Answer: They themselves felt justified in what they had done, so when they were accused they probably felt more offended because they thought they did the right thing. There also is the side that after hearing about Hero’s death they felt remorse. As for the challenge the prince was not really apart it so he was only affected by the loss of a good friend. Claudio’s pride told him he was right in what he did so he was going to defend his choice. This shows that they had conflicted feelings because they were right yet the girl had died.
