Neither of them moved for a while longer.
Zaeryn could hear people passing through the gallery beyond the door, their voices too distant to make out. Somewhere out there were officials waiting for her, and attendants wondering where she had gone. For the moment, Athea seemed content to let them wait.
Then came a quiet knock, and an aide's voice through the door, apologetic and careful, reminding the Princess that the visiting delegation had been waiting in the reception room for some time.
Athea's hand stilled against his cheek.
"That would be my afternoon," she said, more to herself than to him. "Diplomats keep worse hours than the Council."
She did not send the aide away, and she did not ask Zaeryn to move. She only looked at the door for a moment, and then down at him.
"You should go back now," she said. "You still have not eaten, and I have kept you longer than I intended."
