"Phew..."
I couldn't believe that this tedious conversation in the imperial palace had finally come to an end.
In total, I spent about two hours here — two endless, exhausting hours during which Emperor Serdic de Stone interrogated me. His steely eyes, reflecting the candlelight, never left me for a second. He seemed to weigh each of my answers on invisible scales, catching the slightest hint of insincerity.
I tried to maintain impeccable grace — a steady voice, calm posture, and a slight smile that hid all my nervousness. At one point, I almost lost feeling in my hands, clenching them too tightly on my knees under the folds of my dress.
Finally, relying solely on my acting skills, I managed to convince the emperor that I was indeed an ordinary lady with no questionable connections to criminals.
And although I wasn't entirely sure that the emperor believed me completely, it didn't matter much. The main thing was that I managed to get out of this whole situation.
