Chapter 44: Cold Morning
Inside a grand hall, lit by the first rays of the sun rising through the windows, a long table stretched beneath the high ceiling, its polished surface lined with fine silverware and steaming plates of food.
Servants stood silently along the walls, their hands clasped, their eyes lowered.
At the head of the table, a young man, handsome, with striking blue hair and the look of someone in his early twenties, sat alone, slowly eating.
He seemed to be in a good mood, until suddenly, one servant entered the room, came to his side, and said, "Sorry for interrupting your meal, Your Highness."
The servant seemed to have more words caught in his mouth, but he didn’t say them. Instead, he just waited, until the fourth prince, Caelan Merrik Valemere, gave him permission.
In the end, Caelan didn’t give the servant the permission, though, and simply continued eating.
He didn’t even turn in his direction, not until he had finished his meal, wiped his mouth elegantly with a napkin, and signaled for the food to be taken away from in front of him... then finally, he turned toward the servant.
Signaling him with his eyes to start talking.
"Your Highness, after your previous order that we should keep an eye on Madam Thalia, we sent a spy to stay in her place, acting as a servant there. And today, we actually found that she has been detained inside the palace she’s currently in, by people from the First Prince’s side."
"Furthermore, through the spy’s words, we can conclude that her days are probably not long, if we don’t make any move."
"So, what are your instructions?"
Caelan didn’t have his expression change at all. And with calm words, he said, "Our previous alliance has ended, so, why should we give her a helping hand?"