The king had spent most of the night awake, though he would never admit such a weakness aloud. His mind had wandered through restless thoughts.
As the sun rose and the palace resumed its usual rhythm, something else began to trouble him.
Valen had not come around for a while since she left, normally she stood near the chamber doors during morning briefings, quiet and watchful as ever, her presence so constant that most people rarely noticed it anymore.
Today, however, the space beside the eastern pillar remained empty but he waved it as nothing.
Council matters began as usual, the normal reports were delivered. Petitions were presented and minor disputes between nobles were addressed with swift decisions.
Through it all his gaze occasionally drifted toward that vacant space, Lucas noticed it as well.
The two men had not spoken privately since the courtyard incident, though their reconciliation from the training room still held firm.
