<h4>Chapter 288: rin’s identity unveiled.</h4>


    Rnd waited for her answer, either denial or an admission. His gaze was sharp and unrelenting, daring her to lie to him. He already knew, no matter how she answered, he knew and that fact was not going to change.


    Sigrid looked away from his eyes, staring at the wall of the courtyard. She had always told rin to only behave submissively when they were out of the public eye. When other people were around, she was to remain neutral, speak to Sigrid less and sometimes coldly.


    To the outside world, it had to appear as if there was no collusion between the two of them. They had both kept to these rules so how had Rnd caught on?


    Was it because she and rin had started ying cards and enjoying evening tea with Mauve and Christie since they moved to the royal castle? Maybe she should im that rin was young and bored so they were just friends.


    But he knew. Of that, she was sure but how long he had known, she did not know so she decided to ask. "How long have you known?"


    Rnd exhaled, releasing a breath that even he had no idea he had been holding back. "Long enough."


    He turned her face to look at him but she chose to look at a tent inside. She didn’t like it when people knew her secrets, not even those closest to her. It made her feel naked. If he knew about rin, what else did he know? Did he know about the brothel? About the organization? His mother!!


    I need to calm down...she thought. If he knew about the queen, he would have confronted her already. What she had done could be considered unforgivable, depending on how Rnd felt towards his mother.


    He turned her face towards himself again and kept a firm grip on her jaw so that she could not avoid his eyes. "You were careful, but not careful enough. No woman of the king gives way to a crown princess when they meet. rin always steps to the side when you two pass by each other.


    Every time the two of you talk, she pauses and waits for your responses. If what you say is encouraging, she goes on. If you disy anger, she steps back, acting like one of yourdies in waiting.


    When we were having dinner, she waited for you to serve yourself food first before she served herself. It is in the little things Sigrid. Other people may miss it and attribute her behavior to patience but not me." He told her this in a low voice.


    She clenched her jaw, feeling the need to wrap her arms across her chest and back away from him.


    "I am not condemning or rebuking you my love. Given the world we live in maybe I even understand you." He shook his head. "I just don’t understand why."


    "Why what?" she asked, voice cold.


    "Don’t do that." Rnd bit out. His voice had less anger and more disappointment. "Don’t pull away from me and close yourself off, acting as if I am your enemy. You can give your coldness to others but not me. I am not your enemy, I am your husband. You know most of my secrets and yet I know only a little bit of yours. I often tell you about my past but when I ask about yours you say the same thing, there is nothing interesting there."


    "You looked into me before or after we married. I am sure that you know enough about me." She answered defensively. "And there is nothing interesting truly, it would all bore you anyway."


    "Then bore me." He raised his voice suddenly. "Bore me to death but don’t shut me out."


    She winced and closed her eyes for a moment. How she wished that he had not brought up rin’s matter for they had been having such a great time.


    "You told him about Emmah and but this you cannot say!" Cosmos eximed.


    Sigrid heard the voice in her mind and she blocked it out. What did Cosmos know? When people knew all of your secrets, they could use them against you. rin had been her secret pawn and she waspromised. In future, any suggestion that she made in rtion to how the empire would be run would be questioned by Rnd.


    He would know that she had a hand in it and if it was opposing what he wanted, he would know that she had betrayed him.


    "Open your eyes." Rnd shook her as gently as he could.


    She did and she looked at him. His jaw was tensed and his eyes...dark. It seemed he was angry with her.


    "I think we should have this conversation somewhere more private." she suggested.


    Sigrid hade to a decision while her eyes were closed. If the pawn was useless, she might as well tell him everything. So, they moved to their bedroom and all the servants were dismissed.


    Rnd kept a distance from her. He picked a wall and leaned against it, folding his arms as he waited for her exnation. "Go on, tell me why you brought rin into my father’s life. I do not believe in coincidences, her resemnce to the dead consort Rina is uncanny. To find a woman like rin, you must have been searching for a very long time. It seems to me like she has ties to Medoris. Is that where you found her? Who brought her to Eldoria, John or Nathan?"


    "Neither." Sigrid pushed herself back on the bed and crossed her legs. "rin is from here, Eldoria."


    Rndughed dryly. "So the fairy kingdom shees from is a lie. Of course it is."


    Sigrid swallowed, and she took a measured breath. She had thought things through while they were walking to the bedroom. If she came off as a great schemer, Rnd might be too wary of her. No man that was wary of his wife stayed married to that woman for long.


    Even if he did, the marriage was not a happy one, like that of king Raff and queen Maurelia. If she did not give up something, they would end up like that. It was a good thing she had a scapegoat to dump all the me on.


    A mute scapegoat that could not defend herself even if she found out the truth.


    "Your mother started this not me." Sigrid said, sharing what was both a truth and a lie. But as far as she figured, it was the truth.