[b]Ella felt like she'd been punch in the gut, wanting nothing more than to run away now. She hadn't been prepared for the Rhal king to be so kind. She'd been taught that he was evil and an obstacle to be taken down, so it never occurred to her that he could be friendly. And he was so happy to see her with Marken. Damn it, she had another reason to feel guilty now.

Eating supper was hell for Ella; she barely even touched her food, although she was able to appear to be calm & happy herself. The more delighted and friendly King Glenn became, the worse Ella felt about what she was doing with Marken. Did he feel guilt over this as well?

By dessert, Ella felt like hiding herself in a corner and never coming out of it. Glenn was actually [i]moved to tears [/i] by his son's announcement that he and Ella would get married within the month. It was enough to make her feel lower than a snake. Was this Marken's real revenge, making her feel terrible for eventually dashing all of his father's hopes that his son would have a happy marriage? He didn't seem to be the type who would sink that low, but she was willing to believe anything at this point. [/b]