Bianca smooths the sleeve of her dress before stepping inside Kaine’s office, uncomfortable with how fragile her position in the palace felt in light of his assassination attempt. She takes a deep breath before smoothing her expression into one of concern.
“I heard about the incident,” she says, tilting her head. “Are you alright?”
Kaine doesn’t respond immediately. His eyes are tired, and shoulders look tense. She can tell he hasn’t slept much.
She takes a cautious step forward. “It must be hard, knowing someone inside the palace betrayed you. I can’t imagine what that kind of violation must feel like.”
He gives a nod, not looking at her.
“I only mention it because I know how close you’ve been with Ember lately.” She pauses for a moment as the weight of what she said permeates the a
