Nero turned toward Hermi, his face twisting with exasperation at her words. He looked at her as if she were a persistent stain upon the floor to his own home.
"I must admit you are truly something else compared to all the princesses we ever took in. Do you truly believe I will let you live long enough for such a formality?"
Cassian paid no heed to Nero's mockery. His entire world had narrowed down to the woman before him.
"Take that back!" His voice cracked. "Take those words back now!"
Hermi remained unmoved. Her voice rose until it shattered the quiet of the narrow tunnel.
"I demand a divorce from you! I am not the Princess of Aurellanza! I am not the strong mage that you seek! This marriage has been a lie from the start!"
At those words, both Cassian and Nero froze. The air in the passage suddenly turned ice-cold.
Nero's sleepy eyes narrowed into sharp slits.
"Say that again."
He took slow steps forward into the dim center of the tunnel.
