Thalia went quiet. Her hand stopped halfway to her mouth with a grape forgotten between her fingers. The question pressed against all the walls she'd built, all the things she didn't want to remember or share.
Aurelius must have noticed her discomfort because he started talking instead. "Mine was complicated. My father was demanding…. Always pushing me to be better, stronger, smarter. He wanted me to be the perfect heir." He picked at the bread in his hands. "But he also taught me everything I know. How to fight. How to lead and how to read people."
He went quiet for a moment, his expression distant. "I miss him. Every day I miss him."
Thalia said nothing as guilt churned in her stomach.
"He was killed," Aurelius continued quietly. "But I can't remember how it happened. Not really actu
