Lorraine curtsied, and Leroy bowed.
The King didn't move. He didn't even give a glance, as though they weren't worth the dust on his boots.
The Queen, at least, offered a faint smile and a nod. It was hollow, but more than nothing.
Lorraine's gaze shifted to Lucia, Leroy's sister. She possessed a gentle beauty similar to her mother, yet the glint in her eyes was strikingly similar to that of her father, the king.
Lorraine expected… some strong reaction from her, by the way Leroy had thought of her. Surprise. Overflowing love. Relief. But there was none. Lucia's expression was unreadable—flat, as if staring through them rather than at them. Whatever warmth may have once existed between siblings had long since cooled into ash. Or maybe, they weren't a family that wore their heart on their sleeves.
