The man stepped forward, carrying a small case no larger than a book, wrapped in velvet so deep it seemed almost black in the candlelight. He set it upon the table with the kind of reverence one might reserve for relics, and then withdrew without a sound.
The presence of the case shifted the atmosphere at once. The younger cousins, who until now had been engaged in their own sotto voce chatter, fell silent. Even Vivienne, who had kept her composure through most of the dinner, straightened ever so slightly, as though she already knew the gravity of what was about to unfold.
The patriarch opened the case.
Nestled within lay a medallion.
