Caspian held his breath as the table fell into a heavy silence. The High Lady's words still hung in the air, sharp and deliberate despite his efforts to take the attention away from it.
It was just jarring.
You.
Not Your Majesty. Not My Emperor. Just you.
Not even the empress was allowed to address him like that in their privacy. How could Belinda, the High Lady, the second wife out of obligation, dare to say that?
The weight of her address pressed down on the room like an unseen force, tightening the air around them. At least that's what Caspian felt, fearing for his mother's well-being.
"Your Highness, please, I'm sure my mother—"
But the Emperor raised his hand at that, silencing him with the simple gesture.
Both the Empress and Adrian, seated across from them, glanced at one another, uncertain, their hands stilling over untouched food. Even the servants standing along the walls stiffened, their gazes lowered, but ears keen.
