Tanya’s POV

I turn towards Lily, surprised by the chill in her tone. I’ve never seen her be openly hostile before, but when I look into her eyes, it’s not just anger that fills them; it’s fear. What could she possibly be afraid of? I can’t figure out what’s going through her mind, but I don’t get the chance to ask her. Ayana leaps at the opportunity to accuse me once again, yelling in my face.

“So, she’s not a murderer, but she’s a thief!” she cries.

Eric and Marco help Cathy to her feet as the princess slowly begins to recover. Still, Ayana is relentless in her efforts to make me seem like the villain.

“That extraordinary perfume, you took it from Lily’s family! They recently showed Montenero’s custom perfume collection at the perfumery. Tanya must have stolen it from there.”

“I would never do that,” I try to explain. “It’s true that I visited the perfume display, but I didn’t steal anything. I made this fragrant potion myself, recreating the formula from what I smelled in the spe