Page 55 of Embers of Ruin

What did I miss?

For Onyx to react like this, whatever Riven said couldn't have been harmless.

Riven finally looks at me, resentment burning behind his carefully polished expression.

“Forgive me, Lady Tarethyn.”

I consider him for a long moment. Then I smile.

“No.”

His composure cracks. “...No?”

“No, Riven. I do not forgive you.”

His brows draw together as his mouth hangs open. He turns the color of a bright red tomato, and I suppress the urge to laugh.

“But I apologized, Lady Tarethyn.”

“It didn't sound sincere. So your apology is shit.”

For a heartbeat, no one speaks. I shrug.

“What? Whatever you said, you're clearly not sorry for it.”

Riven looks moments away from saying something that will undoubtedly lose him his tongue. Onyx, the complete shit-stirrer that he is, looks suspiciously amused.

“Try again,” he commands.

Riven closes his eyes for the briefest moment before trying once more. “My apologies, Lady Tarethyn.”

This apology sounds better. Not because he means it, but because humiliation has a way of sanding down arrogance.

“Wonderful. Could you please stand somewhere else?” I gesture vaguely into the distance. “Farther. Keep going.”

Riven clenches his jaw hard enough that I wonder if he'll crack a tooth, but he obeys. Without another word, he stalks toward the opposite end of the market until he's well out of earshot.

I wait another moment before turning back to Onyx.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why? Whatever he said, I’m sure I’ve heard worse.”

He doesn't answer immediately. His eyes hold mine for a long moment before he finally says, “because people here need to understand you are not to be disrespected.” His voice is steady. “And you should never have to accept it.”

“That sounds like something Thorin would say,” I murmur.

His expression shutters so quickly I wish I could snatch the words back.

“He and I agree on many things,” he says evenly.

“Oh?” I arch a brow. “Well... that’s comforting. I suppose it’s important to agree with your king. Most people in Solaris do, anyway.”

His gaze stays fixed on the bustling street ahead. “Sometimes.”

There it is again. That careful space between truth and silence. The place where everyone in this kingdom seems most comfortable living.