CHAPTER 97

The weight of his gaze lingered on me long after he stepped back. His words, soft but sharp, repeated in my mind. Fear keeps things interesting. I wasn't sure if it was a warning or just another game he enjoyed playing. Either way, it had left my pulse racing and my thoughts tangled.

Before I could dwell on it further, a figure appeared near the edge of the garden, standing with the kind of stillness that only Sabastine could manage. His presence was like a shadow, unnoticed until it wasn't.

"Your Majesty," Sabastine said in his usual calm, clipped tone, his eyes briefly flicking to me before returning to his master.

How Majesty turned his head slightly, acknowledging him with nothing more than a glance. "And here I was enjoying myself," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.