•Inn's First Floor•
[Ace's POV]
The heavy oak table groaned under the weight of empty tankards as I remained seated with Ray, Colt, Kai and Shin. The air hung thick with the pungent aroma of spiced rum and roasted meat, mingling with the boisterous laughter of drunken men. My fingers tapped an impatient rhythm against the worn wood, my gaze sweeping across the inn's crowded interior until it landed on Ann. She stood rigid near Ovelia's abandoned table, her black eyes performing a constant, sweeping assessment of the room—darting between the staircase, the main door, and me, her nails digging into the wooden chairback.
So. Ovelia and Philip still hadn't returned.
Ann approached with measured steps, her boots scuffing against the sawdust-covered floor. "Sir Ace," she said, her voice carefully controlled but unable to mask the tension in her shoulders, "have you seen lady Ovelia?"
