"Ramona."
The soft sound of her name being called out, made Ramona Vye turn at once. She quickly dipped into a bow, her movements rushed, almost frantic, before lifting her head to face the man who had spoken. "Prince Kael. Welcome back. Forgive me for not joining in on your welcoming earlier."
Prince Kael gave a brief nod as he gave her a searching look. "It's alright."
Ramona quickly looked away with an inward wince. She knew he had already noticed the shimmer of tears clinging to her lashes. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she hurriedly wiped them away with the back of her hand. "I… I am sorry for this as well. I didn't mean to-"
"Stop apologizing." His voice cut across hers like cold steel and Ramona quickly shut her mouth. "I'll be leaving now."
The chill in his tone sent a shiver down her spine, and Ramona's heart dropped.
