The following morning, Damian sat with his mother for their customary morning tea. Once the servants had poured the steaming cups and retreated, the room settled into a silence.
"How was your night? Did you sleep well?" Georgia asked, though her eyes remained fixed on his face. "Now that you and Eilika have begun sharing a bed, I imagine things are beginning to shift between you two."
Damian set his cup down against the saucer. He did not touch his tea as he pinned her with a look of quiet poise.
"Mother, what was in those drinks you sent to our chambers last night?" he asked. "A 'medicinal drink,' you called it. Would you care to provide me with a proper explanation for it?"
Georgia hesitated, her fingers tightening momentarily around her own cup.
"Ah, yes. That," she replied. "It was recommended to me by a friend. I only thought it might be of some benefit."
