"Did your mother never train you not to slouch when you walk?"
Giselle straightened up instantly.
"You're too rigid, child! Loosen up lest you hurt yourself."
Giselle let the tension roll of her body, but it didn't fade completely, not with the Dame's hawk eyes perched on her.
She had never felt so on edge before and within her, her omega was drawn taunt to the point of snapping. Only she couldn't because this was the King's beloved aunt.
Giselle trailed slightly behind the older woman, watching how she walked with her chin raised high and her steps light but deliberate, as though she owned every stone in the palace. The Dame's sharp eyes darted around the corridor, taking in every piece of tapestry and carved molding.
"Hasn't changed a bit," Dame Pauline muttered, her cane clicking lightly against the marble floor. "The same walls, the same curtains, even the same smell. You would think someone would have thought to brighten this place up."
