Edric kept his face composed, but something inside him shifted sharply.
The King did not sound triumphant. He did not sound disappointed either. What lingered in his voice was stranger than either of those things, something Edric could not yet name, and that uncertainty alone was enough to make him wary. Enough to make him listen more closely than he otherwise might have.
The King had met her. That much was certain now.
Edric's fingers curled once at his side before he forced them still again.
Who, exactly, had the King met? The one he believed to be his son's lover? Or Lucien's "Leveret" he was curious about?
And perhaps more importantly, what had he seen when he looked at her?
"Sire," he said at last, bowing his head as though to hide the line of his thoughts. He would not answer too quickly. Not until he understood what game was being played here.
