"He spent the entire afternoon lurking by the window, watching his precious little mushroom run around the gardens with my boys. Every time she laughed at Castor's jokes, Kaelus actually whimpered. I heard it! A legitimate, pathetic whimper!"
Alistair dropped his head into his hands; his neon-orange and lime-green pigtails, which he had still not been permitted to remove, were bobbing tragically. "The Duchy is going to collapse. The military logistics are entirely dependent on a man who is currently suffering a jealous breakdown because his six-year-old played tag."
Seraphina stood in the doorway, staring at the pathetic, monumental ruin of the Archduke.
Her heart gave a sharp, painful, incredibly guilty squeeze.
She had been so caught up in putting the Valen boys in their place and enjoying the fresh air that she had completely neglected her primary responsibility: managing the emotional fragility of her terrifying father.
