Chapter 39: Misery Loves Company
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Afternoon.
Small Dining Hall, Wyfkeep Castle.
Wyfellon. Wyfn-Garde.
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Meanwhile, In the dimming light of the early evening, the grand yet ironically named Wyfkeep Castle Small Dining Hall bustled with the Velthorne children.
Though the room could comfortably seat thirty, tonight it held only seven: the youngest of the royal family gathered around a long table laden with dishes and silver.
The walls of the hall were decorated with tapestries depicting old Velthorne battles, though the children paid them little mind as they chattered and ate.
Benedict, the bastard son of the Second Prince, sat distractedly near the end of the table, a pot of thick, glistening jam in front of him. Instead of eating, he was using his spoon to trace idle patterns in the red jam on the table’s surface, his brow furrowed in quiet concentration.
His attire was simpler than the others—he wore a gray tunic with an ill-fitting waistcoat, a visible reminder of his status within the family.
The rest of the children wore embroidered finery: soft velvets, delicate silks, and tailored wool.