Varon stood in the hallway longer than he meant to.
The door to his father's study loomed in front of him. He watched it the way one might watch a sleeping beast. Not afraid. No. Just… cautious. There was a difference. He inhaled once, then lifted his hand and knocked.
"Enter," came the voice inside.
Varon stepped in.
His father didn't look up immediately. He finished signing something first, the quill scratching with a careful, almost theatrical slowness.
"Well?" the Duke said at last. "What is it you need?"
Always straight to the point.
Varon cleared his throat. "I just wanted to ask… how did the meeting with His Majesty go?"
That earned him a glance. "It went very well," the Duke replied, setting the quill aside. "I paid my respects. Exchanged pleasantries. Updated him on certain developments." A pause, thin and sharp. "Including Verona's awakening."
Varon's jaw tightened before he could stop it. "And?"
