Nero kept smiling until he was out of Dean's sight.
That was the first rule of court.
Not one his fathers had taught him directly. Dax had taught him many other things: where to place his weight before a strike, how to make an insult sound like a compliment, and how to let people underestimate you exactly once. Christopher had taught him restraint, which was far more annoying and far more useful. Smile before the wound shows. Bow before the room notices. Leave before someone clever and affectionate decides to make it their problem.
Nero had been loved well enough to learn all of them.
That was the inconvenient part.
