"Achoo!"
Florian sneezed violently as he and Heinz approached the grand doors of the royal office, the sound echoing down the empty marble corridor like a startled bird.
'Fuck. Is someone talking about me?' he thought, wrinkling his nose and giving it a light pinch. His brows knit together in mild irritation, more at the sudden embarrassment than the sneeze itself.
Heinz turned his head slightly, giving him a sidelong glance. "Something wrong?"
Florian straightened quickly, hands behind his back like a schoolboy caught whispering during a lecture. "No, no. Everything's fine, Your Majesty."
Heinz's crimson eyes lingered on him for a moment, sharp and unreadable. Then, without a word, he turned and pushed open the towering double doors.
Florian braced himself as they entered, expecting to find the usual suspects—Lancelot, sprawled arrogantly in a chair with a smug grin, and Lucius, ever-composed and watching Florian too closely for his liking.
