'What Do You See?'

"I'm... sorry, Your Highness," Lucius murmured, his voice low and weighted with guilt, as though the apology itself was painful to admit.

The words hung between them, lifeless and unsatisfying, the kind of apology that solved nothing. Florian's arms stayed crossed over his chest, his sharp gaze boring into Lucius with unyielding intensity. An apology wasn't enough—not for this.

"I'm not looking for an apology, Lucius," Florian said coldly, each word clipped and precise, like the swing of a blade. "I want an explanation. Why is it that everyone in this palace knows about your abilities and not me?"

Lucius flinched at the sharpness in his tone, but he said nothing, his silence almost louder than any excuse he could have offered. "The princesses don't know."

'This...this guy!'

"Why didn't you tell me you could see my emotions?" Florian demanded, his voice rising, the undercurrent of anger seeping through. "That's... an invasion of privacy."