The room went very still.
Marcus stood motionless, the blade glinting in his hand. For a moment, Charlotte thought she had made a terrible mistake—that her words had only angered him, only made things worse.
Then he laughed.
"Keheheheh—!"
It wasn't the cultured chuckle from before. This was something rawer. The laugh of a man who had just been genuinely surprised.
"Oh my!" He said, his voice dripping with amusement. "Who taught you such profanity, Lady Charlotte? A child of your stature, speaking in such a dirty manner. Using words like 'balls.' Whatever would your mother think?"
Charlotte said nothing. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears.
"But what you're saying..." He set down the curved blade. He turned to face her fully, his masked visage unreadable. "What you're saying is true."
He took a step toward her.
"I haven't been completely honest with you. You're right. You're absolutely right."
