She lowered the cup.
For a heartbeat the truth sat on her tongue, heavy and bitter.
I killed a man. I have killed more. I plan to kill another. The woman you loved was taken from you by someone I intend to destroy, and I am not sure I can do it without taking half the town with me.
"The exam," she said instead.
Her father's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Tomorrow," she continued, looking down into the amber depths of her tea. "The competition. I want to do well. I've been practising every night, and I want to score full marks. That's all."
There was a pause. Then Lord Silverward started to laugh.
It began as a short breath through his nose, and then it grew until his shoulders shook and he had to set his cup down before he spilled it.
It was a warm laugh, a deep one, and it filled the quiet room in a way that made Kiara want to throw a cushion at him.
"What is so funny?" she demanded.
"Forgive me, forgive me." He wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand.
