And then—from the far end of the hallway came a thunderous, panicked yell.
"PRINCESSSSSSS!!!!!"
I turned my head innocently. There stood Theon. Face red. Eyes wide. Hair slightly mussed, like he had run into a wall. Twice. Maybe three times.
He looked like a man who had just been accused of kissing the Emperor in front of the entire court. Papa still hadn't moved. His arms around me were like iron. His face? Absolutely unreadable.
I blinked up at him, then turned to Theon. "Huh? What happened?"
The papers in Theon's hands slipped through his fingers and scattered like sad little confessions across the floor. He looked at me like I had summoned Satan himself.
"Princess," he gasped, rushing toward us like his life depended on it. "What did you just say?!"
I tilted my head, blinking innocently. "Huh? What did I say?"
"That… that me and His Majesty… we…" He looked like he was about to pass out. Or combust. Possibly both. "You can't just say things like that!!"
