A servant offered him golden-coloured wine. He hadn’t been planning to drink at all, but now he saw little harm in it. Delicate flavours of apple and orange swirled on his tongue. If Sume played her cards right, her family needn’t starve anymore and she’d get the sort of recognition her name deserved. Wasn’t that what everyone wanted in the end? Comfort, security, and a legacy to pass down to one’s children not built around shame? Mhagaza was rich, powerful, and still young enough to sire half a dozen semi-prince and -princesses if he wanted to. There were worse things in life; she wouldn’t
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