The office remained silent long after Lucian left.
Not the calm kind of silence either.
The air still felt disturbed somehow, like his words had lodged themselves into the walls and refused to leave.
Alaric stood near the desk without moving for several seconds, gaze lowered slightly toward the scattered documents Lucian had interrupted earlier. None of them held his attention anymore.
Across the room, Sebastian finally exhaled quietly. "He's starting to lose restraint."
Alaric's eyes lifted slowly. "No," he said after a moment. "He's exhausted."
That answer shifted something in the atmosphere immediately.
Sebastian's expression tightened faintly, though whether from disagreement or discomfort, even he probably couldn't tell anymore.
The image of Lucian standing in the middle of the office still lingered too clearly... Frustrated... Cornered.
Trying very hard not to sound afraid while practically admitting he no longer felt safe anywhere inside the palace.
