Cassian did not bow when I spoke.
That alone unsettled me.
Most men lowered their eyes, their shoulders stiff with caution. Cassian looked directly at me, as if I were simply a woman standing in a library instead of a princess wrapped in whispered deaths.
"You're blocking the light," he said gently, shifting his books so I could see an illustration beneath the glass.
I should have been offended
Instead, I laughed.
The sound startled us both.
"You speak freely for someone in a palace," I said.
"I speak honestly," he replied. "There's a difference."
We began to talk after that—about history, forgotten magic, foolish kings. He challenged my opinions. He listened when I spoke. He did not flinch when our fingers brushed.
And for reasons I could not explain, I didn't pull away.