. "The prince wasn’t hurting the princess~"

"I know," Emma cut him off. Her eyes flicked to him at last, clouded with something heavier than embarrassment.

Aldric leaned back, masking his unease with a lazy smile. "Then what troubles you?"

Emma bit her lip, hesitating. Finally, she whispered, "When I was little... one of my uncles worked as an apprentice scribe in the palace. He told me something once. Something I never forgot because it sounded so strange."

Her voice faltered, her eyes dimming with a memory.

Aldric’s smile stayed, but his eyes sharpened. He had learned long ago how to listen for danger in idle words.

Emma swallowed hard. "When I saw his face, Sir Al... The prince... He..." Her voice broke. She couldn’t finish.

Aldric cleared his throat softly. "That uncle of yours. Is he still alive?"

Emma shook her head. "No. He quit and returned... He used to carry me on his shoulders everywhere and taught me to read, write, and swim. I adored him. But one day..." Her breath hitched. "They said he drowned... In a shallow creek."

Her words trailed off. And then the weight of them struck her. She froze, hand flying to her mouth, eyes wide with horror at the unspoken truth.

Aldric reached out and patted her head gently, but the warmth in his touch didn’t reach his face. There was only heaviness there... and warning.

"If you work in the palace," he murmured, voice low, "and you let your lips run loose... accidents do happen. It’s a tale as old as time."

Emma shivered. She forced a nervous laugh, whispering, "I have very tight lips." She rose quickly, shrugging off his arm.

"Good," Aldric said with a tilt of his head, the smile still playing on his mouth but never reaching his eyes. "Then... you’ve nothing to fear."

Emma let out a shuddering breath and ran, the echo of his words following her like a shadow. She hadn’t realized it till now, but... her uncle had been silenced for the truth. And if that was so, then what about her? Now that she had revealed she knew the secret, was her life dangling on the same thread?

Suddenly, a strong hand seized her arm and yanked her aside.

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Gasping, she turned—panic flashing into anger when she saw who it was.

"What now, Cedric?" she snapped, pressing a hand to her racing heart. She wasn’t in the mood to be irritated further.

"Can’t I talk to you anymore, Emma?" His voice carried an edge, but his eyes looked strangely hollow.

Emma exhaled slowly. He looked like a man desperate for someone to listen, someone to tether him. It looked like the Prince had left Cedric behind when he attended the ceremony. Once, Cedric had been the prince’s right hand. Now, he sat discarded, ruined by his own choices... and by Zara. Emma almost pitied him. Almost.

She sat down on the narrow stair. Cedric followed, attempting to sit beside her, but she quickly gestured two steps above. "Sit there. Please."

Cedric scoffed. "Did Elias tell you not to sit beside me anymore?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "We haven’t sat beside each other since I was eight, Cedric. Don’t drag Elias into this."

"Oh, defensive." His tone turned mocking. "Is Elias so special? Just because he gives you flowers and scarves doesn’t mean he cares for~"

"All right." Emma rose sharply. "I tried."

"Why can’t I even say his name?"

"You can. But not like this. Not to me."

"He’s that special?"

Emma’s chin lifted. "Oh, yes. He knows how to respect me. He makes me smile. I do like him very much. Not that I owe you an explanation, but remember that the next time you speak to me."

Cedric blinked, caught off guard. She had always been chatty, cherubic, lighthearted. But now... she stood before him like a woman with her own will, her own edge. And something twisted deep inside him.

Jealousy.

"He hasn’t gotten what he wants from you yet. Once he does, he’ll throw you away like last night’s scraps," Cedric scoffed. Bitterness dripped from every word. Elias had become a thorn in his side—silent, steady, always there. Taking his place. Taking Emma’s favor. The hatred he felt toward Elias burned hot enough to justify every cruel thought.

"Then that will be on me," Emma snapped back. Her voice sharpened like a blade. She was no hot-tempered girl, but Cedric was pushing her past her limit. She couldn’t reconcile this bitter, snarling man with the boy she once adored. That boy was gone.

"Tell me, how’s it going with Zara? Has she thrown you out yet? Or does she still find you useful?" Emma asked coolly, hurling his own words about Elias back at him.

"Zara’s nothing like that!" His jaw clenched, teeth grinding.

Emma smirked faintly. "Does the truth sting?"

"Take it back." His fists curled tight.

She scoffed. Once, she had loved him. Now she didn’t even recognize him. And for that, she was grateful.

"Whatever." She brushed past him, descending the steps. But the bitterness slipped from her tongue before she could stop it: "Let her use you then... until the poison takes her."

Cedric froze.

Emma stiffened. Too late, she realized what she’d said.

He straightened slowly, his eyes going red with fury. "What did you just say?" His voice cracked like a whip. "Did you say poison?"

Emma stopped short, breath caught in her throat. Her heart hammered so hard it made her dizzy. She had let it slip, too much... far too much. And once the words were out, there was no pulling them back.

She turned, ready to flee, when the sound of wheels rattled the stones outside. A carriage. The Prince had returned.

The Princess was gone, the Prince had returned, and Emma had spilled a secret that Cedric would never forgive.

Her chest tightened until it hurt, every beat of her heart louder than the last. She knew this was going to be her last day alive. She just knew because she was going to take the fall for the princess.

The Prince could never know that it was the princess who poisoned Zara. Never.