He turned his head toward the trembling native woman, and his voice dropped into a command. "Apologize for your mistake."
Taigi's entire body flinched at his tone. The trembling in her hands spread through her shoulders as she sank to her knees and bowed deep on all fours before Kaiden and his women, forehead touching the floor.
"I-I… I beg forgiveness. It was my fault. Please… forgive my ignorance…"
Kaiden could feel the weight of the entire hall pressing down on him. The eyes, the silence, the tension.
Taigi remained prostrated on the floor, trembling from head to toe. Every breath she took was shallow, fearful.
And then he felt Naira's gaze on him.
The teen's eyes were pleading. 'Please don't make this worse for her…'
Kaiden understood.
If he made a scene now, if he lectured Varek or demanded answers, it wouldn't be him who paid the price afterward. It would be her.
