Silver fell silent for a few long, agonizing seconds. Slowly, he shifted his gaze toward her, the freezing morning air passing between them like a sharp, unsheathed blade.
"Your Imperial Majesty," he murmured, his voice dropping into a dangerously smooth, raspy register that vibrated beneath his pointed hood. "Are you intentionally trying to provoke me right now? You know exactly what I am capable of when I am... unamused."
A low, melodic laugh escaped Refina's lips—a sound of pure, seasoned aristocratic amusement that didn't reach her calculating eyes. "Oh, my dear boy... let us just say I am thoroughly entertained by the sight of my daughter being so fiercely desired by a creature of utter chaos."
