The little wooden hut gradually settled back into silence, though it was no longer the peaceful silence that had greeted the night only minutes earlier. Instead, it was the heavy stillness that always followed unexpected revelations, where every person present found themselves quietly reassessing everything that had transpired.
The fireplace continued to burn steadily within the stone hearth, its gentle flames casting a warm amber glow that danced across the timber walls, while the cool night breeze drifting through the still-open doorway carried with it the distant sounds of the sleeping town.
Somewhere beyond the narrow streets, laughter from a tavern echoed faintly before fading into the night, blissfully unaware that within this modest dwelling, identities had been overturned and carefully laid plans had nearly collapsed into unnecessary bloodshed.
Luca slowly lowered both of his twin sabers.
