She nodded, disappointed as well, but careful to not let it show. "I understand." More than he might know. Robb was an honorable man, no longer simply betrothed but with a wife waiting for him in the North. As much as it hurt to consider him in the arms of another, she could not expect him to break his vows. "Gods, I..." she trailed off, uncertain what it was she would even say to any of this.

She let her hand fall from his, afraid to let his touch linger. It had taken a great deal of restraint to keep herself from revealing her true feelings for him in public. She didn't want to put him further at risk.

"He's unhappy," she confessed. "After the struggles and the grueling battles, all lasting for years, he sees the throne slipping from his hands. A large section of the realm leaves and is out of his control once you claim your rights." She watched him, debating within herself at how to phrase this. "And it isn't his blood that will wear the crown after he is gone."