The grand manor of House Diamond was shrouded in a suffocating, bitter tension. Rain lashed against the tall stained-glass windows, but inside, the air was even colder than the storm outdoors.
In the Duke's private study, the sound of desperate, ragged weeping had been echoing for nearly an hour.
"Father, I beg of you! Please do something!" Cecilia fell onto her knees beside the heavy mahogany desk, her long silk gown pooling around her on the Persian rug. Tears streamed down her pale, blotchy cheeks, ruining her delicate makeup. "I cannot marry a jester! I won't! It is an absolute humiliation to our bloodline! Please... talk to the High Council, talk to the King—"
BANG.
Duke Diamond slammed his fist hard against the carved armrest of his chair, the heavy wooden impact echoing like a gunshot through the room.
