Lioran;
Balina's breath hitches as he stares at me.
The hitch is faint… barely audible.
Like the kind of sound someone would make if they swallowed saliva wrong. But despite how low it was, I heard it. The same way I've heard every lie he's hidden under his words since he got here.
His pupils sharpen, the way preys do when they sense a predator has finally found their hiding spot.
I let the silence stretch. Deliberately. Cruelly.
Wondering how long it will take him to break.
I lean back in my seat and flip another page of the "proposal," before letting out a soft, amused sigh.
"So," I begin boredly,
"This is the great plea for peace you've been building for… let me guess… months?" I demand, and he blinks quickly.
Knowing that something is wrong, but still deciding to play along.
"Yes…Yes, Prince Lioran. My people are…" He begins again, but I cut him off.
"Starving."
He blinks at me, and I blink back.
