Anastasia watched as Duke Thompson left and felt the crack in her heart deepen. She was hurt by the king's behavior, but that was nothing compared to her father coming to ask her to protect the man who had disrespected her.
As a father, he had never protected her. She felt so alone in that moment that tears began to run down her cheeks.
"My lady," Grater said gently as she walked into the receiving hall and saw Anastasia in tears.
"I am his daughter. Why can he not care about my feelings?" Anastasia asked. She could not understand why he treated her with such indifference.
Grater lowered her head when she heard the question.
"My lady, it's okay if he does not care. You will be fine eventually," she said with a comforting smile.
Anastasia looked at Grater, suspicion creeping into her voice. "You know something..." Her tone was a mixture of question and accusation.
"My lady, what do you mean?" Grater asked, lowering her head again, trying to hide the guilt in her eyes.
