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Kermilla, however, felt the punch in Ferall’s words “No, she didn’t leave her people,” she snapped “She didn’t have any She wasn’t Queen enough to hold on to her court!”

“Kerain

Kermilla pulled away from him “And where is Cassidy now? Here in the capital city? No She’s in sos to a people the rest of you would rather pretend don’t exist”

“Hold your tongue, girl,” Ferall snarled “You don’t know us Any of us Especially the Shaladorans”

“I know Cassidy is a country girl fro except livestock and crops and wouldn’t kno to sit at a table with a true aristo if all your lives depended on it”

Theran’s heart jumped in his throat Thank the Darkness these men didn’t know about Cassidy’s connection to Sadi and his wife Those tere as aristo as you could get

“Her h as her face, and neither is fit for polite co impressively as she sucked in air

Correne snickered “Back in her old village, they called Freckledy the ‘spotted draft horse of Queens’ ”

A tense silence shrouded the table for a long, long moment

Then Ferall looked Theran in the eyes and pushed back his chair “We’re done here There’s nothing more to say”

Ferall walked out of the room, followed by the other three Warlord Princes

Stunned, Theran didn’t ht them at the front door

“Ferall, wait” He grabbed the other man’s arm

“There’s nothing rasp

“She’s young and high-spirited”

“Too young,” Ferall said “She should have slapped that little bitch down for insulting the Queen like that And if people in her old villagedid say that about Cassidy, who told Correne about it so that it could be slung around here?”

“Probably one of Kermilla’s escorts,” Theran snapped “They’re here too, and they come from Dharo”

“A court takes its temper froht is not soht, Theran”

He let the else he could do

No, he thought as he closed the door, therewas so he could do But he would wait until Ker Maybe he’d even wait until tos settled down a little more

Hell’s fire, Ranon thought when he led the horse out of the Coaching station stables and ran into Ferall and the other three Warlord Princes Could his ti be any worse today?

“Ferall,” he said, then nodded to the other men

“More personal business?” Ferall asked

Ranon shook his head “Queen’s business in the town” Meaning, it wasn’t the business of anyone who lived in the mansion

Ferall hesitated Actually looked uncomfortable “Does the Queen have any objections to visitors in her hoe?”