She had planned to use him to get to his father? Eliezer nearly spat out the mouthful of tea he was conveniently about to swallow. Thankfully, he managed to keep it in, coughing lightly into his fist before taking a deep breath. Despite his success in preventing the embarrassing event from occurring, his discomfort was apparent. He had wanted to know the truth, and now that she had willingly given it to him, it all possibly made even less sense than before. If it was the truth, then why would she tell him such a thing? The fact that she had said it in such a casual manner made it all the more unbelievable. Could it be that it was her idea of humor?

It was not very often that Eliezer would be lost for words. In most cases, one would liken his eloquence to that of an actor who had learned a script by heart. It would not be strange, however, if one were to know that the prince had practically been learning his responses to most situations from 'scripts' his entire life. Almost every line spoken had been committed to memory, waiting for the right moment to be used. Unfortunately, he could find nothing this time as he searched his mind for an appropriate response to Raven's statement. Perhaps he should simply admit that to her. After all, the awkward silence had been lingering for long enough. He had to say [i]something[/i], even if it may not be the right thing to say.

"I- I don't know what to say... Pray tell me you jest, my lady..."

She did mention it was not longer the case, because of how happy he had made her. Apparently, it was the 'love' she had developed for him that inspired the change in her goals. He wanted to believe that he was truly witnessing the powerful influence of love on someone, and to some extent, he actually did, but that did not change the fact that obtaining his love was not her initial intention, and that she basically had him fooled the first time they met. Could he trust what she was saying now? Surely she knew the possible consequences of letting him know her initial goals? What if this was her trusting [i]him[/i] to take the next step with such information in mind? He had been plagued by confusion ever since he had met Raven, but was that really a bad thing?

He then managed to snap out of his thoughts and return to the current conversation, for such things could be returned to at a later time. "I simply do what I know is right or appropriate, my lady, and if it all makes you happy, then I am glad to have succeeded in doing so. I also thank you for your encouragement, although there are many times when you have implied that I am inadequate in certain areas. I trust that you have seen an improvement?"

Her kiss felt... pleasant. All logic aside, his relationship with Raven was something he honestly wanted. It was the first thing he could remember desiring that he was not told he should desire. That was not wrong, was it? It could be, if the safety of his family was at risk. It was all very overwhelming at the moment, perhaps speaking with Allister and Mathazar might ease his mind a little.