Lunch was quieter than Luke expected.
The dining hall, grand as it was, felt almost too large for just the two of them. Sunlight poured in through tall windows, casting long, warm shapes across the polished floor. The banners that had felt imposing during the previous meals now hung still and harmless, like they were only decorations rather than symbols of authority.
Shesha attended to them again, calm and efficient as always. She moved with practised grace, setting plates down without ceremony, asking little, speaking even less. Once everything was in place, she withdrew to a respectful distance, leaving Luke and Ilyrana alone with their food and their thoughts.
For a while, they simply ate.
