" I dared not let my eyes widen in horror or the guards would be on to me; to buy myself some time, I curtsied deeply, to a slow count of three. The prince, when I finally dared to look at him again, seemed amused. He gestured broadly. “You are finished here, one hopes?” “Yes, thank you,” I said, managing to keep any tremor out of my voice. “If you wish to "

― Rachel Hartman , Seraphina (Seraphina, #1)