Liliana had never been very big on people telling her she should be grateful for things (again, hypocritically, as she didn't shy away from doing the same to others) and was fairly certain she would have picked a fight with these kings anyway. If they'd wanted to be that precious about who used their powers, perhaps they should have worked harder on not dying.

"Loyalty often leads to tragedy, but few people like to admit it out loud," she said, brushing her nose against his before doing the same with their lips. Only then did she pull away so they could continue actually eating their dinners.

Which was, again, how he could tell her flattery was sincere.

"Fortunately, that horror was averted," she said. "And I--mmm. One moment, actually."

The rustling of her gown was loud as she got up and crossed to the door, speaking softly to her steward and giving instructions about fetching dessert in a few minutes. And it rustled loudly on the way back as well, falling silent only when she took her chair once more.

"I decided that I was going to be selfish and keep you, rather than run the risk of losing you to my kitchen when it came time for dessert," she said, her tone very smug for no discernable reason.