Chapter 41: The Long Conversation

Dinner was a tense affair. Everyone was tired of the tension and the tip-toeing around conversations. Layla had tried her best to be respectful towards Saraiah but it was becoming unbearable. She had enjoyed the space away from Alistar and all the tip-toeing she did around him, she wasn't going to do it anymore for anyone.

Saraiah sighed every five minutes. She pouted and whimpered all during the first course. She complained about every piece of food she ate and the wine she drank. The candles were too short, the fire too warm. It was exhausting. By the second course, the mood of the entire room was sour. Simon, Solomon's brother, had joined them and even he was turned off. Everyone's appetites were ruined. They spent the rest of the meal pushing around the food on their plates. It was uncomfortable and unnecessarily childish.

"Saraiah, enough," Balthazar said as he slammed his fists on the table. Saraiah had sent the third course back to the kitchen for the second time. "This has