"My lady…"
Marek's voice came softly behind me, cautious, measured, like he was afraid that one wrong word might make me fall apart again.
Yeah. Probably because I looked like I would.
The cry that wouldn't even let me tear still sat heavy in my chest, burning instead of fading.
"My lady," he tried again, "it would be better to come here with Lord Luci—"
I snapped before he could finish, turning sharply toward him. "How long have you been working with him?"
Marek blinked, clearly startled by the question. "Err… it's been a century, my lady."
"A century…" I repeated, the words quiet, heavy. Then I let out a small laugh that didn't sound like one. "Then… you must be loyal to him."
Marek hesitated, his posture tightening slightly, but he didn't look away. "I am," he said carefully. "Lord Lucian saved my clan during the Frost War. My loyalty to him isn't something that changes easily."
