"Your cardiac rhythm is accelerating past the safety threshold for a standard waltz," Elara noted, her brow knitting together in a rare, barely visible micro-expression of confusion. "There is an active malfunction in your system, Julian. You are experiencing distress."
"Oh, am I?" Julian leaned down slightly, his silver hair brushing against her temple as he spoke directly into her ear, his voice trembling with a mixture of intense pain and forced nonchalance. "Maybe I'm just tired of playing the pretty prop next to an empty throne, Your Highness. Or maybe I'm just realizing that your 'administrative efficiency' extends much further into the night than I originally calculated."
Elara tilted her head back slightly, her vacant glass-bead eyes locking onto his. "What does the nighttime schedule have to do with your current performance metrics?"
