She exhaled, her brow furrowing for a moment. “I... have promised my daughter that I will not interfere,” she said after a moment. “And I owe her that much. But if you hurt her, Zerras, I swear, I will be the first one to bring the guards. If at any point, you wish to flee, I will cover for you under the condition that you never bother us again.”
He relaxed a little, but looked up at her. "I don't intend to hurt her nor do I intend to flee," he said slowly, his brows furrowed. "So I suppose you're stuck with me."
Her eyes narrowed and she straightened up, her gaze cold. “Then don’t mess up,” she replied icily. “I will not let you destroy her like you do to everyone else.” She raised an eyebrow. “You do not deserve her, you know. You don’t deserve a second chance from anyone, but you especially don’t deserve it from her.”
Juniper entered the room and her eyes widened as she looked between the two of them, her brows furrowing. “What’s going on?” she asked, her eyes wide. “What are you two talking about?” “You don’t need to hide anymore, Juniper,” her mother said quietly before turning to leave. “I know everything. Zerras can fill you in on the details.” Juniper seemed frightened, turning to him in confusion.
Zerras was still frowning, his brows furrowed. He looked over at her, almost in shame. "It's okay, June."
Her mother left the room and she came over to him, taking his hands gently. “Come on,” she said quietly. “Let’s go outside.”
He nodded slightly and followed her out. She would be able to tell he was tense. Something was bothering him.
She turned to him as they left, her brows furrowed. “What did she say?” she asked tremulously. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you alone with her.”
He shook his head slightly before he slipped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "You know I love you, right?"
She seemed very concerned now, slipping her arms around his neck. “You do, sweet boy. What did she say to you?” she asked, running her fingers through his hair gently.
She frowned before kissing his cheek. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, burying her face in his neck. “I know she can be... ruthless.”
She looked up at him before giving him a soft kiss, watching him with wide eyes. “I love you too.” They would hear a squeal from one of the windows that sounded suspiciously like Rosalind.
There was no one there, but Juniper squinted too. “Oh, Gods,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “There is no privacy. Now they all know.”
