The amusement in her expression didn't vanish, but it dimmed by a fraction. She became more attentive.
He went on before she could deflect. "I keep noticing it. Ysmeine vanishes into her room every time the High Commander pings her. It's not once or twice. It's a pattern."
Daphne's gaze lingered on him. Then she smiled faintly. "It does make you wonder, doesn't it."
He squinted at her. "That sounds like a sentence someone uses when they know more than they're admitting."
"I don't know what's said in those private holo meetings. Not exactly. Whatever Lysara discusses with Athea and Ysmeine is locked behind military privacy, royal privilege, and the High Commander's general unwillingness to let anyone breathe near her business."
"Lysara, I don't know her that well. But she's the High Commander. It's her job to be confidential."
"It is very much her." Her fingers stilled against his ribs. "But I know it's about you."
