The man bowed respectfully, "My master named me Thorne."
"Your master? Dante? " Laina asked as she pieced the clues together.
The man nodded. He got back down on one knee, surprising Laina as she took a step back. At first, she could not quite understand why she felt as if the man felt so familiar to her. A sweet fragrance of roses hung in the air around the man.
Laina instinctively looked over to her dressing table. The blood rose Dante had given her should have been in its vase. But it was not there. The fragrance of roses she smelled from the man matched that of the blood rose.
"I have been tasked with your protection. I apologize for scaring you, Your Majesty," Thorne spoke eloquently.
Laina turned to Marius, seeking confirmation, "Is this true?"
He quickly nodded, "Yes."
