"You don't believe your childhood friend Aeric can talk like that with me? Aren't you putting too much trust in him, Your Highness?" I asked, watching Darius carefully.
His jaw tightened, the faintest twitch at the corner of his eye. "Madam, I've told you several times—he is not the kind of man you're imagining. Aeric has been with me since we were boys. If he wanted the throne, he could have taken it long ago. He was the one people favored first."
I stepped closer, folding my arms. "And why exactly do you think he was first in line for the throne? He has no royal blood. He has no imperial lineage. So tell me—why was a man with no direct connection to the imperial bloodline favored over you, the emperor's only son?"
He froze.
For a moment, it looked as if the air was knocked out of him.
A quiet, heavy silence fell between us—one that carried secrets I had not been told.
His throat worked, but no words came out.
