Fourteen
Imperator Zale
She ran off.
She ran off while we were dancing, in front of everyone. I could feel the ballrooms eyes on me. All of the courtiers were staring, the band had stopped playing. Worse, I could see my mother and father’s eyes on me. It was Imperator Eric that strode toward me, not the father that taught me to ride and shoot on weekends. He wore a black suit complete with a black cape held together by golden tassels and clasps. The cape fluttered behind him as he walked, forcing others to have to move out of the way.
He strode towards me, gripped my shoulder, and pulled me close enough that he could whisper in my ear. “What did you do?”
I frowned. “Why do you assume that I did something?” I demanded. “I didn’t do a
