Isadora followed the knight closely without saying a word. She was more than glad that Lord Richard had agreed to meet her. But that was all possible thanks to her knowing a secret about him. The way out of the dungeon was still the same. The maze, turns and twists just made her curious how it had just been constructed. With that, it was nearly impossible for one to escape.

They finally reached out of the dark way and were now in the palace grounds. Isadora squinted her eyes as she tried to adjust to the sudden brightness. The dungeon was very dark, even during the day. She couldn’t even tell if it was day or night. But judging from the time she had been locked, she knew that it was still daytime. Only a few torches installed on the wall lighted the dungeon and the path.

Isadora was more than glad when they took a hallway that was a bit darker. Her eyes had hurt due to the sunlight and she had not yet recovered fully from the experience. Even as she walked, she could only follow the knight’s boots that were just a stare away from her.

"We are here," he said. Isadora lifted her face and saw him push a handle of a door. She just followed him quietly inside before he halted. Surprised, she looked up and saw a pair of black shoes dangling on a table. Her gaze travelled further upwards and saw Lord Richard seated like the boss he was.

"You can leave us," he ordered the knights, his gaze never leaving hers. The knights hesitated for a while before he looked at Lord Richard with a concerned expression. Isadora’s gaze darted between Lord Richard and the knight and she understood his concern. Being framed as a murderer, it was unwise for her to be left in a room, with a lord at that.

"Not that she can harm me. Just leave. I will call you once I’m done." Lord Richard said. The knight nodded before he shot Isadora a warning look and left. She could only hear the sound of the door closing and she knew he was gone. Now she was alone, in a room, with a man she least knew. That somehow made her fearful. All men were the same, she thought.

"Have a seat." He said gesturing her to sit down at an empty chair opposite his. Isadora threw a glance at the empty chair as she contemplated on what to do. But eventually, she found herself sitting.

Lord Richard studied her face and knew that she didn’t trust him. Maybe it was for the better, he thought. Similarly, Isadora was cautious on how to deal with him. Holding a Lord’s secret was not only dangerous but life threatening. What if he had called her here to end her life and safeguard his secret? Not that she could do anything about it.

"You wanted to meet with me." He said breaking the ominous silence. But it sounded of a question than a statement.

"Yes." Isadora affirmed. She could tell that he was skeptical about her. Maybe because she was a maid. Only if...? She suppressed the thought. This was not the place nor the time.

"So what did you want to tell me?" He asked pouring her a cup of tea. This startled her as negative thoughts ran across her mind. She had to trend carefully around him now. What if he had poisoned the tea. He poured the tea in two cups and handed her one. But Isadora just stared at the steaming cup curiously.

Lord Richard held his cup close to his mouth as he watched her closely. She hadn’t answered his question yet. He wondered what she was thinking about when he saw the fear and confusion in her face. He followed her line of sight and saw her staring at the cup of tea. It the dawned on him what she was thinking about. Poison! Did she really devalue him to that level? Never in his life had he even hurt, let alone kill a fly. And now, here she was, thinking that he had poisoned her tea.

But he understood her reasons as well. She was holding one of his most dangerous secrets after all. So the only logical thing she would think he would do was to kill her and bury the secret all together. He didn’t blame her though. If he were in her shoes, he would have definitely thought the same.

"You don’t trust me?" He asked that question to himself more than to her. Their eyes met and he could see the answer right in them. He took a sip of his tea as she stared before he placed it on the table. He then took the cup that he had given to her and took a sip too. Maybe that would lessen her fear.

Isadora let out a sigh of relief when she saw Lord Richard sip the tea. Not that she had planned to consume it anyways. At least not a cup from him.

"So, you can tell me now," he said placing the cup on the table. Isadora watched his every action cautiously. She didn’t know what he was up to so she had to stay focused.

"I have a way to rescue Alexander." She blurted out making him to almost knock the table in excitement. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Really?" He asked, disbelief written all over his face. "The chief physician has been struggling to no avail. I bet Queen Victoria will be happy to hear this." He said, standing up.

"No! I want this matter to be kept between us only. Promise me you won’t tell anyone. I want you to receive the credit." Lord Richard sat back as he looked at her dumbfounded. Why didn’t she want to become the heroine? Did it have to do with the fact that she was the suspect? Or maybe she was the one who poisoned him and felt too guilty to her savior? Either way, he was happy that a way to cure Alexander had been found.

"So, do you have a decoction or anti venom?" He asked. Isadora shook her head making him to frown. If she didn’t have one of those, then how the hell were they going to save the prince. Would she perform a miracle or what? But she had said she didn’t want to get credit. He was now curious.

"How are you going to save him then?"

"You have to trust me in this." She said and he nodded faintly. "I have to use your room, alone."