The door shut behind Vencian with a measured click, the latch settling as the murmur from inside Larion's office thinned and vanished. He drew his coat straight at the shoulder, shifted his grip on the cane, and let out a breath through his nose before setting his weight forward.
The corridor carried sound again as he moved. A pair of house guards shifted their stance, eyes dipping and lifting in sequence as he passed, and a servant paused mid-step before resuming once his back cleared them.
Milan stood down the hall where both turns stayed in view. Vencian caught him first, already angled away from the office door, hands loose at his sides, gaze fixed ahead.
Milan adjusted when Vencian stepped out, falling into motion without looking back. He kept his head forward and gave the closed door nothing, neither glance nor question.
Vencian started walking past him, the cane striking stone between measured steps.
