Octavia's fingers tightened on the map's edge, the only visible sign of the fury that erupted in her chest.
Her mind raced through implications, through the dawning realization that the courtship had been a trap and they'd all been blind to it.
'Joseph Meredith. House Meredith, which swears to no one. Which maintains relationships with multiple noble families without committing to any particular alliance. Which would be perfectly positioned to...'
She forced the thoughts down, burying them beneath the calm facade she'd been trained since childhood to maintain.
The representatives were watching, looking for weakness, for any sign that House Kaiser's control was slipping.
She couldn't give them that satisfaction.
"Thank you, Seraphina," Octavia said, her voice perfectly level despite the storm raging beneath her skin. "We'll discuss this after the meeting."
