"Why the sudden question, though?" Julian asked, his voice calm and easy. There was a genuine note of curiosity in it and no hint of suspicion beneath the words.
Sera hesitated.
It was small — barely a pause — but it was there. Her hands slowed slightly for a moment and her eyes dropped for just a fraction of a second before returning to his face.
She acts very well, Julian thought, admiring the young maid's skills.
"Go on," he said after a moment. "You can be frank with me."
He gave her exactly what she had been waiting for, the opening she needed without making it feel like one.
Sera took a quiet breath.
"Well, my lord..." she began carefully. "The news about your... obsession." She paused on the word, choosing it carefully. "With Lady Olivia and Lady Vanessa." Another pause, shorter this time. "It has spread through the castle."
She watched his face as she said it.
His brows drew together slowly. His jaw tightened at the same time.
Sera noted both.
