Aldric could see it. Leroy's pride was unmistakable, simmering beneath that measured smile. It wasn't an easy truth to embrace. Every single thing the princess had done carried the weight of a death sentence. She had defied the emperor's commands, shielded Leroy more than once, and moved people like pawns for her own ends and her husband's.
If such truths ever saw daylight, their lives would be forfeit. And yet… there was more.
As a woman in Vaeloria, granted as many rights as a horse and expected to remain behind the walls of her manor, she had acted without her husband's permission. More than that, she had proved herself sharper, more cunning than the man she was bound to.
Many husbands would have felt threatened. Most would have condemned her and clipped her wings so she would stay in the confines of what was defined as marriage in their kingdom.
Leroy wore it like an honor.
