Lila immediately went to Aurelia's side. She sat down and put a comforting arm around Aurelia's shaking shoulders. "No, they don't," Lila said, her voice soft but firm. "They're just scared. That Davian, he twisted their fear and turned it into hate."
"But what do we do now?" Aurelia asked, looking up at Riku. Her eyes were wide with panic. "We can't stay here. We can't go anywhere. They'll be looking for me everywhere."
Riku walked over to them. He knelt so he was at her eye level.
"Aurelia, look at me," he said, his voice calm and steady.
She met his gaze.
"They are not looking for you," he said. "They are looking for a silver-haired noble lady with stormy grey eyes. They are not looking for a plain girl with brown hair and a mole on her cheek."
He offered a small, reassuring smile. "My disguise will hold. For now, you are safe. No one will recognize you."
Aurelia took a shaky breath. His confidence was a small, steady anchor in her sea of fear.
