[Lavinia's POV]
[Imperial Palace—Throne Corridor of Immediate Aftermath]
Theon ran like his entire bloodline depended on it.
And honestly? It probably did.
Papa was still frozen in place, his expression somewhere between Did I hear that right? and time to declare war on Theon. Marella and Nanny stood clutching their hearts like they were holy relics. Lady Evelyne looked like she wanted to vanish into a tea kettle. And me?
I was still smiling.
Like a little chaos gremlin who just got handed front-row seats to a romantic meltdown and imperial overreaction.
Ravick cleared his throat beside me. "Well," he said with a straight face, "that escalated with historical efficiency."
Papa finally moved. Very slowly. Like a glacier about to destroy a city.
"I'll kill him," he muttered.
"Technically," I said cheerfully, "you can't. He's a noble heir. There's paperwork."
"I'll file it."
"Papa…"
"I'll invent a law if I have to."
