At once, Iliza's face turned pale as a sheet. Her eyes shifted slowly toward Minister Rueben, but he didn't spare her so much as a glance. For a brief, hollow moment, Iliza wondered if she had made the right choice, if aligning with them had ever been wise. Clearly, her life held little weight to them now.
But it was too late to retreat. She had sunk too deep, soaked her hands in too much filth to return to the other side. Disobeying Minister Rueben or Queen Morgana would only hasten her death, and there was no chance the opposing side would ever take her back, not after everything she had done.
Caught between death and betrayal, Iliza turned back to her seat. Her voice trembled slightly, "I... I didn't lie."
On the upper floor, Arabella remained still. Unmoved.
She had known what Iliza was capable of. Even back during the hunt, when Arabella had kept her distance, Iliza had shown her true nature, choosing self preservation, no matter the cost. No matter who it harmed.
