She supresseda a gasp of tears,, whimpering as she held he chin up, unable to fight the coming tears.
"Your father wants you now. At the eastern corridor."
Like a shadow, saltmeter appeared, whispered, his unsettling gaze fixed on her before blending into the crowd again.
She felt a bone chilling menace from him.
Dropping her empty glass of wine and discreetly wiping jee eyes, she hurried over.
The corridor felt narrower than it had any right to be.
Seraphina walked into it quickly, the sound of the hall still clinging faintly to her, music and laughter muffled behind stone.
"Father?"
Her steps slowed when she saw her father waiting, his posture rigid, his expression already set in something that made her stomach tighten.
She stopped a few paces away, lifting her chin out of habit more than confidence.
"If this is about the dinner, I handled it," she said, her tone clipped but controlled. "He is the one being deliberately difficult—"
