Odette's POV
"Please, Madam, don't make me answer, if I say it I'll never forgive myself," Mara wailed, her words tumbling out so fast they nearly tripped over each other.
"…So I stink." I snapped, my brows furrowing, my chest tightening with both irritation and shame.
"No!" Mara gasped so loudly I almost flinched. The sound bounced off the walls and straight into me. "No, Madam, you don't stink. You just… you just smell like someone who hasn't had the chance to rest… and it breaks my heart."
Her voice softened at the end, so faint I almost thought I imagined it. I froze, my lips parting, my lungs forgetting how to work for a second.
Before I could even reply, she launched back into her begging. Her words shook, and I could hear her knees scraping against the floor as she shifted clos
