Lucius didn't come inside; he just stood there, gripping the wood of the door. His eyes were wide and a little bloodshot, fixed on Julian with a look of guilt
Julian felt a sharp pull in his chest as he looked at the boy's face. He remembered the way Lucius cried from the top of the pit, restless and scared. And how he ran to go get help despite his own fear and the darkness of the woods.
What a brave boy he had been.
"Lucius," Julian called out quietly.
The boy flinched like he'd been struck.
He didn't respond, but his face crumpled, and he looked down at the floor. He stayed in the doorway, trembling, looking like he felt he didn't have the right to be in the same room as the man who had nearly died for him.
Duke Alaric, who had been watching the maid, turned his head and saw Lucius.
He looked at his son for a while before turning his gaze to Julian, then back again.
