Windstone moved through the mansion like a storm god incarnate.
The staff scattered at his approach, some with nervous bows, others avoiding his gaze entirely. Word had already spread. Lucas Fitzgeralt had been delivered something that bypassed every layer of security, and the Grand Duke's temper was not a storm one survived by chance.
Within minutes, Windstone had assembled the household's core personnel in one of the smaller receiving rooms.
His eyes swept the line of servants, landing first on the young woman who had carried the black lacquered box into Lucas's sitting room.
"Step forward," he said.
She obeyed, her hands twisting in the folds of her skirt. "Sir, I…"
"Quiet." The single word cut through her voice like glass. "The package bypassed inspection. You were told to deliver it directly to the Grand Duchess. Who gave you that order?"
