Lucien's POV
Maximov huffed, tossing his mane. His hooves struck the cobblestones with a rhythmic impatience that mirrored the hollow thrumming in my own chest.
The horse was right to be surly. We were supposed to be at the border, trailing the Emperor's "glamping" expedition under the guise of security. Instead, Aldric had sidelined me. He had commanded me to remain at the capital to "keep an eye" on Princess Arabella while the court was away.
It was a diplomatic way of saying he didn't trust his eldest daughter not to set the palace on fire, or perhaps, he didn't trust me to be near Roxanne without the atmosphere turning into a frostbite ward.
The annulment of our engagement still sat like a stone at the bottom of my stomach. How could I adjust to it? Even though a week had since passed since her dramatically announcing the anullment of our engagement.
