She didn't answer.
It took every ounce of his willpower not to pull her into his arms and cancel the entire operation.
"I know you are... displeased," Kaelus continued, swallowing hard, the lie burning like acid on his tongue. "But your education cannot be neglected. The tutors I have provided are insufficient. The Academy will offer you the rigorous academic structure you require to cultivate your intellect."
'Liar,' Seraphina's inner child wept, her lower lip trembling violently. 'You're lying. You're sending me away because of the bad men. You promised you wouldn't leave me in the dark.'
But her adult mind forced the facade to hold. She had to be angry. If she showed him she understood, he would break.
"I don't want to go to the school with the snobby kids," Seraphina mumbled, her voice thick and stubborn, keeping her eyes glued to the baseboards. "I want to stay here with you. You said I didn't have to go if I didn't want to."
