The music from the banquet is muffled by the velvet curtains drawn in a private, tasteful, yet unadorned guest room upstairs.
With a straight posture and a gentle voice, Duke Alric Caulem sat opposite Duke Selen Threx and Lady Hilda Threx. "Thank you for attending Lucian's birthday banquet, Lord Selen and Lady Hilda. I am aware that it was a difficult journey."
Selen's eyes carried a tired strength, shadowed by months of pain. "The thanks are ours, Lord Caulem," he said, his voice steady but heavy. "We've been lost in sorrow since Lysa was taken."
Lady Hilda's soft face was tense with fear and hope, and her hands trembled in her lap. "Where is our Lysa, Lord Caulem? You said she was safe…"" she said, her voice hardly audible above a whisper. She was safe, you said.
