[You went too far,] Vitaliara said, her voice emerging from the shadows like mist slipping through a cracked window. Not harsh. Not condemning. Just… there. [He'll remember that. His House will remember that.]
Lucavion didn't turn. His hands were still loose at his sides, the air still tinged faintly with the scent of ozone and scorched brass from the sealing flame. His breath was calm. Even. Controlled.
"I wanted him to remember it."
He stepped forward, the soft click of his boots against the marble sounding almost out of place in the silence that followed the thunder of that slammed door. The tea sat forgotten. His presence had been challenged. The civility of the space broken.
And yet…
There was no regret in his posture. No tension in his shoulders. No fear rippling through the silence.
Only certainty.
