"Step closer, my darling youngest daughter. Your Father and I haven't seen you in quite some time, isn't that right? I do quite miss our chats, Valentina... but that is for later. For now, why don't you go ahead and inform your Father and I about what happened in that Hidden Realm?"
Her voice was barely a whisper of silk that trickled into my ears, but the edge that it contained was sharp enough to make me shiver as she gave me a dismissive glance, those sapphires filled with indifference now as she prioritized her daughter over me... at least for now.
The same couldn't be said for the man standing beside her, who had been staring at me rather intently as soon as he tore his gaze off of the stained glass window nearby; those silver eyes were ablaze with suspicion and danger, and before anyone else could say or do anything he raised a hand and said "Leave us."
