The night had fallen, cloaking the palace in shadows when the king finally returned from his unexplained journey.
Aldric had slipped away without warning, and now his return brought with it troubling whispers—rumors that someone within the palace had been in league with Norman.
"I sometimes fail to understand how our son can be so insensible," Seraphina sneered, her tone sharp with disdain. "To accuse Linda on nothing more than a maid's word? It's beneath him."
Her mind still reeled from the chaos that had erupted during Aldric's absence. But now that he was back, she was determined to set matters straight.
Her gaze narrowed, voice laced with venom. "Do you think Lyra has bewitched him somehow? Casian no longer listens to reason, only to her."
But Aldric, who sat brooding in silence, gave no reply. His distant stare unsettled her more than his words ever could.
