Juna sat on the edge of the large feather mattress with her bushy tail wound tight around one leg, watching the princess take the desk chair.
'Why is she here without her usual armed guards? That visit means an uncomfortable apology... or an unwelcome royal command.'
The instinctive hostility returned as it always did around Didi, entirely unearned by anything the young princess actually did to her.
That realization made the awkward tension no easier to endure, and it made her no prouder of her sharp defensive reaction.
Princess Didi stared down at the polished floorboards for several quiet seconds before managing to speak a single word.
Morning sun poured through the arched terrace windows, illuminating dust motes that drifted lazily above the velvet armchairs.
An ornate porcelain vase filled with white mountain lilies sat on the low credenza, perfuming the suite with cloying sweetness.
