165
~Damon's POV
The guard began reading. One by one, the names filled the room. Cooks, cleaners, guards, stable boys, attendants. My eyes flicked with each one, my chest tightening.
When the last name was called, I slammed my hand against the table so hard that the wood cracked. The guard jumped back, his voice catching in his throat.
"Check again!" I roared. "You missed someone. You must have missed someone!"
Another servant hurried forward, flipping through the pages with shaking fingers. "My Lord, please, look, we have not missed anyone. Every name, every duty, it's all here. There is… There is no Luca."
"No, Luca?" I repeated, my voice low, dangerous. I stepped closer, and they all shrank back. "She doesn't lie. Do you hear me? She never lies. If she said his name was Luca, then there is a Luca. Somewhere. Hidden. Pretending."
The servants exchanged frightened glances. One dared to whisper, "Perhaps he was not… truly of the palace, my Lord."
