The ride back was quiet. Emilia couldn't bring herself to interrogate the man in front of his child, even though she knew he was hiding something. She had seen enough to know that his story had holes in it, but she also couldn't ignore the way the boy had rushed into his father's arms the moment he saw him crying.
Abellona, on the other hand, felt somewhat relieved. They had traveled for days to reach the town, and it would take them just as long to return to the capital.
It would have been faster to simply fly there, but she wanted to keep an eye on Emilia.
She felt absolutely no guilt about betraying her.
If Emilia discovered the truth, it could cause a civil war. If handled poorly, that conflict could even bring about the fall of the empire. These were turbulent times, and the empire had already endured too much in recent years.
