  &quot;Mallory, if you're willing to accept punishment for your actions, I will not stop you,&quot; I warned. &quot;But I don't think your friend deserves to pay with her life because of your actions.&quot;
  Her head quickly turned to me. Fear has dominated her previously weeping face. &quot;Are you going to tell His Majesty?&quot; she quickly asked, her eyes wide open.
  &quot;I won't but if one of the servants finds her there, they may tell the king,&quot; I added.
  She was suddenly torn. She's too broken to proceed with it but I can see her genuine concern for her friend.
  I offered her my hand, causing her to look at me with a confused look on her face. &quot;Come, now. You don't want to be seen as a rude friend.&quot;
  She looked at my hand before looking back at me again.
  &quot;We don't have time for this, Mallory,&quot; I added, trying not to sound as demanding as possible.

  As soon as I caught sight of her friend, the universe stopped. Not a sound was heard, not a muscle moved. Right then and there, I was frozen, trying to understand what s happening.
  Not having a clue of what s going on, Mallory began introducing us with a smile, &quot;Robert, I would like for you to meet Laura. Laura, this is Robert, the man I was telling you about.&quot;
  Laura s eyes were wide open, I couldn t tell what she s feeling right now. Is she in shock? Is her blood boiling out of rage? Is she as confused as me right now? What are the odds that Mallory s friend is the same person that I ve been very careful not to hurt?
  &quot;Robert?&quot; Mallory s faint voice became clearer as she continued to call out to me. &quot;Robert?&quot;
  I blinked twice as I returned to reality. From the corner of my eyes, Laura took a deep breath in and started avoiding my stare, looking arou

  &quot;Now, please answer the question: why bring up this matter?&quot; I repeated.
  She played with her hands for a brief moment then took a deep breath before continuing, &quot;I brought my friend here. She's waiting downstairs at the stables.&quot;
  &quot;What?!&quot; my hands gripped onto the armrest as I leaned forward, removing my legs from their previous position.
  &quot;You said I can introduce you after your trip--&quot;
  &quot;That doesn't mean that you can just decide on your own,&quot; I started walking towards her, scolding her as if she was a child. She's completely acting like one right now. &quot;What made you think that you can simply make such a decision without asking me first?&quot; my hands on my waist as I stood in front of her.
  &quot;I didn't get the chance to ask you because I was immediately sent to the Mortal Realm to find some kind of herb--&quot;
  &quo

&quot;Mallory, if you're willing to accept punishment for your actions, I will not stop you,&quot; I warned. &quot;But I don't think your friend deserves to pay with her life because of your actions.&quot;
  Her head quickly turned to me. Fear has dominated her previously weeping face. &quot;Are you going to tell His Majesty?&quot; she quickly asked, her eyes wide open.
  &quot;I won't but if one of the servants finds her there, they may tell the king,&quot; I added.
  She was suddenly torn. She's too broken to proceed with it but I can see her genuine concern for her friend.
  I offered her my hand, causing her to look at me with a confused look on her face. &quot;Come, now. You don't want to be seen as a rude friend.&quot;
  She looked at my hand before looking back at me again.
  &quot;We don't have time for this, Mallory,&quot; I added, trying not to sound as demanding as possible. &quot;You have to make a decision right now. Her life is absolutely in peril right now.&quot;


Chapter 16 Flipped (d)