Even late in the night, Emilia felt the taste of bitterness within her. She understood the need to pretend to be attracted to her but not the pretence of wanting to court her. What did he hope to gain with that? Had he received some sort of sadistic satisfaction at the thought of her falling for him? Thankfully, her heart had not yet been ready to let go of Noel. But she couldn't lie to herself. She had been touched by the way Lionel had reacted to Clive's statements in that video and been quick to defend her. Now she could not help but doubt that it was a setup as well.
Lost in her thoughts, Emilia was startled by the shrill ring of her phone. She reached for it and saw the number flashing on the screen, a mixture of apprehension welled up within her. With trembling hands, she answered the call, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end was weak, strained as if fighting through unimaginable pain. "Princess... It's me."
