At the hour of night, darkness had fallen over the courthouse grounds and the day's chatter had turned quiet. Most of the men had already departed, their footsteps long faded and only a handful lingered to complete the last of their duties. The wind had grown restless as the hours went on, rushing through the trees and making them tremble, along with the flames in the iron fire pits.
Right now, behind one of the tall windows on the ground floor stood two men at the back of the building who had only recently been admitted into service.
"I cannot believe that after all the examinations I endured, I have been assigned to guard duty," one of them muttered, clicking his tongue in quiet displeasure. "To stand here like a watchman, in case he storms out and strikes Minister Griswold again. It seems His Highness is rather powerless on his own. Pity."
He turned to the window where the glass had fogged slightly due to the cold weather, blurring the view of the room behind it.
