I told her. About the argument. About him yelling at me to be quiet, to act like a proper lady. About how it had made me feel small and dismissed and wrong.
Clarissa's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes going wide. "He said what?"
"Yes."
"That absolute—" She stopped herself, clearly struggling to find words that weren't profanity. "Roxanne, I'm so sorry. That's inexcusable."
"The Emperor thought so too," I said quietly. "And…..he annulled the engagement."
Clarissa stared at me. "What?!"
"Right there. In the hallway. He just.….ended it."
"The Emperor did that?" She looked stunned. "How are you? Are you hurt? I mean, I know the Duke deserves it, and he seemed so interested in you before, how could he say something so cruel—"
"I don't want to think about it right now," I interrupted gently. "Please? I just... I need to focus on this. On learning. On not burning down the Academy."
