"At the cost of treason, the Duke had endured, all for his lover." Lady Elara quoted, and they squealed, losing their dignified composure and all seeming like fan girls.
They did not seem to care that he was a man being loved by another man. A love story was still a love story, and the most enticing one was that of forbidden romance, going against all norms and customs to be together.
What could get their hearts racing more than that?
As the ladies swooned, the Empress gently tapped her porcelain cup with a silver teaspoon. The chime brought a sudden, heavy silence, and all the ladies composed themselves in an instant.
The Empress was about to speak.
Julian looked at the Empress, her faded amber eyes fixed on him more sharply than before.
"Master Astrea," she began, her voice softening, more than it had been with all that dryness in her throat. "May I offer a word of advice?"
