'What is this...'
Florian and Heinz walked side by side down the corridor, the only sound between them the steady echo of their footsteps against the marble floor.
Their silence stretched on, taut as a bowstring.
Occasionally, they passed a maid or a butler who immediately stopped to bow or curtsy.
Florian's polite nods were automatic, but he couldn't help noticing the way the servants' eyes lingered.
The maids pressed their hands to their mouths, whispering and giggling as soon as the two had passed.
The butlers and knights exchanged raised brows, their gazes darting between him and Heinz.
'They're all whispering. About us.'
Florian tried to brush it off, but the sound of hushed laughter felt like it clung to the back of his neck.
And Heinz… Heinz didn't acknowledge any of it. Not a single word, not a single shift in expression.
The silence was suffocating.
