The door was pushed open, and an elderly man in a dark gray suit, with graying hair, bowed as he stepped in with steady footsteps.
It was Milton, the old butler of Viscount Brooke's family.
The assembled nobility, upon recognizing him, secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Count Sirius even discreetly patted his chest, while Baron Harris quietly retracted his slightly trembling hand beneath his cloak.
Milton, somewhat apprehensively, repeated the information he had just learned: "Lord Louis has dispatched a messenger to convene a meeting of the nobility at dawn tomorrow in the council hall."
He paused, glanced at the somewhat rigid faces of the attendees, and added, "It was also said that no unauthorized absences would be tolerated."
With just a few words, it was as if cold water had been poured onto a blazing furnace, instantly snuffing out the remaining warmth in the room.
Count Sirius moved his lips, but in the end, said nothing.
No one spoke up.
