By the third day after Lady Belin's reception, Metheea understood that Azrayel had learned how to withdraw without leaving.
That was the crueler thing.
He had not abandoned her duties, nor loosened the protection around her. Her household still received instructions before she could ask. Her routes through the palace were still cleared. The guards outside her chamber doubled after sunset. The charity accounts were reviewed, the temple schedule approved, and every message concerning her position passed through hands loyal to him.
Nothing had been neglected.
Only she had been kept at a distance.
