In that moment, he saw her for who she truly was. The woman standing before him wasn’t someone consumed by ambition, desperate to climb the social ladder. In their brief exchange, she had shown deference to him, the lord’s loyal knight, without compromising her own dignity as a noblewoman. The ability to master this subtle balance was a rare gift.
There were only two types of people who could handle such a tense situation so gracefully: those born with an innate authority that couldn’t be taught, and those who had been hardened by enduring constant hostility, mastering it as a form of survival.
As the old knight composed himself, he noticed a faint tremble in Liliette’s fingertips, barely perceptible. His gut tightened with shame. He had acted just like the outsiders he distrusted so deeply.
Quickly, Godwin bowed deeply. “I have committed a grave offense, my lady,” he said.
