Arielle looked back where her painting was still on display. She gasped when she realized the scribbles with black ink were clearly visible. Her eyes batted and she tried to find the most plausible reason.
"Um ... yesterday while I was trying to paint black, Priest Elis came up to me so suddenly and startled me. So maybe my hand slipped accidentally," said Arielle, lying.
"Interesting, because yesterday I didn't see any black streaks when I saw you talking to Priest Elis."
"Ah! Gosh… I just remembered. Pardon my omission, Your Majesty. That happened last night when I wanted to fix some parts but Tania surprised me, so my hand… slipped?"
Ronan turned his gaze to see Arielle's face and saw the girl look nervous. His eyes dropped to see Arielle biting her lower lip.
"Okay, I believe you."
Ronan refrained from smiling when he found Arielle sighing in relief. The young woman really wasn't good at lying.
His hand grabbed the Frostberry and he placed it in front of the girl's lips.
