"Is there a reason he suddenly acted out? Wasn't he with His Highness?" Lucius asked, his tone calm, but his voice held a sharp edge as he glanced at Heinz, who stood by his desk, silently gazing into the glowing surface of his crystal.
The king's jaw was tight. His red eyes were narrowed, flickering faintly like coals on the verge of blazing. The usually unreadable ruler of Concordia now looked… disturbed.
Lucius remained quiet for a beat, observing.
'He's not just thinking—he's calculating. Something went wrong. Very wrong.'
The royal office was dim, curtains pulled just enough to let in the overcast light of a stormy afternoon. The atmosphere was stifling. The meeting had started with routine urgency: reviewing summit outcomes, dissecting the Delilah incident, strategizing the next moves. But then—
Azure.
Azure, who was supposed to be by Florian's side.
Azure, who should've been keeping him safe.
