So he pulled her into his arms, holding her firmly against him as she struggled to steady her breathing.
Yet, strangely enough, his harsh words had done something else.
They had forced everyone's minds into overdrive.
Instead of sitting there drowning in fear, they began piecing together every detail they could remember, searching for anything they might have overlooked.
Then the Queen's eyes suddenly flickered.
She had remembered something.
"Actually…" She straightened abruptly. "There might be someone we should have questioned from the beginning. Someone who might have noticed something I didn't."
"Who?" Addison nearly shot to her feet.
"The children's instructor." The Queen didn't waste another second.
"As I remember, he was teaching the children swordsmanship until late into the night. They had been insisting on showing their mother everything they'd learned while you were away. They were even hoping you would see them practicing when you returned."
