"I see... However, you said this before my father treated you kindly. I'm thinking there's more to this, but I'll drop it, you clearly don't want to talk about it in detail." He was disappointed with her answer, his own thoughts about her going the other way. Perhaps he'd misjudged her reactions for something more. Regardless, it was time for them to eat lunch and no matter what, they still had an appearance to keep up. He would hold out his hand for her, though it seemed more distant. He seemed more resigned now, rather than try to tease Ella further, Marken simply kept to himself.

The entire situation made his head hurt. Her words conflicted with her actions, something Marken was more likely to believe, but he wasn't going to force the girl to talk to him. He honestly couldn't, short of something on the lines of torture. And, cold as he asked, Marken simply didn't have it in him to someone, much less for something of that caliber. "Perhaps you've already betrayed your king with your actions yesterday and today. I doubt marrying me is on the list of orders..." He wasn't pushy with his words, they just seemed to be meaningless facts, like his words before that. Emotionless, toneless.

As he awaited her response, Marken would start to lead Ella away from the room, into the mansion once more to the dining hall. The kitchens were nearby, in the event that a meal was not waiting for them, that they had woken up too early for lunch, which was entirely possible. Marken wasn't sure what the time was, he hadn't been woken up by the sunlight, it had been the shifting form of Ella that had stirred him from his slumber. Arriving in the dining hall, Marken was surprised to find that a meal had been waiting, it was just being delivered to the table. A simple lunch, of roasted ham, potatoes, and a gravy made from the grease from the meat, and hot bread, was prepared at a much smaller table. The dining table was far too large to use for such every day lunches, rather it was used in special cases, such as when a noble family was visiting, or a feast was held that required the entire table for food. Regardless, the small table beckoned to Marken with the scent of its delicious food.

"Shall we eat then?" No one else seemed to be at the table, perhaps it was too early for his father or mother to be ready for lunch. As much as that would suit him, Marken still needed to talk to his father about the details of this marriage, get it underway and in the planning. Things needed to be ordered, decorations created, it wouldn't be an overnight process, not even for a king and his son.