A thin draft slipped through the crack in the window, teasing a few strands of Greta's hair. The corridor was too silent, like it was waiting to swallow whole anyone foolish enough to stand there alone.
She had warned Matthias not to stray from her side, precisely to avoid moments like this. Greta had assumed Dietrich would try to bait Matthias, push him into losing his temper, make him look guilty, or worse, spark a fight between them. Matthias was manipulative, Dietrich was volatile, and the clash seemed inevitable. But standing there in the hush of the corridor, Greta realized something far simpler, and far more dangerous.
Dietrich wasn't playing Matthias. He'd been aiming at Greta all along.
"For the life of a Duke from the frozen lands, one who never even treated you as a worthy emperor, why do you care so much, Your Majesty?" Greta's words cut cold, her tone measured but sharp. "Doesn't this feel just a little excessive?"
