"What troubles you?" he asked.
So many things.
"Manfred," she said, choosing the worry easiest to speak of.
He stroked her cheek gently. "No need to torment yourself. I understand how it must have been."
But would you understand about Simon?
She said, "But can Manfred accept what you and I are to each other?"
He shrugged. "You see that we are together in his palace. You saw that I rode with you before me on my horse through the streets of Lucera and into Manfred's castle."
"I see that Manfred must know about us. Are you sure he does not want me back? It can be fatal to cross a king."
"When we got the message that Ugolini and you were coming here instead of going to Viterbo, I talked with Manfred, not as subject and king, but as man and man. He was most gracious, as Manfred usually is."
"What did he tell you?"