Ushka looked so dissatisfied that she felt she had lost a chance to buy a beautiful dress. "You won't even sleep with me because you see me as a family member?"
The king laughed. "No, you're not… I really am sorry, Ushka. If I told you the truth, you'd never let me leave. You're quite the worrywart. After all, the Black Smoke Corps didn't know until recently."
"Why did it take you this long to address this?" Ushka gritted her teeth, but she only lightened her expression when Fenris leaned on the same half-wall she did. "I could have betrayed you and told this to everyone who wanted you to fall. After all, you behaved poorly toward those royals. You clearly showed favor to some, and those ones didn't even come from the upper echelons."
"Perhaps I've always been brave because you and Melaka could cover for me." Fenris sighed and stared at the inner court garden outside. "I don't think you were acting earlier."
