Sairis's POV
Sairis had known the moment he saw the carriage that it was a bad idea.
Not the going to the market part. That part was fine. That part was entirely reasonable.
The bad idea was the carriage itself, polished wood and gold trim and the royal crest sitting right there on the door where anyone within a hundred feet could see it clearly and know exactly whose carriage it was and draw every conclusion that followed from that.
He had not said anything about it to Loreen because he understood what the carriage was really about. It was not about getting Sairis to the market. It was about Loreen feeling like he had some form of control over a trip he had not been able to talk Sairis out of.
The crest on the door was Loreen's way of being present without being there. Sairis understood that. He found it both irritating and quietly touching in equal measure.
So he had climbed in without a word and said nothing the whole ride.
