Chapter 127
Jack
"Your Highness."
I turn with a neutral, polite smile — the smile I've been forcing all night, only for it to immediately freeze when I see him.
The creepy painter.Every hair on my body stands on end.
"Duke Duvall," I say, my smile tight enough to snap my jaw.
He gives a soft laugh, the kind that makes my skin crawl.
"Please, call me Laurent. When you say 'Duke Duvall,' I feel like my father."
"I'd rather follow protocol, DukeDuvall," I repeat, with a pleasant edge.
His eye twitches.
"It's a pleasure, Your Highness," he says smoothly.
"Indeed," I reply, taking a sip of wine. "Especially since our last meeting wasn't… pleasant."
Crack.There it is. the tiny fracture in his perfect façade.He bows stiffly and glides away, violet hair trailing behind him like some dramatic RPG antagonist.
Good riddance.
I down half my wine in one go. I need the alcohol. And maybe a priest.
"Little brother doing well?" a far-too-cheerful voice asks behind me.
