Her gaze shifted as she surveyed Egon's hopeful eyes. Noctavian carrying any name other than de Lanark? It sounded more like a fairy tale than reality to Adela's ears. That is why she wasn't offended by his audacious statement.
But the idea that this man could come and assert rights over her son whom he had yet to truly know struck her as remarkably immature—a behavior she would have expected from Egon.
"I wasn't suggesting that it should happen immediately," he added in haste, finally, it appeared he had grasped the gravity of his earlier presumptuous demand.
"...Noctavian is the Crown Prince of this esteemed Kingdom. Regardless of the passage of time, what you're proposing lies entirely within his purview."
"Then I would like some time alone with him," he admitted, looking somewhat uncomfortable for a moment before adding, "With your permission."
She raised a weary eyebrow at him. "You mean with my persuasion?"
