If Kel had been paying attention, she probably would have noticed a faint rosy shade creeping into Lucy's cheeks at Thane's compliment, but her entire focus was on the emperor.
Though His Majesty was coated in fresh blood, none of it appeared to be his own. More surprisingly, he seemed to be scanning the blood splattering Kel's body for the same reason, to make sure she was unharmed.
Had he not noticed the pile of bodies laying limp at her feet? How was it possible that his eyes were full of gentle worry rather than surprise or resentment at her lies until now?
As Kel remained locked in a silent starting contest with the emperor, she heard Thane emit a tiny gasp as his gaze shifted to her.
Quickly regaining his composure, the knight corrected his previous statement.
"I have to take that back. It looks like you had some help dealing with these goons," he chuckled to Lucy.
"It would seem so," the woman replied thoughtfully.
