Feng gave her a long, flat stare. She disengaged from the hug and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Didn't you fail like all your classes?"
Felicity waved dismissively, puffing her cheeks.
"Academics do not equate intellect! That's what Father always told me when I cried after failing a class. Some people who are great at studying are dumb in real life! I'm the exact opposite of that. Hmph."
Feng sighed and shook her head. A small, helpless smile tugged at her lips.
Quinlan, however, didn't smile.
He watched the princess with a furrowed brow, and his expression darkened subtly as her words sank in.
Felicity was younger than Feng, a youthful adolescent. What's more, she'd lived a sheltered, privileged life where danger had always been distant and abstract.
She had no idea what true cruelty looked like.
No idea what people would do when given the opportunity.
And worst of all, Quinlan had promised Alexios that he'd protect her as if she were his own daughter.
