Zara's goal had always been to somehow gain Atticus's favor or, at the very least, get a little bit closer to him.
And although many might consider it pathetic or even stupid, Zara's plan had been to basically pretend to worship and revere him to an extent that got on his nerves, and he would personally ask her to stop worshiping him and become a little more comfortable with him.
Dumb? Yes, she was well aware of that, but yet, it could work.
She had to start from somewhere.
"Youn—" she raised her head from the bow, and just as she was about to apologize, Atticus cut her off,
"Save it. What lectures did you attend today?" Atticus asked.
It was clear Atticus had no time for trivial matters like this. 'I've been seen through from the beginning,' Zara realized.
She thought she had hid it well, but it was obvious Atticus had been aware of her intentions from the outset.
Creation is hard, cheer me up!