High standards, indeed. Even uneducated slaves could tell Nefer had not meant it as a compliment. But after Nefer’s earlier warning and with the menacing aura radiating from Hakan, no one dared to laugh. In fact, they could hardly even breathe. As everyone stood on thin ice that threatened to crack at any second, someone swallowed audibly. Crunch. The sound of chewing broke the silence. Hakan whipped his head toward the noise with a whoosh of air. Fren was deliberately popping a bite-sized piece of fruit into his mouth for all to see. Hakan was dumbfounded.