Innocent person? Was Adric calling her innocent right now or did she not cleanse her ears properly while bathing? Oriana rubbed her ears to be sure; she wasn’t imagining things.
"What do you mean, innocent person?" King Curtis asked.
Adric pushed his chair back a little so that he could cross his leg comfortably.
"What is that word, when someone is being falsely accused and the judge is not being fair..." He tapped his table, trying to think of the word.
"Injustice," his father, who had been quiet, added, only to receive a glare from his wife. The man cleared his throat and continued eating.
Adric nodded, "I guess...but all I’m saying is Princess Oriana is innocent in all of this,"
"Huh?" Both Oriana and Sophie had the same expression on their faces as they turned to look at each other.
Sophie pointed at Oriana, "How is she innocent? Then what happened to me!"
Oriana narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the prince in front of her. She was very cautious of the man; what was he playing at right now by calling her innocent? Her guard was suddenly up, and she became defensive.
"What? Are you going to get punished for what you didn’t do? I guess you’re masochistic. I’ll let you enjoy the punishment then..." Adric said, with a small, playful frown on his face, seeing the surprised look on the girl’s face.
"N-no, that..." Oriana stammered, trying to think if it to believe Adric or just find a way out of all of this herself.
Adric nodded, "Good," he smiled at her with a brief wink, only Oriana noticed. He turned to look at his mother first.
"Mother, ever the champion of swift and decisive action," he started with a smile that was put forward to annoy the Queen of Avon.
"Speaking of manners, I do find it a touch...hypocritical to criticize Oriana when both my sisters back at Avon, including I myself, seem to fall short in your esteemed eyes. But what can I say? Maybe your hidden straightening powers would suddenly work on a child who isn’t yours," Adric nodded, with fingers tapping on the table.
Queen Gwen, whose anger was now boiling, glared at her son, "Y-ou!" She pointed at him with deep anger.
"There there, Sweet Mother. Don’t forget proper decorum; I can already see a vein about to pop out from your neck...are you sure it isn’t you who need another class on how to keep your emotions in check? You’re a Queen after all." Adric continued to poke the woman, aiming to strike the last nerve.
Oriana subtly looked at the Queen of Avon, and truly a vein was about to pop out from the woman’s neck. So she innocently nodded in agreement to Adric’s words, and this caused Queen Gwen to glare at the girl.
"What are you looking at?" The woman barked with anger, seeing that the princess was looking at her.
Adric smiled, "The truth; Princess Oriana is seeing what I’m talking about, right?"
What? Oriana shook her head; yes, he was helping her out, but why would he try to make her top on the Queen’s hate list even though she already made it inside the top four.
"Don’t be shy, Mother loves sincere and straightforward persons...right Mother?" Adric turned to look at the woman, who had now turned red and purple with both anger and simmering hate.
Queen Gwen angrily pushed her chair back, "I’m done with all of this!" She stomped out of the dining.
"Adric, take it easy on your mother." The King of Avon sighed before following his wife behind.
The Crown Prince twitched his lips, "Is it just me or do both Queens have similar traits of leaving before breakfast ends..." Oriana couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Her mother and the Queen of Avon exhibited similar characteristics.
"I think I have this connection with you, Princess Oriana; you agree with every word I say." Adric snapped his fingers; both Sophie and King Curtis turned to look at Oriana with their brows raised.
Waving her hands, Oriana shook her head. "N-no, I don’t agree..." she was already in more trouble as it is; she wouldn’t dare step into more, even though this Crown Prince was bent on pushing her into hell with him.
"No?" Adric moved his head to the side, then shrugged his shoulders. "I get it; you’re shy."
Sophie, who was almost forgetting what she had come to report, pointed at her forehead again, reminding everyone why the conversation had even started.
"Ah yes, Sophie, the picture of grace and responsibility." Adric clapped like he had totally forgotten about the spoilt brat.
Sophie smiled, thinking it was a compliment, and Adric’s sarcasm was lost on her just like that.
"Perhaps the culprit responsible for that impressive bump on your head resided a little closer to the bottom of the jar of wine you were so enthusiastically attached to last night? Just a thought, of course. Wouldn’t want to rush to blame anyone for your...accidents." Adric’s words flowed smoothly, his face with mock sympathy for Sophie.
Sophie touched her forehead, "Accident?" She had totally blacked out the previous day; she wasn’t able to remember what exactly had happened. The last thing she was able to remember was happily having a conversation with Adric before she took a cup of wine. Does that mean she... The Crown princess blinked.
King Curtis turned to look at Adric, "Are you saying it wasn’t Oriana’s fault that Sophie has the bump on her head?" the man asked.
"Oriana hardly possesses the brute strength necessary to inflict such a...monumental lump on Sophie’s delicate brow. Unless, of course, Sophie tripped over her own inebriated enthusiasm and landed face-first."
Oriana furrowed her brows; why was he defending her? She didn’t know why, but it was the first time anyone stood up for her. It felt strange.
"If for anything, all I saw yesterday was Princess Oriana being a great sister. She made sure she protected the Crown Princess, who was being messy. And instead of gratitude, you ask for her to be punished? I guess I thought highly of you, Crown Princess..." Adric drawled.
Sophie bit her lower lip; her face now washed with shame. She had made a mess of herself in front of the Crown Prince. She looked down with her head hanging in shame.
"Sophie! You went out there to put the family name in shame!" King Curtis barked with anger before pushing his chair back. He walked out of the dining.
Sophie closed her eyes, trying to gather herself before walking slowly towards the door without saying anything else.
Now left behind were Oriana and Adric, with an unsettling silence. Oriana, seeing that everyone had left, took it as a cue to quietly slip away from the table.
"Is that how you thank me?" Adric said, seeing the flighty movement of Oriana.
Oriana cleared her throat; truly, she hadn’t expected for Adric to be on her side, and she didn’t know his reason for doing so, but she was still grateful. It wasn’t every day she had someone to defend her. "T-hank you," she muttered.
Adric sighed, "Then sit; let’s enjoy breakfast." He replied.
"Huh?" Oriana asked.
"You weren’t planning on leaving, were you? Breakfast is always for two, and eating while looking at your face reminds me of a drenched duck I so much like to look at back at home, as it helps my food digest easily." Adric said, bringing out bread before smearing butter on it casually like he had not just called someone a duck.
Duck? Oriana blinked; she knew she wasn’t up to Sophie’s standard, but she still had traits of beauty. And what kind of twisted man is this? To watch a duck while eating, Oriana judged him with her eyes, she knew there was no duck back home. Slowly her blood started boiling, and she prayed the food wouldn’t digest but go down the wrong pipe for Adric. But then she had to breathe in and out; this man had just helped her. Maybe that would cancel his annoying attitude.
"Sit, Princess. The food is getting cold, unless you like it cold. I know you’re an odd one." Adric commented, with a smirk on his face that made Oriana want to raise the plate and smack him hard, but she didn’t. She sat down quietly and continued her breakfast.
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