Tonya nodded, glancing at Kaia and Lora. Kaia was seated beside Markus, her expression serene, yet Tonya could see the determination in her eyes. Lora, next to Azriel, was similarly composed, her eyes flickering with a mix of curiosity and resolve. Tonya's smile remained fixed, though her thoughts were far from pleasant.
If these girls believed they had everyone eating out of their hands, they were sorely mistaken, Tonya thought to herself. They were nothing but peasants with no manners or class. She couldn't fathom what her son saw in Kaia, and as for Azriel, he was a savage. All raw power and brute force. How blind was her son not to realize the potential danger that Azriel could pose to his throne if he ever decided to challenge him?
As the dinner discussion turned to the recent stabi
