By the third day of investigating Reniel's funeral, the palace atmosphere changed completely.
People stopped pretending Lucian's questions were harmless.
Servants who once greeted him warmly now avoided entire corridors if they spotted him first. Conversations ended the moment he approached. Even the palace guards looked strangely tense around him, like they were waiting for him to say the wrong thing aloud.
Which, admittedly, was rude.
Lucian walked through the eastern courtyard with his hands tucked behind his back, watching a pair of maids nearly flee after noticing him nearby.
"…I'm becoming the palace cryptid," he muttered.
Behind him, Rei remained silent.
Lucian glanced sideways.
"You know what's really hurtful? Nobody runs away from you."
"You ask unsettling questions."
"That sounds subjective."
"You asked a priest if funeral records could legally disappear."
Lucian frowned.
"In my defense, I was being polite about it."
Rei looked unconvinced.
