Dinner that night was quieter than usual. The kind of quiet that made Rowan count the seconds between breaths just so he wouldn't think about how tense the air had become.
Zalyric sat across from him, his expression calm as ever but Rowan could feel the weight of his gaze even when the king wasn't looking directly at him. The table between them was set with roasted fish, buttered greens and a bottle of deep red wine that caught the flicker of candlelight yet everything tasted like nothing.
"How's the food?" Zalyric asked finally, his tone smooth, polite then he picked up his spoon, stirring the broth absently. "I heard you had lunch with Dravaris."
Rowan paused mid-bite. He hadn't expected that question, nor the faint edge behind it. "Ah… yes, Your Majesty. Commander Dravaris invited me after training, so I joined him before returning."
He tried to sound casual but even to his own ears, his voice came out too careful. His fingers tightened around the fork.
