Chapter 61 The Wise Parent
Silence. God, I was dying to know how the King would react to Gisella's bold words. The room suddenly felt like an execution chamber. The King just stared at those two, his old eyes sharp as a razor.?
The King let out a long sigh. It sounded so heavy, like he was both exhausted and furious. He looked at Didier, then shifted to Gisella. His gaze wasn't judging, but it still made us feel tiny.
"Enough," the King said. He didn't yell, but everyone in the room went dead silent.
He stared intensely at Didier. "Didier, I heard about you and that temple girl who isn't even a noble. Don't think I'm blind. It's inappropriate, it shows zero dignity for an heir to the throne. You're a Prince, not some teenager going through puberty on the street corner."
Didier lowered his head immediately. His face, which was red with anger a second ago, went pale as a ghost. He kept quiet, not daring to interrupt.
Then the King turned to Gisella. "And you, Gisella."
Gisella looked down, but her shoulders were tense.
"Your actions, meeting another man at the harbor, alone... that's wrong. You are the Crown Prince's fiancée. Your reputation is the dignity of this kingdom."
I held my breath. Shit, I thought. Gisella's getting reamed.
But the King didn't stop. "I don't want to hear about any more drama. This is embarrassing."
The King rose from his seat. "You two, listen closely. I'm giving you one month. One month to get your heads straight. Cool your brains, don't act on emotions."
He glanced back and forth between Didier and Gisella. "Stay away from Lysandra. Stay away from Julian Vance. I don't want to see their faces anywhere near you during this cooling-off period. Understood?"
"Understood, Father," Didier's voice was low, almost a whisper.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Gisella answered, her voice steady.
The King continued, his voice sounding more political this time. "I will discuss this matter with the Empress. After all, Gisella was chosen by the Empress's family, and Viscount Mercer has strong ties to her side. I cannot make this decision unilaterally without her."
I just kept my head bowed low. This was a golden opportunity. One month. Enough time to find a way out, or enough time for us to wait for this time bomb to actually go off.
Didier gave Gisella a fleeting look, a gaze full of hatred, before he turned around and left the throne room. Gisella glanced at me and winked, her eyes signaling: 'We'll talk later.'
I just swallowed hard. Okay, so this isn't over. In fact, it's just starting. One month in "quarantine" without Julian and Lysandra for the two of them? This is going to be the longest month of my life. Will Gisella and I end up getting beheaded like at the end of this novel?