Vitori was sitting at the dining table.
Alone.
The seat on his right—where the little girl usually sat, legs swinging restlessly—was empty tonight. He didn't question her absence. There was no need to. He already knew that Emma and William had arrived earlier in the afternoon.
And that very fact made his heart unsettled and anxious.
Knowing that his daughter was inside the Tower, so close yet not sitting across from him, made his chest tighten in a dull, lingering ache. Dinner used to be the one time they always shared, no matter how busy the day had been.
But he couldn't pretend innocence.
He knew his own actions were the reason things had turned out this way.
Emma's displeasure towards him was justified since Vitori went a little overboard…no, not little. He was reckless in making decisions which could have resulted disastrously.
And because of that, now, he was here…all alone.
"Master, shall we serve dinner?" the maid asked softly, standing a respectful distance away.
