CHAPTER 313: CHAPTER 313 EXCUSE US

I could feel the weight of both their gazes on me, one teasing, the other unreadable and all I could do was bury my face in my hands.

"Why can’t I eat in peace," I muttered under my breath, sighing in exasperation. I knew Damon was bringing back old memories to spite Rhydian.

Rhydian had an expression that resembled that of betrayal. ’Am I seeing this now?’ Because there was not a time that I betrayed him.

"Princess Aeris," he called out in a formal tone.

I arched my brows at him, why was he calling me that? I thought we were friends.

"Yes," I answered, stuffing more food in my mouth, making a mental note to tell the kitchen to write a list of all the palatable food in the realm.

He placed his fork on the table, his eyes grew solemn, and something told me I won’t like what he was about to say.

"I heard news about the fae realm..." He hesitated, his pale blue eyes staring deep into my soul. "Your mother is sick."

His words were like a blow to my gut, my hand clenched around the piece of meat in my hand. ’My mother is sick? Why?’

During my stay as Aeris, my so-called mother had been cold to me, siding with others rather than her own daughter. She claimed she loved me, but her actions spoke otherwise. To be frank and sincere, I didn’t know what to feel, I couldn’t even make sense of my emotions.

Then, memories of her refusing to tell me about my father, she even lied about the marking on my neck, and my childhood memories in the Fae realm had all been a lie. But why would she lie to me? And I couldn’t help but wonder if she was really my mother, after all, my so-called bloody father had said she was dead.

’This actually explained the reason she was cold to me, she was not my mother, not like I was looking for one. But why would they go to that extent? What were they after?’ No matter how I tried to remember what happened after I fell down the cliff, I just couldn’t.

And now Lyla was gone, and I could not feel her, did they do something to her?

"Aeris." Rhydian’s slightly raised voice brought me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, pushing down the lump forming in my throat. I took another bite of the mutton, "Didn’t they get her a healer?" I asked, innocently.

Rhydian was stunned by my nonchalant behaviour. "She’s worried about you, and wants you back home... she promised she wouldn’t marry you off anymore."

"Then, she doesn’t sound sick." I turned to Damon. "Pass me the cake dessert."

Damon, who had a line of crease between his brows, immediately passed the dessert to me. "Here, master."

Rhydian gritted his teeth so hard that they might break. "Aeris, we are talking about your mother’s health, and you still have the appetite to eat?"

"Why shouldn’t I have the appetite to eat? I’m famished as you can see. And if mother is really sick, uncle Zeir is there and her sisters, she is in good hands." I said curtly, leaving no place for argument.

Rhydian ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "They said she had one week to live."

My indifferent face formed into a frown, ’One week to live?’

"Rhydian, is there something you are not telling me? Why would my mother have one week left to live?"

Rhydian glanced at Damon and Crystal. "We have to talk in private."

"No way." Damon’s growl rumbled through the air. He glared at Rhydian, before turning to me. "If there is anything he has to say he should say it in my presence, Crystal can excuse us."

At Damon’s words, Crystal rose to her feet. "Miss Aeris, I’m full, I’ll be in my room."

"Crys..." Before I could finish my words, she had turned her back on me, disappearing into a corner.

Seconds turned to minutes and Rhydian refused to utter a word. Sighing, I turned to Damon. "Damon, can you excuse us?"

Damon glared at me, not liking the fact that I actually asked him to leave, his eyes darkened like a storm. "You really want me to leave?"

"Yes," I said, holding his gaze.

He nodded his head, before pushing the chair back, walking away from us.

I blew a sigh of relief, "You can start speaking now." I took a bite from the cake.

Rhydian waved his hand in the air, and a blue wall formed over us like an orb.

"What is that for?" I arched a brow at him.

"It is for security reasons, the werewolves have exceptional hearing, this is to block our words from going out." He answered, his eyes softening.

"Oh," I muttered.

He stared at me intensely before speaking. "You look different from the last time I saw you." His words were barely higher than a whisper.

"How so?" I asked, averting my gaze.

"I don’t know, but your aura is different, and the way you speak is also different... I know I shouldn’t have done what I did, and I... I lied to you." He lowered his head in shame.

"You lied to me?" I stopped eating, paying attention to his words.

"Yes," he smiled bitterly at me. "The night we first met wasn’t entirely coincidental, I followed you to the garden, and the reason I could enter the castle as I pleased was because I was the man you were betrothed to."

A crease formed on my forehead. "You were the groom?" I shifted in my seat, my eyes turned sharp at the thought he was back to take me back. "Why did you help me escape if I was supposed to get married to you? Why did you pretend to be a good friend? And why did you always ask if I wanted to run away? You told me you’ll help me, you said you were my friend... why did you lie to me? You make me look like a fool, and how could you smile so warmly and sweetly at me, while you lied to my face?" My shoulders trembled in anger.

’So all men are really scum.’