In the records room, where the archives of businesses and reports lay in rows, the scent of dust and aged ink filled the air. Two towering doors stood at the entrance, their locks untouched by anyone but Secretary Cade, Sir Daelan, and the Marquess.
"There's been something different about your air these past days, sis-in-law. I can't quite put my finger on what it is."
Aurel's voice floated lightly across the stillness of the records room, cutting through the rustles of parchment and the scratching of quills.
"Your skin... it's dewier than usual," she went on, leaning lazily against the wooden shelf behind the table, "but those dark circles under your eyes tell a different story."
"Huh?" Mikael paused on her statement, his finger tracing along the edge of the ledger before he turned a page.
Across the room, Secretary Cade did not look up from his desk. His pen continued to move over the parchment with unbroken strokes, but his brow twitched from what he heard.
