"Oh, come on." Felix groans, rolling his eyes. "Who would ever use a brush for...for that?"

Then he scoffs, something bitter in it. "No, it doesn't. Because it turns out he's been...together with the woman he wanted nothing more than to kill before we came here. She was the enemy. The emperor leading a war on the rest of the continent, who had already occupied most of our country. The one he swore vengeance against to the exclusion of everything else. They're together, and I have no idea how long that's been going on."

He glances up at her face for just a second at the invitation, before moving closer to her and turning around to give her better access to his hair.