Katharina's bedroom was a temple of dramatic luxury. Wine-colored velvet curtains hung from the vaulted ceiling, and the scent of night-blooming roses permeated the air, mixed with the faint smell of magical incense. In the center, sprawled on cushions scattered across a disorganized throne of comfort, Katharina lay, huffing like a sulky teenager.
"I just think it's ridiculous, okay?" she complained, crossing her arms tightly. "We marry him, go through everything, and then... that's it. He disappears. He goes off to play cosmic babysitter with a little demon witch girl."
Roxanne, sitting cross-legged on a divan with a glass of liqueur in her hands, nodded dramatically.
"Exactly. Like, she's not even his real daughter! She was thrown into his lap and now, suddenly, she's his priority? Seriously, what kind of man leaves three wonderful wives for a child who doesn't even have a last name? Ugh..."
