Zania took a step forward, her eyes sharp again.
"Now let me tell you all something."
"I wouldn't show you mercy… just because you beg for it."
A few heads jerked up.
"If not for Lord Garius's mercy…" she continued, her voice calm but firm,
"…I'd already be hanging in Gaze City. Public execution. No trial. No second chance."
The warriors went quiet again.
"But he spared me."
"And he told me—me—to decide your fate."
She let the words sink in.
"I'm not your princess anymore. I'm a prisoner."
Then she turned to Cedric, her expression suddenly soft, warm, and wildly lovestruck.
"A prisoner not just of Armand…
…but of my handsome prince~"
She smiled sweetly.
Cedric stared blankly.
Meira audibly gritted her teeth.
Zania stood tall, her voice steady and clear.
"Now—each of you will earn your freedom. I won't hand it to you."
"You have to decide for yourselves."
She pointed toward the gate behind the Armand knights.
