The tea was cooling, and with every passing second, the silence in the sitting room grew a new set of teeth. Verona sat with her spine a rigid line of steel, her hands folded over her skirts to hide the fact that her pulse was currently trying to leap out of her throat. Opposite them, Calixto and Yelena Aldenar looked less like parents and more like twin deities of some forgotten, vengeful religion.
Calixto broke the silence first. He didn't move a muscle, but his voice seemed to vibrate the very porcelain in Verona's grip.
"Elric," he started, eyes like chips of frozen flint. "The couriers have been busy. The rumors are louder. I believe an explanation is in order regarding this... sudden arrangement."
Elric didn't flinch. "There isn't much to explain, Father. I saw what I wanted. I acted. We are engaged, and that is the end of the matter."
