She nodded and met his gaze unwaveringly. "If Your Highness cannot move beyond fleeting emotions and meaningless incidents, then it is his responsibility to address."
Her expression remained cold and impassive, underlining her assertion of truth.
"Such cruelty?" he remarked, a wicked smile playing at his lips.
She composed herself, saying, "Your Highness, our paths diverge tomorrow, perhaps never to converge again. I insist you not to complicate matters for us both."
"Why should we not meet? The distance between us isn't so great that I cannot reach you."
"As Her Majesty's lady-in-waiting, I bear responsibilities I cannot forsake for trivial and meaningless pursuits."
"Fleeting emotions? Meaningless incident? A mistake? Trivia and Meaningless Pursuit?l."
Arlan continued to echo her earlier, harsh words as if each of them had pierced his heart deeply like a sharp knife. But he maintained his calm.
