[Lavinia's Pov]
I stormed down the marbled corridor with the righteous fury of a girl fleeing a hormonal battlefield she never agreed to star in.
Caelum and Osric.
Both are annoyingly handsome. Both suspiciously intense. Both giving me a brain cramp and heartburn before lunch.
"One smirk. One more smirk from either of them," I hissed under my breath, clutching my skirts like they were emotional support fabric, "and I swear I'm launching myself out the nearest palace window."
(Not a high one. I'm dramatic, not suicidal.)
"Marshi," I muttered, glancing down at my furry guardian of destruction. He blinked up at me, his eyes glowing with innocent bloodlust. I gave his fuzzy head a reassuring pat and whispered darkly, "Papa was right. I should stay away from pretty boys with tragic backstories and flawless cheekbones. They're a menace to my blood pressure."
Marshi gave a low, supportive growl. The kind that meant, 'I will maul them politely, if you wish it.'
Then—
