Vance lightly pulled Melva's hand to help her up from her seat and only then she realised that she had been holding hands with him this whole time. Her face heating up from embarrassment, she tried tugging her hand from his hold, but he held on firmly, unwilling to let go. Afraid to make a fuss and draw the royal guards' attention, she stopped struggling and let him hold her hand to drag her along with him, out of the dining hall.
A few royal guards trailed behind them almost immediately after they stepped out of the hall to escort them as if on command though no one ordered them to. Vance showed them that he didn't need their escort by leading the way towards the drawing room. It seemed like he had memorised the ways inside the palace, further proving the frequency of his visit.
