Chapter 39: My Son Is A Brave Boy.
Arianna watched the servants stream in with trays of food which Aunt Freya claimed to have prepared herself this morning. It was a kind gesture, but she doubted the old woman had actually done the work.
There was no way she had prepared all of this unless it involved magic.
"Aunt, you shouldn’t have gone through all this trouble," the King said, his eyes darting from her to the dishes in front of him. It was much more food than he had expected.
"I wasn’t sure what you would want, so I prepared all of your favorites," Aunt Freya told him with a smile.
"Thank you," Kane said, still surprised by the elaborate spread. He was hungry, but not that hungry. "I will try each one of them and then you can take all of them back except for the ones I like."
"Of course, Your Highness. What about your wife?" Aunt Freya asked, her gaze shifting to the lazy woman on the bed. She forced a smile. "I made soup for you. It will help with your throat."
Arianna wished she hadn’t been mentioned at all. "I-I am not hungry, Auntie. Thank you."
"It will ease the pain, Your Highness," the older woman assured her.
"I am not interested," Arianna shrugged, not believing that food could ease her physical pain.
The King wasn’t paying attention to their conversation as he began to taste the dishes.
"You are still angry at me," Aunt Freya said, walking closer to the bed.
Arianna rolled her eyes, not forgetting what the woman had done earlier. But before she could tell her to just forget about it, Aunt Freya fell to her knees, surprising everyone in the room.
The servants quickly lowered their heads, trying to avoid watching the drama unfold.
The King looked up, seeing his aunt kneeling on the floor in front of the bed, direct in front of his wife. It was the last thing he expected to see. He wanted to stop her, but he changed his mind, wanting to see what would happen next.
Arianna was stunned that the old woman was kneeling for her. What on earth was she doing?
"Forgive me for all that I have done to you since you came to the tribe," Aunt Freya began, her eyes full of pity.
"There is no need for you to be kneeling while apologizing, Aunt Freya," Arianna said, sitting up, still shocked by the gesture. "Can you please stand up? You are much older than I."
"Does that matter?"
"Of course. I am not a goddess. You can talk to me while on your feet," she insisted.
"Aunt, you shouldn’t be kneeling," Kane finally said, standing up from where he sat. He walked over to where his aunt was and helped her up from the floor.
"Forgive me, Kane. I have disappointed both of you," she said, tears beginning to spill over.
"You shouldn’t be crying, Aunt. Apologizing and making sure that it does not happen again is what is important," he told her.
Arianna nodded in agreement as she watched them. The woman had broken into tears so fast that she couldn’t help but wonder if this was real, or just an act to win the King’s sympathy.
She sat quietly, watching Kane console her as if something incredibly serious had happened.
"Will you forgive me for failing you?" Aunt Freya asked, looking up at her nephew. Streams of tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued to sob.
"What exactly are you apologizing for?" Arianna asked, causing both of them to turn and look at her in surprise. "I am sorry, but I am lost."
Kane was the one who answered. "We spoke about this in your tent. My aunt lied to me about your behavior and I wasn’t happy about it, so I had to address it with her." He turned back to his aunt. "You are like a mother to me, and I expect you to respect my choice and decisions."
Arianna had no idea until now that he had actually gone back to confront his aunt. No wonder the old woman had come in on her best behavior. "I had already forgotten about that after I told Kane the truth. You do not have to worry."
"I still want to apologize," Aunt Freya said, turning to her. "From now on, I promise to treat you with respect and provide the motherly support you deserve."
Arianna simply nodded, unsure of what else to say. Still, the King seemed happy that his aunt had finally come to make peace.
"I hope you find a place in your heart to forgive me too, Alpha," Aunt Freya told him.
"Yes, Aunt. You promised to behave and treat my wife well, so I have forgiven you," Kane said, walking back to where he had been sitting to begin eating.
"I will, Your Highness," she bowed. She then turned to smile at the princess before asking, "How many days will Ragnar spend in the West? I am beginning to miss my son."
Arianna’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name. She was, however, not surprised by the old woman’s words. This was a calculated, indirect message meant to shake her.
"Ragnar is on official duty. You should know better than anyone that he will stay longer if there is a need to," Kane told her.
"I pray he comes back soon... and safely," Arianna said softly.
Aunt Freya turned to her, her brows furrowed in confusion. That wasn’t just a simple prayer. It was a pointed counter-message, and she understood exactly what the princess meant by it.
"He will, Princess. My son is a brave boy."
Arianna smiled back serenely. "If you say so, Aunt."
Kane looked back and forth between the two of them slowly, as if he were holding back what he truly wanted to say. "You may leave now, Aunt. Thank you for the meal."
"You are highly welcome, Your Highness," Aunt Freya bowed to leave. She clearly didn’t want to go just yet, but the King had ordered her to, leaving her with no choice.
Just as she was about to step through the entrance, Cassius rushed inside. "Your Highness..."
"What is it now, Cassius?" Kane sighed, pushing his bowl of food aside and beginning to wash his hands.
"We have found the assassin," Cassius answered, his words instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
Arianna felt a cold shiver run straight down her spine. She was desperately curious yet terrified. The time had finally come for her to know who had tried to kill her and to find out exactly what their motive was.
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