Aldric's question lingered between them, heavier than the crackle of the fire.
"What makes it different if Aurelia was the one getting married instead of Calista?" Aldric asked his father again when he did not get any reply from him the first time.
Azarion did not answer again at once.
He swirled the wine in his goblet slowly, watching the surface catch the firelight, watching the way the red liquid clung to the glass before sliding back down.
When he finally spoke, his voice was lower, stripped of the mocking ease he wore so often like armor.
"You're asking the wrong question, Aldric."
Aldric straightened. "Then tell me the right one." Aldric did not give his father any breathing space, knowing this is the only time to get the answers he sought. If he missed it this time, there won't a next.
Azarion looked at him then—truly looked at him—and something unreadable passed through his eyes.
"The question you should be asking," he said calmly, "is why Aurelia was necessary."
