It takes everything in her not to scrunch her face in disgust at the idea. Once upon a time, she would've. She'd thought of Morozova as a prince in her aunt's stories. He'd been a saviour, giving her shelter and purpose and the ability to give back to Liliyana when her aunt had given her freedom. But the prince in those stories has golden hair and possesses the ridiculous notion of letting Zoya learn her lessons without the fear of losing his respect. Morozova was never that prince.

Instead, she deepens her frown. She'll gladly take yet another hit to her reputation, although she much prefers the scandalous rumours of being Nikolai's lover. That at least served a greater purpose, protecting another element of the throne. She supposes this protects Alina from something Zoya's still trying to uncover for herself.

"Why do you care if I embarrass myself? The embarrassment is mine, not yours."