'She thinks she has to be perfect, that if she makes a mistake, or acts her age, I will abandon her. She is carrying the emotional burden of an adult because she is terrified.'
The realization was a dagger to his heart.
He stood up, unable to remain seated.
He began to pace the length of the study like a caged panther.
The situation in the Iron Marches was only exacerbating his panic.
For the past three days, they had been forced to endure the "hospitality" of Duke Reginald Voran while Kaelus audited the industrial ledgers.
This meant that Seraphina was frequently exposed to Voran's biological daughter, Lady Drusilla.
Drusilla was an absolute, unmitigated terror.
She was a hurricane of spoiled entitlement wrapped in heavy brocade.
She demanded things, shrieked when she didn't get her way, and treated the servants like footstools.
And she had made it her personal, petty mission to make Seraphina's life miserable.
