Claire walked past the paintings and tapestries lining the walls with her eyes staring, unseeingly ahead of her.
It had been a week since the assassination attempt and conversation with Octavius had become tense and awkward. He was not outright rude or dismissive of her but it felt like there was now a thin wall of glass between them that she could not break through, no matter how hard she tried.
If Claire had known things would turn out this way, she would have just said no and shunned what Alark had been saying that day but it was already too late and she had to deal with the consequences of her stubbornness.
Her lessons had continued three days after the incident, like they had planned and continued without any break. It kept her busy and unable to find time to talk to Octavius, who
