'So, I was not mistaken that night when I touched his wrist and felt the ribbon... It was a gift from me?'
Aideen hid the silk ribbon within her fist, closing her eyes to draw comfort from the pleasant softness of Utarian silk. It helped her gain a better grip on her emotions, yet it was not enough to entirely grasp the complexity of her situation.
Uncertain about her emotions in that moment, Tillian's confession forced her to confront the strangeness and even wrongness of not knowing her Secret Hero was none other than Duke Valentine himself.
'All this time, I could have had a friend, someone to turn to, and maybe... Maybe everything would have been so much different. If only I weren't too shy or scared that day, I would have known everything and could never even dare to believe those horrible rumors about him.'
But that was not her only concern.
The princess could not help but ask herself – did Tillian possess this knowledge even back then?
