And this was why he said, “Job well done, my lamb.”

Her eyes twinkled.

Cassius allowed himself to enjoy that too.

Before he pulled them from the bed.

“I…well, bloody hell, I’m speechless,” Mac said, wandering into the vast space of the throne room, eyes big, body drifting and shifting as he moved into the room and took it all in.

“Then we should ask Ellie to be certain to make changes in every room of the Citadel, if that’s your reaction,” Ian replied.

“I vote for that,” Rus said.

“And I,” Tone agreed.

Cassius just stood at the back, arms crossed on his chest, feet planted on the midnight blue carpet over the black stone floor, and he moved his gaze about the space.

Before, there were no carpets on the floor.

And before, the rest had all been black.

Now, between the windows there were long pennants hanging, each a different color, all the colors of a night sky, ranging from the deepest blues and purples, to what Ellie had said. A purple the color of a thistle flower.

But the backdrop of the dais behind his throne included two thin pennants that flanked a wider one which was directly behind the throne. The thin ones were ombre from sky blue at the top, to midnight blue at the bottom, with all the colors depicted around the room in between.

The standard behind the throne simply looked like a night sky, silver stars twinkling in it.

The throne itself was not the one in which his father sat.

Less ornate, also less intimidating, it was nevertheless elaborate, the carved wood painted a shining silver, the velvet cushions in sky blue.

The floors were covered in carpets of a variety of hues that mimicked the pennants.

There were two curving settees upholstered in a thistle-colored damask that sat at slight angles to the front of the dais.

Cassius moved deeper into the room when he saw, off to the side, looking as if it was not a permanent fixture, a tall box set on a platform draped with black bunting.

He could see the top of a chair over the railings perched high inside the box.

Apparently, his father, the accused, would look down from it.

Or, as Cassius had no doubt Elena intended, he would be separate from all the others.

And on display.

Ah, but he had a clever future wife.

As if in his mind, Nero, standing by the box, called out, “I’m liking this idea.”

“This is good, for I would like you to stand guard at it.”

Elena’s voice coming from behind him made him turn.

And he instantly arrested.

His princess was moving gracefully into the room wearing a gown the color of heather. The skirt fell to cover her feet and it looked made of delicate netting. The same drifted from her shoulders in short sleeves that were reminiscent of pixie wings. The bodice exposed a demure vee at the chest that was not so demure it did not expose a hint of cleavage and was covered in a delicate applique that also rounded the waist and streamed partially into the top of the skirt.