Chapter 362 - 361. In The Name Of Family (2)
The sky darkened as heavy clouds gathered, thick and looming. The scent of impending rain laced the air, and the winds carried a foreboding chill. Cutting through the sky at great speed, I barely needed to flap my wings—the sheer momentum carried me forward, straight as an arrow. The landscape below blurred into streaks of green and gray as I headed directly toward the royal palace of Denril.
Thanks to my invisibility brooch, I remained undetected as I crossed into the palace’s airspace. The high towers and vast courtyards stretched beneath me, bathed in the dim, brooding light of the overcast sky. My senses flared, scanning for Rune’s mana presence, and once I locked onto it, I veered in his direction.
He was in the parlor. And he wasn’t alone.
I landed silently on the stone arch just outside the closed window, my descent forcing a gust of wind to lash against the glass panes. The impact made the windows shudder slightly, drawing immediate attention from inside. Rune and the woman sitting across from him—Duchess Nymeria Konstantinos—turned their heads at once.
I remained perfectly still, knowing they couldn’t see me. The invisibility brooch ensured I was no more than a shadow in the wind. However, to avoid any lingering suspicion, I let the thunder crackle across the sky, its deep growl rolling through the air as if nature itself had reacted to my presence. The Duchess, unbothered, turned her attention back to her tea, her cup poised at her lips. Rune’s gaze lingered a second longer on the window before he, too, returned to the conversation.
"So, where were we?" she asked, her voice smooth, measured.
Rune leaned back slightly in his seat, his posture composed but alert. "My relationship with the royal family of Sestia," he answered.
From my vantage point, I observed her carefully. Nymeria Konstantinos was a woman of striking presence—sharp, calculating eyes that missed nothing. She carried an air of quiet authority, her every movement deliberate, assessing. Even now, she was studying Rune, weighing his words, his expressions.
"Yes," she murmured, moving the cup away from her lips just a fraction. Her head tilted ever so slightly, as though considering her next move.
"You seem quite close to Prince Eric," she noted.
Rune met her gaze without hesitation. "We are," he confirmed, his voice even.