Lucien stepped into the corridor with calm confidence.
The elf who had summoned him walked ahead, guiding the way through the stone halls. Two guards followed several steps behind, escorting him as protocol required. The corridors were unusually quiet. The war had ended only recently and the castle had not yet returned to its usual rhythm. Fewer soldiers moved through the halls, fewer messengers rushed between rooms. The noise had simply disappeared.
Lucien did not mind the silence.
If anything, it made the moment feel more significant.
His father was dead. The former head of House Thal'zar had fallen during the war, leaving the entire family structure unstable. Many of his siblings had reacted with fear when the news spread. Some had locked themselves away in their chambers, uncertain of what would come next. Others whispered constantly about what the Morgain and Sylvanel families might decide to do with them.
Lucien did not share those fears.
