"Nice tea," Zarius said smoothly after taking a slow sip from the delicate porcelain cup.
He set the cup back down onto its saucer with a faint click. He was sitting comfortably in a plush leather armchair inside the heavily guarded royal study, maintaining the fragile, trembling posture that high society had already decided belonged to him. Across the table sat King Alderon, a man wearing the heavy weight of an empire on his aging shoulders, who was currently enjoying his own cup of tea with quiet contemplation.
The room was peaceful, smelling faintly of old parchment, rich tobacco, and expensive dried tea leaves, a stark contrast to the suffocating noise happening just a few corridors away.
King Alderon set his cup down, leaning back slightly as his sharp eyes evaluated the young Duke of the North. "Do you enjoy the party, Duke?"
