Lucian and I are now sitting across from each other in the heavy leather chairs of his study.
The tension in the room is suffocating.
"So. You snuck out of the palace and went all the way to the Lower Forge District?" he asks, his voice chillingly calm, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Why even ask when you already know?!" I snap, crossing my arms tightly over my chest.
"Cyrina, you are a constant target," Lucian states, his icy blue eyes fixed entirely on me. "There are moving parts and hidden factions in this Empire that we still do not fully know about. If anything happens to you down there, it will cause a great disaster for both of our races."
Tsk... I bite the inside of my cheek, a sudden, heavy ache blooming in my chest. Is that all?
"Is that all?" I ask aloud, my voice dropping. I look right into his eyes, desperately searching for a single crack of genuine, personal worry.
