The royal court had begun to empty, heels clicking and murmurs fading down the marble corridor as nobles and ministers filed out after the court session was over.
Althea waited until the last of them were gone before stepping briskly out of the hall, her eyes scanning the corridor until they landed on a familiar figure walking ahead—rigid like he was made of stone.
"Easton," she called out.
He didn't stop. She had to catch up to him.
"What are you thinking?" she hissed, grabbing his arm. "Even if you're desperate, pulling a stunt like that in front of the entire court—what were you trying to prove?" Her voice was sharp with disbelief. "You should've stayed quiet. Let the ceremony end in peace. There is just one week left for it. It's not like I am going to banish you if I become Crown Princess—"
But her words faltered as he turned to face her.
