No matter how big the room was, Olivia felt the walls closing in on her as King Alistair's seething glare swept past her. Her grip on Maxen's hand tightened when her imagination made her see things like the printed flock of an egret on the wallpaper, fluttering its wings to fly up and away from the lotus jade pond to escape the king's impending wrath.
"This is not the time for jokes, Maxen. You, of all people, knew how important that protocol is. It ensures our safety just in case, God forbid it won't happen, someone attacks The Highlands."
Maxen protested, "Olivia is safer beside me. I don't want to leave her life in the hands of another person. I am her husband, and I am responsible to keep her safe from any threats. Is this what we should have a discussion on? Our sleeping arrangement? Is this Abbott's idea?"
