Hajin stared from the royal hand hovering near his shoulder to that cheerful royal grin, and his brain politely quit.
'Sponsor, he actually said sponsor, and nobody bothered telling the guy getting sponsored.'
Beside the rail, Didi blinked at her father with open confusion, which killed any hope she planned this royal ambush. Every silent guest in the ballroom suddenly looked less like an audience and more like a pile of nosy witnesses.
Hajin lifted his chin without shifting the bandaged shoulder an inch, "Your Majesty, what exactly does sponsor mean when you announce it in front of this whole room?"
Atheron barked a short laugh and lowered the hand, sparing the injured joint another round of royal affection.
"A reasonable question," he said, turning toward the watching court, "though I suspect several people here already understand the answer and dislike it."
'Great, so the entire ballroom got the letter except me, the idiot whose name is written on it.'
