Reniel didn't speak after that. But Lucian could feel the faintest glance from him sideways, brief, like a silent acknowledgment.
Lucian didn't look back.
He didn't need to the tension that orbits around them is enough to keep him shout.
Sebastine finally broke the moment again, reaching for the wine jug and refilling his cup. "Then let's not waste time with pretense. You're here. You've seen enough. We'll see if you keep seeing."
Lucian nodded once and replied "Understood." even without understanding the meaning behind what Sebastian said
Alistair tilted his head ever so slightly, expression unreadable. "And if you're found wanting?"
Lucian didn't flinch. "Then I'll leave quietly."
That answer held the room for a beat too long.
Then Alaric, who had not spoken for some time, finally did.
His voice was low. Rough but calm.
"No one leaves quietly, you know"
It wasn't a threat.
It was a plain truth everyone in the Kingdom knew.
Lucian's heart didn't skip, but he felt it settle differently in his chest. As if the chair beneath him grew colder. He didn't speak. Not yet. He just nodded his head once again, respectful never submissive.
Reniel's voice came in then, quiet but final. "He's not here to play politics nor banter with you guys, he just came to learn and work under me. He won't be of any threat."
Alaric's eyes slid to Reniel. Then, slowly, back to Lucian. "Let's hope on that"
There was nothing more to say after that. The weight of that final statement lay like stone across the table.
Lucian lowered his gaze not to hide, but to think. Every instinct told him these weren't men to impress. They were men you survived around. Men who watched quietly when others bled.
He could feel it now, in his gut.
He wasn't invisible anymore as he wanted it to be, he was now visible to them. Which didn't happen in the original novel.
The original Lucian never got to sit and talk to the them like that.
Lucian muttered to himself" Well, it just a mere encounter nothing much."
The silence among them pulsed beneath the lively music and laughter drifting through the banquet hall.
Lucian sat still, back straight, eyes lowered slightly, his untouched wine a silent shield before him. The conversation had thinned, but the tension hadn't. It lingered—coiled like a sleeping serpent between them.
Until...
"Saints above, is this a funeral or a banquet?"
A voice, light and dramatic, snapped across their table. Heads turned.
Kieran Ravelle, roguishly dressed in midnight-blue silks trimmed with white gold, appeared like a breeze sweeping in from nowhere. He wore a smirk that dared to offend, but no one seemed truly offended.
Reniel's brow twitched upward. Alistair exhaled through his nose. Even Alaric allowed himself a faint grunt of acknowledgment.
"Kieran," Reniel greeted smoothly, "you're late."
"Late? Never. I arrive exactly when I intend to interrupt." Kieran dragged an empty chair back and leaned on it, but didn't sit. His golden goblet caught the chandeliers' light as he raised it. "Honestly, I saw the mood from across the room and thought—ah, that's where joy went to die."
A few soft chuckles passed among them. Even Alistair smirked.
Kieran's eyes finally landed on Lucian, sharp and curious. "And who is this charming soul? You've not been broken by the mood yet, I hope."
Lucian gave a courteous nod. "Lucian Thorne."
"Thorne, hmm. New blood, I see. Brave of you to sit with this nest of wolves."
"He's holding up fine," Sebastine said, tone unreadable, looking at Lucian.
Lucian felt the shift small but certain. The tension thinned. The weight eased. He couldn't handle it any longer.
He stood slowly. "Thank you for allowing me in your midst, my lords. I think I'll step away now."
Alaric's gaze lifted. "Done already?"
"Yes, my lord. I wish to enjoy the party to the fullest " Lucian said simply, his voice calm but firm.
"Alright then" Alaric said with no emotions.
Lucian nodded and turned slightly, his eyes met Reniel's just for a moment.
And Reniel smiled.
Subtle. Not wide, not mocking ust a quiet flicker at the corners of his lips. A silent message: You did well.
Lucian inclined his head gently, then turned and walked away.
He didn't rush it because he knew their eyes are still tracing his steps but at least he is free from the tension and whatever was orbiting around there.
"What in the heck was that?" Lucian muttered under his breath. "I came to enjoy a banquet, not endure an interrogative session with three possessive lords acting like I'd threatened their bloodline. Thank heavens for that loud noble who broke the tension cause I spent another minute, and I'd have drowned in that awkward silence."
"I just hope this is the last time I cross paths with those three. I'm just a side character, and I intend to stay that way. No drama, no spotlight. Now... time to party." Lucian declared.
Then Lucian steps away from the suffocating place, into the heart of the grand banquet where music plays, masks slip, and every smile hides a secret.
Back at the buffet, he helped himself to a drink, then another. The wine was sweet and warm in his throat. The music played on, the room spun a little brighter, and Lucian let himself relax. He even laughed a few times, forgetting the tension in the air.
After a while, his head grew light, and the room too hot to handle.
He stepped outside, craving fresh air.
The night was cool, the garden bathed in moonlight. He took a deep breath and wandered toward the courtyard. That's when he heard it voices.
At first low, then sharper.
An argument?
"Seriously, who is even arguing by this time" Lucian said with raised brows.
Curious, he followed the sound, tracing it and noticed it was coming from the balcony. He looked up.
Two figures stood facing each other in the moonlight.
One of them was Reniel.
Lucian's breath caught. The moon lit up Reniel's face clearly, tense and pale. The other man's face was hidden by shadows but his robes were distinct. Rich fabric, embroidered cuffs. Definitely noble.
Lucian squinted, trying to see more but he couldn't.
Not my business, he told himself as he turned to leave.
Then he heard it a scream.
He whipped around just in time to see Reniel shoved backward violently.
As Reniel's eyes locked with his when he was falling.
Lucian froze with fear, his legs couldn't move, cold chills went all over his body, he looked up trying to know if he can capture the face of the man but he couldn't.
Then the cloaked man turned and fled, his robe flaring as he disappeared into the dark.
Lucian staggered forward, heart racing. "Reniel?"
No answer. He rushed to the spot. Reniel lay still, eyes open, blood staining the stones beneath him.
Lucian stumbled back, breath shallow, his body was trembling in fear.
Then footsteps.
Panic surged. Someone was coming. If they saw him here, he will be doomed.
He turned to run, but his boot caught a root. He fell hard, pain bursting through his head as it hit the ground. The last thing he saw was the night sky spinning above him.
Then darkness.