Disastrous dinner

Avery’s POV

Two days had passed since Lady Katherine had arrived, and I’d been upset ever since our tense conversation.

It wasn’t just her words that had gotten to me—it was her presence, looming over every moment of the day.

She’d made a habit of monopolizing Kane’s time, always pulling him into long conversations or meetings, making sure no one else had a chance to take his attention.

It was like she was trying to sink her claws back into him, trying to regain control over the King and, perhaps, the crown again.

It had gotten so bad that even Sophie, who usually loved to stir up trouble with her bratty attitude, had gone quiet.

She seemed just as frustrated as I was with Katherine constantly being around Kane. Sophie hadn’t even bothered trying to be rude to me—she was too busy sulking whenever Lady Katherine was near.

That evening, I was curled up on the couch in the library, trying to lose myself in a book. The words were blurring together, my mind too distracted by ev