220 K: Realigned

"No," Brendan told Rafaela sharply. "Avery does not need to hear this." Before she could protest, he added a bit more wryly, "I had decided that you didn't need to hear it either, but I've been told that I could be wrong."

"It is possible," she agreed neutrally.

He gazed at her for a moment. "I wasn't wrong about letting you take the King's seat. You are definitely managing it better than I would."

"You are doing at least half of the work," Rafaela protested automatically. The fact that he began with praise worried her even more.

Brendan's smile flashed briefly before the neutral expression he used in public settled back into place. "You never hug Avery. Hardly interact with him, and rarely talk to him directly."