King Iramo realized the gravity of the situation and decided to give a recognizable rank to Sullivan. Now, he had married the daughter of a respectable family, Sullivan could have such a rank. Though he personally never liked Sullivan, he would not let out the unfair treatment given to Dahlia by the people of his kingdom.
"Sullivan, what rank do you wish to hold?" King Iramo asked.
"Your Majesty," Queen Verlina's words died in a whisper as she gazed at the King in bewilderment.
"I would like to be in the Royal Army and serve my father closely," Sullivan said and lowered his gaze.
"Alright. I will talk to the General before deciding a rank for you," King Iramo announced his decision. He shifted his gaze at Dahlia and continued, "Whatever happened today shall never occur in the future. The Queen definitely made a mistake by giving a biased punishment, which I canceled. This was the best I could offer to Princess Dahlia," said the King.
Dahlia respectfully bowed to the King, expressing her gratitude for his unbiased decision.
"You all are dismissed. The Queen shall stay behind," King Iramo instructed. All the princes left the chamber along with Princess Dahlia.
Dahlia gazed at Sullivan as she hooked her arm with his. "You should praise me," she whispered close to his ear.
Daedric watched them going ahead. Their togetherness bothered him. Dahlia was supposed to be with him rather than Sullivan. However, no one could change the fact that Dahlia was now Sullivan's wife. He wanted a chance to talk to Dahlia alone, but he couldn't get such a chance for it.
"Doesn't the Crown Prince find it strange how Dahlia stood for Sullivan and even demanded a high rank for him? I remember well how she once requested you to send Sullivan away from this palace. Also, she is good at acting. It seems she has changed overnight," Ainsley remarked after his keen observations.
"Yes. I'm myself surprised why Dahlia changed," Daedric murmured and sighed in frustration.
"Why didn't the Crown Prince ask to punish Dahlia and Sullivan? They both have conspired against you. She even humiliated you on the wedding altar. Are you sure to let her go unpunished because of your feelings?" Ainsley asked. He knew well how much Daedric adored Dahlia. But he didn't utter a single word to her. Being the Crown Prince he had every right to punish Dahlia.
"Dahlia doesn't carry that spark for me anymore," said Daedric. This was something he did not only observe on the wedding altar but also today. "She doesn't love me and I cannot force her to love me. Because I still have feelings for her, I cannot punish her either. I have to go to the Office Of Chancery. I'll see you later." With that, the Crown Prince took his leave while Ainsley stayed there.
"It seems Dahlia has always been in love with Sullivan. She used Brother Daedric's love to escape from any kind of punishment. I have to expose her real face to all of them," Ainsley murmured.
~~~~~
"You act good. Where did you learn to act?" Sullivan asked as he looked at Dahlia, who was seated on the couch, eating the blackberries.
"What do you mean by that? I cried for real, Prince Sullivan," Dahlia stated. "These berries are sweet. You should try too." She took the bowl to him and pushed one into his mouth. Her fingers touched his lips as he lifted his gaze.
Taking the blackberry into his mouth, he chewed it and noticed how Dahlia sucked her very finger with which she fed him the blackberry. "Since you are free, why don't you take me to the market? I want to buy some clothes… better clothes," Dahlia said as she dropped her hand to the side.
"Why did you help me?" Sullivan asked, changing their topic of discussion completely. "And you even demand a rank for me," he asserted, giving her a quizzical glance at her.
"Why are your questions so accusatory?" Dahlia inquired him. "I helped my husband, yet you find my ill intentions in it. I demanded a rank for you so that no one would bully you anymore," she affirmed. As she moved to return to her seat, Sullivan grasped her wrist, gently pulling her onto his lap.
He grabbed the bowl from Dahlia's hand and set it aside on the table while she held a bewildered gaze at him. "You bullied me once. Do you remember?" Sullivan asked her. His hands steadily remained on her back.
Dahlia had no such memory of bullying him. She tried to recall the novel, but nothing came to her mind.
"It seems you have forgotten about it," Sullivan said, bringing her out of the contemplation. "You pushed me into a deep well," he pronounced.
"What?" Dahlia was shocked to learn that. 'Was this soul so ruthless?' she thought.
"Why did you do that?" Sullivan inquired.
Dahlia didn't know what to answer. She nervously fidgeted with her fingers as her throat went dry. "Perhaps it was a—"
"It wasn't a mistake. You laughed at me and even said that I deserve to die," Sullivan stated. "The incident is of when we hadn't reached our adulthood," he explained further.
"I laughed?" Dahlia wanted to speak more, but words didn't come out of her mouth.
"You hate me and whatever you did today was for your personal gain," Sullivan deduced.
"How can you be so sure that I hate you?" Dahlia peered into his eyes closely. "I never hated you. Perhaps my younger self did but I have always admired you. And what personal gain would I get from marrying you? Don't you think the Crown Prince would have given me much more without even asking if I married him?" Her questions left Sullivan tight-mouthed.
"I chose you. That's what matters. We were kids at that time. I am sorry for bullying you. But this won't happen anymore. I will save you from every bully." Dahlia's convincing tone caused Sullivan to feel strange. She leaned close to him and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You should trust me because only I can give you everything you desire," Dahlia proclaimed with determination.