Chapter 192: Meeting with Kharom
"Lord Adyr."
As he neared the towering double doors of the grand dining hall, the two knights stationed at the entrance straightened and saluted with visible reverence.
He returned the gesture with a slight nod, his tone as detached as ever.
"Let me in."
Though it was evident that a significant meeting was taking place inside, the knights didn’t hesitate. They treated his words as an order and moved immediately, opening the heavy doors with smooth, unspoken obedience.
As the grand doors parted and the scene within came into view, a faint smile touched Adyr’s lips.
The dining hall was brightly lit, its wide interior pristine and stately. At the center stood a long, grand table heavy with untouched dishes and silverware. Seated at one end was Orven Draven, his posture stiff, his face drawn tight with tension. Beside him sat Vesha, equally composed yet visibly uneasy. Neither had touched the food before them.
At the opposite end of the table sat a single figure, eating voraciously. He tore through dish after dish without pause, while a stream of maids rushed to keep his plates full, barely able to keep up.
His appearance left no doubt. Pale, almost ghostly skin, eyes as black as pitch, and the dark, scaled patterns crawling up from his neck to the edges of his ears. Clearly an Umbraen—and not a common one.
Adyr’s guess had been correct. It was Kharom.
Apparently, while he continued his stroll through the market district, Kharom had left early and made this mansion his first stop. He wasn’t accompanied by any of his usual entourage—he was alone. But that wasn’t the only unusual detail.