Neria grasped the feeling Kell had lived with all his life instinctively, the one he'd never been able to adequantely express to others. Rhy had grown up knowing him as simply Kell, but despite seeing how others looked at him, he was only learning the gulf between them and other people now.

As she went silent, Kell squeezed her hand, but said nothing, as if to reassure her. She had not made a mistake. She'd done precisely what she should have, just as the guard had.

"Not often," he answered. "Thankfully."

The weight of it hung between them a moment, and Kell thought of leaving it at that, of not acknowledging it. With another person he might not have.

"The threat of me alone is usually sufficient. Few would dare attack the royal family, but there have been several attempts in my lifetime."