The Patriarch stepped away from the crowded center of the ballroom, taking a crystal glass of wine from a passing servant.
He didn't take a sip right away, just gripping the thin stem of the glass while his dark eyes stared into the red liquid. The polite smiles and easy laughter of the nobles around him felt completely suffocating.
'The King played me perfectly,' he thought, feeling a tight knot of anger twisting in his chest. 'He forced me to either acknowledge the boy or look like a fool in front of the entire court.'
Before he could calm his racing thoughts, hurried footsteps approached from his left side.
"Father," a sharp voice called out.
He looked over and saw his eldest son, the same representative who had been standing beside Kenny during the council meeting, marching straight toward him. The younger man's face was flushed red with anger and panic.
