"...Well, Minerva,"
The firm voice broke the nearly solidified silence as Fafnir stared at the girl with her head deeply bowed.
There was neither sympathy nor pity in her voice or expression, she simply asked indifferently, as if confirming a fact.
"Do you, like Roland?"
"..."
Of course, she liked him.
The straightforward answer that should have come out without hesitation got stuck in her throat.
Only because she discerned the implication behind Fafnir's words.
Fafnir didn't want to hear "the official formal response"; she just wanted to confirm... a girl's true feelings.
Whether she truly, from the bottom of her heart, had fallen for Roland.
Whether she regretted partnering with Roland.
If it wasn't out of genuine feelings.
If she now had regrets.
If she was still only maintaining her relationship with Roland to fulfill "the duties of royalty."
Perhaps it would be a relief for both parties to end this distorted relationship before irreparable damage was done...
