Riley’s office was in a separate building from the parlor, situated between the royals’ private quarters and the government officials’ offices. The hallways were busier than she was used to, and the decor differed from that of the main palace. Several officials they passed looked surprised to see Liliana, fanning the flames of her unease.
What if I run into my father?
As premier, he spent much of his time at the palace, and his position guaranteed his office would be nearby. With the king indisposed, things were worse still; Duke Clarke now met regularly with the crown prince. It was far too late for Liliana to reconsider, so she swallowed her tension and continued after Riley.
Fortunately, they reached his office without encountering the duke. Liliana let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Here we are,” Riley said. “Oh, I almost forgot to mention—your father isn’t here at the moment, so you don’t need to worry about running into him. He’s out on a regional inspection.”
“I see.”
Liliana forced a smile. Had her thoughts shown on her face? She didn’t think so, but she pulled herself together nonetheless, suspecting that the prince might have noticed something.
Inside the office, Riley insisted she take a seat on the couch, then prepared tea and sat across from her. He left the door ajar but raised a soundproof barrier around the room for privacy. He was likely always on guard for potential threats.
The prince straightened. “I thought this might be a good time to discuss your position as one of my fiancée candidates.”
Liliana wasn’t sure where he intended to take the conversation. It would have been wonderful if he were asking her to step down from the contest, but only her father had the authority to approve such a change. Instead, Riley steered things in a different, more reasonable direction.
“Has the duke said anything about it?” he asked, gentle but serious.
“No, I can’t say he has.”
She wasn’t lying. Her father had told her not to lose her candidacy, but he’d done so in such a roundabout way that his real intentions were hard to interpret. Without her memories from her previous life, it would have been a major source of stress and confusion.
It was bad enough that the duke kept doing and saying things designed to stir fear and anxiety in his daughter. Her mother’s treatment would have been another source of strain, if not for the fact that Liliana had been emotionless even before regaining her memories.
At that realization, several pieces seemed to fall into place.
In the game, the swarm made me panic. That’s why I lost control of my mana. Did father anticipate that happening?
It was an absurd thought, but not one she could dismiss so easily. Perhaps the duke had toyed with her on purpose, knowing mental instability would cause her mana to rampage.
But for that to be true, he would have had to know the swarm was coming.
Swarms were impossible to predict—yet his words when they’d crossed paths in the aftermath lent credence to her theory.
“Liliana?” the prince asked, concerned by her silence. “Is something the matter?”
She forced a faint smile and shook her head.
“Really? You’re not putting on a brave face, are you?”
“Perish the thought. I appreciate your concern.”
The graceful reply left Riley conflicted. He didn’t believe her, but he had no way to prove she was lying. And as far as Liliana was concerned, she had no reason to confide in him; all she wanted was to lose her position as a fiancée candidate.
“If there’s anything you need, let me know. I’ll do what I can to help.”
“Thank you.”
It was a generous offer, especially from the crown prince. Liliana wished she could accept his kindness, but she knew the opportunity would never truly come.