Countless gazes landed on Sylas again. They were clearly familiar with the path, only having backed off once the man started speaking.
The Duchess' head snapped out and her initial instinct was to protest before she stopped herself. How embarrassing *would* that be?
Before the words could even finish echoing, though, Sylas had already stood up. There was an almost lazy look in his eyes as though he was quite finished with tonight's festivities.
"I believe I was invited here by you for a calm evening," Sylas spoke to Ansla quite candidly. "It seems that these things are only getting more annoying, though."
Ansla blinked, her eyes widening. Her mind was still too blank, and she didn't understand what Sylas was doing. Wasn't this his idea? Why was he suddenly angry with her now?
What she didn't realize was that her initial confusion and then subsequent anger was the exact sort of reaction Sylas wanted.
"What are you—?!"
