[Lavinia's Pov]
[Imperial Palace – Private Garden – Late Afternoon]
The sun had melted into its softest hue, dripping gold over the palace walls like honey poured from the heavens. The breeze was lazy, the flowers were smug, and my gown—thank you very much—shimmered like it had been blessed by fashion gods themselves.
It was, in every sense, disgustingly peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Marshmallow had planted himself under the tree, belly-up, all four legs in the air, snoring softly like an overgrown kitten with royal entitlement issues.
I, meanwhile, lay across the velvet picnic cushions like a sun-kissed goddess. Caelum was sitting beside me like he belonged in a painting—one hand holding a macaron, the other tossing crumbs to a completely uninterested sparrow.
And Osric?
Osric was standing.
Rigid. Formal. Like a very pretty statue someone forgot to sit down.
I squinted up at him. "Why are you standing like I'm about to be assassinated by squirrels?"
