Lorraine didn't understand why he would be angry. Whatever it was, he was a commander. He would understand if she explained it. And that was what she did.
"As a strategy," she answered.
Leroy gulped. She had already explained to him that her facelessness was her power. As Lazira, as Swan Divina, as the Silent Crown, she lived by shadows and silence. Even her father hadn't seen her for who she was.
But his presence at her side? It would unravel everything.
And the worst part was… she was right.
Leroy clenched his teeth until his jaw ached. She was right. He couldn't walk beside her in daylight, not here. Not where one glance could destroy her. He hated it. He hated being the weakness in her perfect plans. He hated that he couldn't stay by her side and watch her as she ran into danger without interfering.
