Sairis's POV
The king cleared his throat. "There is something the royal family would like to offer," he said. He looked at Lady Taal directly. "We would like to bury Lady Candice with the full honors of a royal bride."
Lady Taal looked up immediately. Something shifted in her face. "She was no longer his bride," she said. Her voice was careful. "I thought the engagement had been cancelled."
"It was," Loreen replied. "But it was never formally announced in court. As far as the official record stands, she came here as my intended." He held her gaze. "Cancelling the engagement privately does not erase the weeks she spent in this palace in that role."
Lady Taal shook her head slowly. "You do not have to do this for her," she said. "I will take my daughter home and bury her with her family. That is enough."
