Her smile flickers briefly crooked, something very like sympathy lurking momentarily in her expression. Not for him, not strictly. But maybe for Yseult if what she says after is any indication: "I don't envy her. She's fallen into a truly strange position. Even worse, I think she feels some obligation to it."

(Privately, she thinks how strange it is to regret a lie so soon after telling it.)

"Though I suppose most of us do. Even you." She nods to his hand. "Still, Andraste preserve her—I'd rather jump off a tower than be ringmaster of this circus."