ushered me over to a stone table. I was impressed that such life could survive in a place never touched by the sun. I tried not to think of the last time I saw a tree growing underground.
After I had been securely placed on the bench, Rio and Levent sat themselves on opposite sides of the table. I looked between the two males.
They were hardly the best of friends, but it seemed like the first time they had been in each other’s presence for so long without some sort of bickering. I was going to take that as a good sign.
“Shall I fetch some dinner for you, Miss?” The maid inquired, her eyes full of worry and genuine care.
I felt like such a child. I did not need all this. Yet, whenever I had it in mind to object, I thought of all those people waiting to pick me apart with their eyes. I decided I would rather be shamefully weak in front of three other people rather than a few hundred.
“Yes. Thank you, Feenaly. Sorry about all this,” I murmured.
I felt ridiculous. Feenaly seemed to have become tongue-tied at my apology, and so wordlessly excused herself. The dragon-kin simply stared at me, and so it was up to the half-blood to answer.
“Apologies aren’t necessary, m’lady. Though, what is the matter?” As he asked, he threw a suspicious look at the kin.
Levent continued to keep his eyes on me. I wondered what on earth he was thinking about as he stared through my skull.
“It’s… nothing at all, really. I’m sorry I –“
“Don’t make it sound smaller than it really is, m’lady. Your face was so white it made your freckles look like ink splatter. That’s hardly ‘nothing’.”
I frowned. I just wished this could be over, and then we could leave this suffocating place and see the sun again. Even surrounded by plantlife, it was hard to be comfortable. It was all beautiful, yes, but not the place for me.
“I just can’t handle crowds that big is all.” I stared back at the kin for a moment until the half-blood replied.
“Aah? Stage fright?”
He was grinning! Now I was sure my freckles were lost in a deep blush.
“Perhaps,” I muttered.