Breakfast had become one of the few moments each day when neither discussed politics. The attendants had long since learned this unspoken rule, reports waited until afterward unless it was an emergency.
The conversations were wonderfully ordinary. Atheline found himself describing a particularly embarrassing moment during training when he'd accidentally scorched one of the palace training dummies so thoroughly that the Royal Guard had jokingly requested compensation.
Lilith quietly sipped her tea.
"You paid them?"
"I bought them a replacement."
"They requested three."
A faint laugh escaped her.
"That's called negotiation. It reached me faster than you would expect."
"I should have expected that."
"I approved the expense. Zelpher was more than happy to report you."
The servant standing nearby struggled admirably to maintain a straight face. Even the attendants seemed more relaxed these days. The atmosphere within the palace had changed noticeably over the past two months.
