CYPRIEN'S POV
I tore my gaze away from the window and reached for the robe draped over the chair beside my bed. Pulling it over my shoulders, I fastened the belt as I strode from the room, descended the staircase two steps at a time, and crossed the entrance hall without slowing.
I had no intention of letting Father inside.
The farther he stayed from the manor, the better.
Away from the quiet spaces he could criticize. Away from the things he could dismiss. Away from the life I had built here.
The less time he spent on Suncrest grounds, the better.
I pushed through the front doors just as the first riders entered the courtyard. Stable hands hurried forward to receive the horses while royal guards spread out across the grounds. A footman rushed to open the gilded carriage, and moments
