Secret

As soon as the prince get inside, Cosmos faintly invite Marianne, he looked timid and inexperienced on having even little conversation with women.

"Welcome"

"Thank you" she replied to his kind gesture before he helped her up the stairs.

When inside , they walked on the top wooden floor of the tavern which constantly creak whenever they set feet on it.

Tarimo hastily escorted prince Asa to the secluded segment of the tavern where he highly recommended for his preference.

"This will do ?!" he asked likely mumbled to himself.

Asa nodded and thanked him for his hospitality that he had showed, later after they took seat across the round table of the room, the tavern owner came with beverages and some fresh nuts.

The owner excused himself after putting them on the table and bowed graceful to the prince, the another kind gesture before he strode away.

Prince Asa lowered his head and chuckled a little while finding the owner of the tavern extra amusing.

"He never changed"

"Never will" Cosmos who seemed less interested on taking the drinks on the table replied on the prince's implied comment.

While all this time, Marianne was unbelievably quite and seemed a loof to the conversation.

The prince on the other hand was silently checking on her while softly handling his cup of brewed beer in his one hand.

He looked relaxed and composed opposite to how he looked within the palace, this place felt like his home.

"Marianne" he called, likely waking her up from the whirlwind of thoughts.

"Yes...??" her eyes landed on his face.

"Did you deliver my message to your father" he started.

"I did" Marianne answered shortly and quickly as she was very aware of where this conversation was going.

"I'm very disappointed in your father then, he didn't show up to the castle this morning"

There was impending silence that was long and thrilling. Marianne looked to the rest of the people seating around her, she was hesitant to open up her lips to continue with the conversation.

She looked once again to the prince and met his flat expression as usual.

There's no way she could tell him this, really ?!. Her father is hiding something.

She remembered how she quarrel with her father yesterday all night long, he seemed angry and frustrated and to the shock information she got from her father sounded dangerous.

He was planning something that seems to impact threat and he might be targeting someone from the castle.

It doesn't literally mean someone from the castle like a maid or castle guard, her father was targeting someone of importance, after secretly listened to her father's conversation with someone she didn't know in his office, she found out it was rebellion.

She wished the night could be short so the sun could rise early so she can find out what was going on.

After a long time of thinking, she decided to seek help from someone who earlier yesterday seemed to imply something on his father.

It was prince Asa, he might be knowing something.

She came to ask for his help but she seemed reluctant on trusting him or maybe the location he chose for conversation makes her worried.

"Marianne ??. Are you alright?!" Asa asked her with soft expression when he came to notice that lady Chalamet was afraid of something.

"No... actually not. It is about my father but this place can we talk??" she asked, her eyes scanned the room once again, it looked fine but not with people seating beside the prince and more people down the stairs who she could hear their noisy conversations and reveberating laughter.

"Trust me, my lady the prince is totally aware of the surrounding none could mind your private conversation here and if by any case you're feeling uncomfortable we could leave you alone" Cosmos sounded annoyingly when he said that.

Marianne could feel his anger, what's wrong with him ??.

" I'm sorry Cosmos if my words implied something different....but it's not about comfortableness it's about secrecy of the information I am about to disclose to the prince" she denied, strongly her eyes met annoyed Cosmos on the other side of the table.

"It's okay lady Chalamet, rest assured my boys have no trouble with whatever you are going to speak" the left corner of his lips tilted in an amusing smirk when he shoved the cup aside ready to listen to lady Chalamet's story.

This helped a little to calm Cosmos who was about to utter another sentence.

"My father..." Marianne started. " I don't understand him these days, he seemed to be planning something". she seemed unwillingly to share the secret of her father.