A small ripple of curiosity spread through the table.
Alyssane remained quiet, her hand tense around the knife as her mind whirled in confusion. 'How could Elara know anything?'
The countess' lips curled into a mocking smile as she let her words hang for a moment, as one by one, everyone looked her way, wondering what she would say.
"It's strange, isn't it? I heard the girl here was once detained by the Imperial Knights," Elara mused with a dark gleam in her eyes.
Her gaze remained on the Archduchess, relishing the way Elaena's expression shifted from displeasure to those of an uneasy confusion.
"What do you mean, my lady?" One of the nobles asked, laughing mockingly as he looked at Alyssane.
"I am not sure about the exact reason, it has been a long time," Elara said in a low distant voice, her smile dimming slightly, "No one is certain about the exact cause… but I have heard from the Count that it happened when the Lord Chancellor was mysteriously murdered."
