Vetra's voice was a silk thread winding through a labyrinth of secrets, each word designed to snag on Eris's composure.
"Soren visited me much much earlier," she repeated, her head tilting with a predatory curiosity. "He seemed… preoccupied. Tell me, dear, does he share everything with you? Or are there parts of his soul he keeps under lock and key, even from his beloved Fire Queen?"
The Implication was a clumsy blade, and Eris felt it glance off her without drawing blood.
She understood the tactic immediately; Vetra was attempting to plant seeds of doubt, to make Eris wonder what the Emperor was hiding in the dark corners of the palace.
Internally, Eris noted the omission. Soren hadn't mentioned a private visit to the dungeons. He didn't mention it. That's fine. I'll ask him later, she thought, her pulse steady.
Externally, her face remained a mask of marble, cold and expressionless. She gave Vetra nothing... no flinch, no narrowing of the eyes, no defensive posture.
