Pearl asked to eat breakfast in the kitchen instead of the formal dining room.

I passed the request to Desmond, who said yes before Vivian could intervene.

Vivian called it indulgence.

“Pearl needs structure,” she insisted.

“If you let her decide one thing, she’ll demand a hundred.”

“She asked for toast near a sunny window,” I said.

“That isn’t a demand for a kingdom.”

Vivian’s smile became thin.