“Like earlier,” he carried on. “I was brimming with pride at how you handled Mercy. It may surprise you to know, but conversations like that over a simple breakfast can lead to situations that last centuries and include conspiracies, intrigues, battles and loss of life. If Wodell lost its crown prince to Firenze, matters that, as you know, are far from peaceable between our two lands could deteriorate irrevocably. True threatened that with I believe genuine intent. And truth be told, since she met her, Mercy’s behavior to Farah, who was raised beside me as my little sister, coming to a head like that over the breakfast table did not best please me.”

Farah was raised beside him as his little sister?

I knew they were close, childhood playmates, but…

His little sister?

“You asserted yourself,” Mars continued, “and reminded Mercy of her place, doing it as her niece, as well as the queen of a much more powerful realm than her own. You also reminded her of Farah’s place, which it is clear she should be much quicker in learning. True wearies of her prejudice against his bride and he does this swiftly. And last, in all, you are a queen of a powerful realm and I’m uncertain Mercy has come to understand that is who you now are. If she hadn’t, she is no longer under any illusions about that. It was firm, apparently offhand, thus a brilliant act of diplomacy.”

“I was not attempting to be brilliant,” I admitted on a mutter. “I was just angry Aunt Mercy was being mean to Farah and not backing down from True.”

“Well then, you’re a born diplomat.” He dipped closer. “Which was what I was keen to tell you when we arrived…together…at our tent. However, prior to that, you scampered away from me which delayed me being able to compliment my wife.”

He was stalking me in order to compliment me.

Now I felt like an idiot.

Maybe because I’d been one.

And perhaps, it was uncomfortable to note, I’d been thus much longer than said scampering.

“I didn’t scamper either,” I mumbled.

“Amore,” he murmured, his eyes dancing.

How, precisely, could he be so vexing when he was also being lovely?

These thoughts made me do the only thing I could in that moment.

Roll my own eyes.

“Silence.”

I rolled them again to him.

“Your father enjoys too much this unrest he senses between you and me,” he shared gently.

When it came to my father, I could believe that.

But I didn’t want to believe that.

I wanted to find other reasons for his change in attitude toward me.