A reference to page 3! Justin knows that Jalina is an honorable person, though she works according to her own code, which is why he didn’t think she would actually kill Rune directly, even when she was upset to learn that Rune was royalty.
Rune and Justin are such close friends that Rune knows what’s going on in Justin’s mind: he’s wondering if he can stop the curse by killing Jalina. He wouldn’t do it, of course, if for no other reason than he knows Rune would forbid it.
Rune was expecting Lord Hawthorne and Lord Redley to come see him. For obvious reasons, these two would want to gain his trust and then start controlling him. Lord Dawson surprises him, however. Dawson has no ambition to claim the throne. He is there with a sincere offer to help, feeling that he might have something valuable to contribute since he’s the leading expert on the Jinn.
By remaining seated while the Lords stand, Rune is sending a subtle message: he’s of higher standing than them, and he’s not going to be their pawn. In truth, he’s also simply too weak to stand, but he’s back into his persona of strength and he’s not going to let them know that.