He took a seat beside Ollie, only to notice how grim some of the expressions were. Marquis Mylor, in particular, looked like a man holding back the urge to sigh himself into the afterlife.
Finally, the Marquis cleared his throat and handed over a large, folded parchment. "You should read this. It's King Garick's letter."
Luca accepted the thick parchment reverently—it was enormous, far larger than standard correspondence, and smelled faintly of smoke and ink. The handwriting was bold, sprawling, and slightly chaotic, but legible enough to read aloud.
He unfolded it carefully and began:
"To those who sent this fine invitation: it has arrived too late. Even if I wished to attend, the time between now and your event is not enough for our ships to cross the void."
"Nor is it enough time to prepare gifts and tributes. You should send such things earlier if you want guests like me to attend."
