Juliette did not think it her place to intervene—or indeed say anything before the queen indicated she should do so—but she did tense at the threat to Erin, watching the Aserit delegation like a hawk. At least her sword was nearby, but she was stuck in this damn awkward dress... With some effort she forced herself to relax slightly.<em>You’re here as a princess, not a soldier.</em><br/><br/>As for the king’s demand, Juli did not believe the queen weak enough to give in to such an outrageous request. Unfortunately, this was getting the peace talks off to bad start regardless of how the situation resolved itself. Was the Aserit king even serious about peace? Or was this just a chance for him to scout the city and castle, knowing the Theiri monarchy could not revoke the promise of safe passage without destroying its international credibility? There was no way to know.