The Garden Maid Confession

The guards shoved the garden maid forward, and she stumbled, scrambling to her knees with desperation etched on her face. 

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she begged, her voice trembling.

"Your Grace, please! Have mercy!" she cried out, clutching her hands together in a plea.

Alaric seated himself calmly in the chair before her, his movements deliberate and composed, while Salviana settled beside him. 

His expression was unreadable, but the chill in his eyes made the maid tremble harder. He leaned back slightly, his tone sharp but unsettlingly soft.

"This is how it's going to go," Alaric began, lacing his fingers together. "I hear your mother is a fish seller in Wyfborough."

The maid's sobs intensified, and she wailed, "Your Grace! Please—"