Page 104 of The Throne's Undoing

Graeson's legbounced beneath the table as Medenia and Ophelia entered the dining room.

"Stay, Beau," Medenia ordered as the dog attempted to sneak under the table in search of scraps.

Beau whined, his ears dropping as he retreated to the hallway. He plopped down at the entrance, his big, wide eyes pleading. A small grin tugged at the corner of Graeson's mouth as he watched in amusement.

Medenia shook her head, chuckling.

"You spoil him too much," Ophelia said, pulling out Medenia's chair.

Medenia scoffed. "No more than you do."

"Where is Terin?" Dani asked, gripping a knife tightly.

Tension filled the room immediately, and the smile disappeared from Medenia's face as she sat.

"He is with Kalisandre," the princess said.

Dani snorted. "Why am I not surprised?"

Sylvia touched Dani's wrist and whispered, "He cannot avoid you forever."

Dani's jaw popped as she released the knife in her hand and pushed her plate away, the food untouched.

"How long must we cater to her?" Dani asked, disgust curling her lip.

Graeson's hands gripped the arm of his chair, his temper rising as the beast within stirred. "She needs time to recuperate. Her mind is--"

"Fragile," Dani spat with a roll of her eyes. "Iknow. But we cannot stand to wait here forever. Domitius will come sooner or later. Are we just going to pretend he still does not search for her?"

"Wouldn't we be safer if we returned home?" Emmett pondered over a mouthful of food.

Sylvia rolled their eyes. "You only wish to return home so you can lounge about again."

"Can you blame me?" Emmett drawled, brows raised conspiratorially as his gaze fanned across the room.

"The search parties for the princess have lessened," Ophelia added after taking a bite of her meal.

"Do we know why?" Sylvia asked, peering over the rim of their glass.

Ophelia shook her head, a look of uncertainty falling over her features. "No, our forces have been preventing them from stepping on Tetrian soil, though."

"Won't that only raise their suspicions?" Sylvia asked, taking a sip of tea.

"While the seven kingdoms have been at peace since the Great War, it has been a strained one at best," Medenia said, grabbing the kettle from the middle of the table and pouring the steaming water into a cup. "We are not the only ones who do not want foreign soldiers marching through our lands. After the destruction of the Frenzian temple, paranoia has begun to spread across Vaneria."

"It also seems that the bull king has been calling a good majority of his forces back to Ardentol, which has not helped calm the nerves of the people in the slightest," Ophelia added with a frown.

"Any word about the happenings in Frenzia?" Graeson asked, rapping his fingers on the table in thought.

"King Rian still remains to be seen. According to the whispers, he is still gravely ill and hides away. Some say he lies on his death bed; others say he suffers from a broken heart."

Graeson shifted in his chair. "And the truth?" he pressed.

Ophelia leaned back in her chair, a grave expression stretching across her face. "We do not know. No one has seen him. Prince Sebastian has been acting in his place."

Graeson's jaw cracked at the mention of the Frenzian as images of Sebastian's hands wrapped around Kallie's throat surfaced.

One day,the god promised.

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