Rubis entered the household administration office carrying a sealed archive case and immediately realized he should have sent someone else.
Kamal sat behind his desk, surrounded by open reports and suspended ether displays.
Liam remained planted on the couch beside the window, one leg tucked beneath him, looking bored enough to become a threat to palace infrastructure.
Rubis stopped inside the doorway.
His eyes moved from Kamal to Liam and then toward the corridor again.
"No," Kamal said without looking up.
"I have not said anything."
"You were about to leave."
"I remembered another obligation."
"You are here to deliver the original authorization records from the imperial archive."
"They can remain sealed until tomorrow."
"The oath announcement is in three days."
"They have remained sealed for seventy-two years. Another day is unlikely to destroy the empire."
Liam turned his head.
Rubis felt the exact moment the room became more dangerous.
