Undeterred by his authoritative voice as she outranked him in terms of power weld and was a favorite of the queen’s, Miranda merely sneered at Sybil down the length of her nose.
“So what if she is a distinguished guest invited by the king?” she asked with arrogant provocation. “The bodyguard under her employ beat the prince up. You know as well as I do that it is a crime to assault a member of the royal family.”
Only then did Sybil discover the true reason for Arielle's summon.
“Be that as it may, Ms. Moore is Chanaean and an honored guest of the king's. Turlenese laws and regulations have no jurisdiction over her.”
It is indeed a crime for a commoner to lay a finger on the prince. However, Ms. Moore is the eldest princess of Turlen. Isn't it normal for an older sister to hit her younger brother?
Nevertheless, Sybil did not dare voice his thoughts out loud as it was not yet time to expose Arielle's true identity.
Miranda raised an eyebrow. “Though she can't be punished, her bodyguard is a citizen of ours who does happen to fall under our jurisdiction. We only intended to take him with us, but Ms. Moore insisted that she come along. That puts me in a tough spot, doesn't it?”
“I was the one who ordered the bodyguard to strike, Sybil,” Arielle corroborated, aware that he must have been sent by Dylan. “If the queen is going to punish him for following orders, it's only fair to hold me accountable too.”
“Don't worry, Ms. Moore,” Sybil said cryptically before departing. “Things will turn out well."
Arielle stared doubtfully at Sybil's departing silhouette as she recalled Vinson's analysis of him several days ago. It seems that I need to find out why the king cares about me so much.
Miranda's eyes narrowed as she studied the exchange between Sybil and Arielle. What does the king see in this Chanaean doctor? What sorcery could she possibly possess to cause both men of the royal family to be this infatuated with her?
Sybil reported his encounter with Arielle to Dylan the moment he returned to the latter's study.
Dylan was relieved to learn that it was another matter altogether that had invoked the queen's summon rather than the exposure of Ariclle’s identity.
Although he wanted more than anything else to reconcile with his daughter, he was not in the optimum position to do so at the moment. If the queen mother and the queen find out about Arielle's identity, who knows what they will do to her? I must not take this risk and put Arielle in danger.
“Your Majesty, the prince and the princess seem to be on excellent terms,” Sybil said after a short pause. “If I may, you could give the prince a call and have him speak to his mother.”
Dylan frowned as he considered the matter before eventually agreeing. At this juncture, it's the only viable method left to resolve the matter peacefully.
However, the unfairness to his son if he did so gnawed at him. Although the boy was not born to his expectations, Aaron was his son nonetheless. It would be unfit for him to demand that the person who assaulted his son be rescued and spared.
Ultimately, he chose to side with his daughter as he felt guilty for being absent from her life for over twenty years. Although he did not give the
boy too much fatherly love, he did fulfill all of the paternal responsibilities expected of him. He felt awful for not standing up for his daughter who had grown up without a fatherly figure to depend on.
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