Chapter 1128

Frederick walked straight over without the slightest hesitation and affectionately ruffled Hazel’s hair. "Settling in alright? If not, we can head back now." Hazel blinked, momentarily thrown off. “We”—he said we could leave. So he hadn’t just meant her. But hadn’t he only just arrived? Catching the flicker of confusion in her eyes, Frederick lightly flicked her nose with a teasing smile, then laced his fingers through hers. "I only said I’d show my face at the banquet. I’ve done that. If you’re not enjoying yourself, I’ll leave with you." Hazel’s mind whirled. If she left with him now, it would shatter her one and only shot at infiltrating the ancestral hall. But if she admitted she was enjoying herself, that would only raise suspicion. She needed a reason—quickly. Just then, Augustine’s genial voice floated across the room. "Frederick, come here, boy!" he called, lifting a hand in a grandfatherly wave. "Let me introduce you to the old friends and allies of our family." A shadow passe