Marquis Orlando turned to his daughter, his tone more serious than ever before.
"Avril, you heard him. Count Raylo is not the tyrant from the rumors. He is young and promising, powerful, and a future pillar of the Duchy. Marrying him is no slight to you. Now, you must make your own decision. If you are still unwilling, I will not force you."
For a moment, all eyes were on Avril.
She lifted her head and looked at Raylo again.
Sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, falling upon him and seeming to coat him in a faint golden radiance.
He didn't speak, only watched her quietly.
She remembered the sight of him descending from the sky on his Storm Griffin King. She remembered the nonchalance with which he forced a powerful enemy to retreat. She remembered his tolerance in the face of her own venomous words, and the respect he was showing her now.
In that instant, the odious image of him from the rumors completely disintegrated, crumbling to dust.
